This paper studies the impact of knowledge creation activities on the performance of innovation production phase within agri-food businesses in Souss Massa region. To do this, an analysis of the literature has enabled us to formulate hypotheses liking the four modes of knowledge creation, namely, socialization, externalization, combination and internalization, and the performance of innovation production phase. In order to test these hypotheses, we carried out a quantitative study among innovative agri-food companies in Souss Massa region. The results show that socialisation and combination positively influence the performance of the innovation production phase. In terms of theoretical and managerial inputs, this research is a validation and enrichment of the model of Nonaka and Takeuchi, in a Moroccan context. In addition, it contributes to the improvement of managerial practice by providing new perspectives on knowledge management in agri-food enterprises.
Our research aims to explore the relationship between information sources, absorptive capacity and innovation in a sample of Moroccan SMEs in the region of Souss-Massa-Draa. Indeed, we searched through an empirical study to understand the effect of absorption on the processing of information in innovation by SMEs in the context of a developing country like Morocco. Our results show that information networks offering new non-routine information and who are considered weak signals, contribute most to innovation in SMEs. Moreover, most SMEs have the ability to absorb information from its environment, the greater the magnitude of innovations is important. These results confirm the moderating effect of absorptive capacity in the transformation of information into innovation, and can be used to establish within SMEs a competitive intelligence system whose purpose is the collection of information and its operation. These results also emphasize the role of training of human resources as pillars of exploitation of information and its translation into innovation.