Based on marketing and information science perspectives the article reports the results of a survey into the innovation process in three Brazilian industries. The objectives of the study were a) to describe the internal processes associated with the conception and development of incremental product innovation; b) to identify the players involved in each of these process steps; c) to describe the contexts within which these players interact; d) to identify and describe the interface that exists between these players; e) to identify and describe the search behavior and the use of information at each stage of the incremental product innovation process; and f) to describe the information sources used in each step. Among other aspects the results showed the influence of aspects related to the task on the extent and number of search cycles, as well as the type of information sought. Another discovery that is worth highlighting is the importance of the personal choices of corporate leaders on the information behavior of their subordinates.
Marketing; innovation; information science; information management; information sources
