Making the Old New Again Through the Process of Recombinant Innovation
Vittoria Magrelli, Josip Kotlar, Alfredo De Massis, Federico Frattini, Antonio Messeni Petruzzelli
kHUB post date: March 2026
Originally published: September 4, 2025 (PDMA JPIM • Vol. 43, Issue 2 • March 2026)
Read time: 80 minutes
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Recombinant innovation—the process through which atypical and unexpected combinations of knowledge generate novel outcomes—is a critical driver of organizational distinctiveness and market transformation. While prior research has focused on firm- and industry-level mechanisms, less attention has been given to multilevel dynamics underpinning the mobilization of old knowledge for innovation. Through a longitudinal case study of Aboca, a firm that systematically integrates centuries-old herbal remedies with evidence-based medicine, we develop a process model of recombinant innovation starting from old knowledge. This model delineates the phases through which actors mobilize old knowledge for innovation and the mechanisms enabling transitions across these phases—recovering, reviving, and renewing—which appear as interconnected, each building upon the preceding one, enabling a dynamic and iterative mobilization of old knowledge. By integrating three levels of analysis—individual, organizational, and industry—our model provides a cohesive multilevel explanation of recombinant innovation. This study contributes to research on knowledge recombination and strategic renewal, offering insights into how organizations transition from individual-level knowledge recombination to firm-wide and industry-level innovation strategies.