R&D Configurations and Innovation Outcomes : the case of Swedish R&D Offshore

Sammanfattning: More and more firms are establishing R&D facilities offshore to deliver innovation abroad, especially in emerging countries that are not always known to be centres of innovation. This thesis shows how R&D is configured offshore and what innovation outcomes emerge from such centres. There are new results produced in this study: • A firm’s innovation outcome depends on its R&D configuration offshore. The R&D setup offshore is influenced by decision accelerators while the innovation outcome is affected by decision decelerators. • Traditionally, innovation has been associated with learning. However, this study introduces unlearning, which can also lead to innovation when a firm offshores a part of its R&D.• ‘Distance-to-innovation’ is a new concept introduced, which signifies how far a firm is from delivering learning-driven innovation.This thesis investigates the decision making process of R&D offshoring, using empirical evidence that is based on in-depth interviews with decision makers from 10 Swedish firms. The study will prove useful to both academics and practitioners; it will help them learn more about how decision makers in firms can make better strategic choices when offshoring R&D and how they can have an improved influence over the innovation outcomes of their firms.