Entreprises, cheminements technologiques et innovation

Business history has clearly pointed out the importance of innovation, knowledge and history in the ways firms have defined their development strategies. This articles shows that these aspects, from a methodological point of view, cannot be understood separately. Innovation uses knowledge involved in a long run process. In that sense, innovation is a part of the firms? structure. The technological breakthroughs which are, at the start, considered as the impact of marginal firms are nonetheless related to existing forms of knowledge integrated in the new innovative process.