Customer Knowledge Management's contributions to the innovation process

ABSTRACT To innovate, organizations need to know their customers' needs and demands well and connect with them to make the most of their knowledge. Therefore, using approaches that deal with this knowledge, such as Customer Knowledge Management, Customer Knowledge Management (CKM) is essential. With this, this research aims to identify the main contributions of Customer Knowledge Management in the innovation process through a systematic integrative literature review. As a result, it appears that it contributes in several aspects to innovation is an excellent tool to capture and generate new ideas and concepts. It allows the breaking down of barriers between customers and organizations, bringing them closer and making them the main links in the process of generating value and co-creators of innovation. In addition, CKM contributes to the improvement of communication, flow and sharing of information and knowledge of customers throughout the innovation process, allowing organizations to better understand the real demands of customers and design more convergent innovations. Finally, it appears that the use of CKM in innovation is a key element of success to keep organizations competitive and better prepared for the changes that occur in the market.