CO-INNOVATION BY KIBS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES — A KNOWLEDGE-BASED PERSPECTIVE

This paper investigates the ability of knowledge intensive business firms (KIBS) to engage in co-innovation with client firms. Co-innovation is related to the competitive advantage of KIBS as knowledge creators and sources of innovation. We apply a knowledge-based perspective where knowledge-related resources and learning capabilities explain why certain KIBS firms are able to co-innovate. We couple our theoretical expectations with qualitative evidence on three best practices in the Dutch market for environmental services.