Knowledge leakage and collaborative innovation: a systematic literature review

Knowledge leakages often pose strategic challenges when companies engage in collaborative innovation activities. This study comprehensively explores the complex relationship between knowledge leakage and innovation collaboration. This research uses a systematic literature review by selecting 82 articles from the Scopus database. Content analysis identifies critical issues and research gaps mapped into cluster themes. VOSviewer is used to visually represent these research cluster themes. This study finds that the number of articles on this topic emerged in 2000 and has fluctuated since, showing an increasing trend of research published in reputable journals by well-known publishers. Knowledge leakage is classified into three categories: a transfer process or mechanism, a loss or risk, and an unintentional action. In addition, the findings reveal seven research themes addressing this topic. The research proposes an IPO (Input-Process-Output) framework for future research directions. This study offers a new perspective that enriches the topic and provides valuable insights for academics and practitioners.