Innovation and the relevance of closeness or remoteness: the case of Microsoft Consulting Services

Abstract

Several theoretical analyses are carried out, starting with the critical review of the most relevant literature, particularly over the situation of Microsoft with respect to other technology firms and on the relationship between territory and innovation. The core of the paper is a survey of the programmers and computerrelated consultants at Microsoft Consulting Services (MCS). Regarding the geographical areas of other companies with which they have relationships that help them to be more innovative, the most frequently selected responses were to the European Union, Spain and other developed areas of the non Spanishspeaking world, in that order. For innovation it is essential to combine external, distant relationships that are potentially dispersed, and that give access to the best professionals, with concentrated and accessible local relationships. Employees at MCS seem to combine both aspects of innovation, global and local.