The Impact of Sales Integration on Innovation Capacity from a Corporate Foresight Perspective (Work-In-Progress)

Proceedings of ‏The 2nd International Conference on Future of Business, Management, and Economics

Year: 2020

DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.33422/2nd.icfbme.2020.09.167

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The Impact of Sales Integration on Innovation Capacity from a Corporate Foresight Perspective (Work-In-Progress)

Simon Dummel

 

ABSTRACT: 

This paper is a work-in-progress paper accompanying a dissertation project with the working title ‘The Impact of Sales Integration on Innovation Capacity from a Corporate Foresight Perspective’. It provides a literature background, research aims and initial hypotheses collection for upcoming empirical work. The field of research involves Strategic Management, Innovation Management and Corporate Foresight. It is said that salespeople are the ear to the customer and no other function is as close to the market. Hence, salespersons obtain specific market knowledge that can create value for the organization. In this context, Corporate Foresight came to importance in order to create scenarios of future developments that are triggered by dynamic business environments. So, the question arises of how salespersons add to knowledge creation in Innovation and Foresight Management of a firm. Is the sales function well integrated into systematic knowledge exchange or are silos more present? With regard to the problem there is only scarce research work published yet. Especially, in connection with innovation capacity the value contribution of sales involvement requires more detail investigation. So, the author aims at detecting patterns of sales integration into intelligence processes within the foresight framework. Causal effects shall be observed illustrating how sales knowledge is diffused and used internally. Research hypotheses were derived from literature review and existing theories. A study in the manner of a cross-sectional survey will be chosen as a research design. A written online survey shall be conducted.

Keywords: Corporate Foresight; Innovation Capability, Sales Integration.