How does culture influence innovation? A systematic literature review

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to conduct a systematic literature review of the studies that have analyzed the impact of culture on innovation. Design/methodology/approach – We carried out a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed articles in the past 37 years (January 1980 - January 2017). Based on a total of 61 identified primary studies, we developed two clusters of culture definition studied in relation to innovation, including organizational culture and national culture. Findings – After reporting the findings of the systematic literature review, we discuss how a variety of culturally related factors combine to facilitate or restrict innovation performance in their corresponding cluster. Our findings highlight the complex and idiosyncratic relationship between culture and innovation. Future research lines are recommended. Research limitations/implications – We adopt a systematic literature review method to probe into existing literature, inevitably missing some empirical studies. Implications for future research are suggested. Practical implications – The paper offers interesting implications for managers and academia. For business practitioners, this study can provide a useful reference regarding the role of cultures in the corporate internal management or international operations; for scholars, our study can provide a current research landscape and development process in this field. Originality/value – The findings are derived from a systematic literature review that has studied the influence of culture on innovation. In addition, implications and insights as to where future research might be usefully inquired in this field are provided.'This article is © Emerald Publishing and permission has been granted for this version to appear here (https://zenodo.org/record/2538128#.XJkBYy2ZN-U). Emerald does not grant permission for this article to be further copied/distributed or hosted elsewhere without the express permission from Emerald Publishing Limited.