A Meta-Analysis Integrating External Knowledge Search Research: Antecedents, Consequences, and Boundary Conditions

Despite extensive research into external knowledge search (EKS), comprehensive empirical reviews of its antecedents, consequences, and boundary conditions remain scarce. This study proposes an integrative framework to investigate the organizational and environmental factors, performance outcomes related to EKS, and boundary conditions for their relationships. A comprehensive meta-analysis of the antecedents and consequences of EKS is conducted, based on 361,856 observations from 276 studies, to investigate several moderators on the relationships between EKS and its antecedents or consequences. By empirically confirming this, our examination confirms inconsistencies in existing research regarding the relationship between EKS, its antecedents, and consequences, by highlighting the moderating role played by EKS operationalization and research context (i.e., national culture, industrial affiliation, and level of analysis). The study's findings extend the current understanding of the nomological network of EKS, offering a strong foundation for the future direction of EKS.