Technological Diversification and Organizational Divisionalization: The Moderating Role of Complementary Assets

This study uses data on 582 electronics and information technology firms in Taiwan for the period 1997–2005 to investigate the hypothesis that technological diversification increases the extent of organizational divisionalization under firm growth. This study applies competence‐based theory to argue that firms spread the technological competence base to achieve firm growth. However, in the face of firm growth, managers of multi‐technology firms often utilize a multi‐division structure to manage their various technologies based on their operating characteristics or needs. Furthermore, the findings of this study indicate that complementary assets moderate the negative relationship between technological diversification and organizational divisionalization. For firms with specialized complementary assets, multi‐technology firms may be observed to consolidate related‐technology activities into fewer divisions, facilitating the utilization of these complementary assets in conjunction with other divisions.     

技术管理与技术能力匹配对产品创新的内在影响机制

 产品创新是企业获取和保持竞争优势的重要手段。虽然在产品创新过程中技术管理和技术能力都具有重要作用，但是单纯依靠技术管理或技术能力不能维持企业产品创新的持续发展，能使企业获得持续竞争优势的因素还在于技术管理与技术能力之间的匹配效应。        基于匹配理论和知识基础观，分析技术管理-人员能力匹配、技术管理-设备能力匹配、技术管理-信息能力匹配和技术管理-组织能力匹配在产品创新中的作用，识别技术管理与技术能力匹配对产品创新绩效的直接影响和间接影响，构建技术管理与技术能力匹配对产品创新的影响机制模型。采取大样本问卷调查，收集122家装备制造业企业数据，运用多元线性回归分析对提出的假设进行实证检验。        研究结果表明，技术管理-人员能力匹配和技术管理-设备能力匹配都对产品创新绩效产生正向影响，相对于技术管理-设备能力匹配，技术管理-人员能力匹配对产品创新绩效的影响更大。技术管理-信息能力匹配和技术管理-组织能力匹配在技术管理-人员能力匹配和技术管理-设备能力匹配影响产品创新绩效的过程中起正向的调节作用。        研究结果发现了技术管理与技术能力匹配对产品创新的重要影响，为产品创新的理论研究提供了新视角；深化了对产品创新实现路径的理论认识，为技术管理和技术能力如何向产品创新绩效转化的理论研究提供了微观知识基础；识别了发挥技术管理与技术能力匹配作用的内在条件，从权变视角拓展了匹配理论的研究。同时，也为企业正确处理技术管理与技术能力间的关系、提升产品创新绩效提供了理论指导。     

Survival and the introduction of new technology: A patent analysis in the integrated circuit industry

Utilizing a database containing all US patents issued to integrated circuit (IC) manufacturers from 1975 to 1994 we analyze a firm's decision to pursue a technology across varying levels of technological turbulence. We examine the effects of the value of a firm's technological advancement, the newness of its technology, and industry turbulence on the probability of failure. We find during periods of low technological turbulence, firms utilizing new technologies to create significant technological advances, face a higher probability of failure. During periods of high technological turbulence, firms using older technology to develop significant technological advancements face lower probabilities of failure.     

Can external corporate venturing broaden firm's technological scope? The role of complementary assets

This study applies two theoretical perspectives—resource-based view (RBV) and organizational learning—to explore how a firm's external corporate venturing (CV) influences its technological scope. Using data from 583 electronics and information technology firms in Taiwan for the period from 1997 to 2006, the results indicate that external CVs facilitate an established firm's broadening of its technological scope. Moreover, this study calls into question the idea that a firm's decisions regarding technological scope may be due to a specific factor that governs the extent of technological specialization and diversification. We identify this factor as the complementary assets of established firms. This study, thus, investigates whether complementary assets moderate the relationship between external CV in established firms and those firms’ technological scope. The analytical results also support the idea that increasing investments in specialized complementary assets will urge firms engaged in external CV to concentrate on their technological scope. Therefore, this study addresses the notion that concentrated technological scope is the conjunction of technological capabilities and complementary assets, not determined by either individually.     

Beyond products: new strategic imperatives for developing competencies in dynamic environments

Strategy research has often taken a product-centered perspective. When firms compete in environments characterized by accelerating product life cycles, mass customization, and technological discontinuities, a product-centered perspective on strategy may help explain a firm’s current competitive advantage. However, this perspective adds little guidance in making strategies that create competitive advantage in the future. In this paper, we present a perspective in which dynamic environments require firms to focus on (1) building market-driven, technological, and integration competencies, not a stream of product improvements, and (2) decoupling these competencies from current products in order to create and exploit new opportunities. We discuss the perspective of products as a temporary integration of market and technology trajectories. Research propositions are presented and future implications are discussed.     

技术溢出对企业集群技术创新能力的影响分析

在考虑集群内企业拥有不同的技术创新效率的情形下,建立两阶段非合作博弈模型,讨论当集群企业在不同时机创新时,技术溢出对其技术创新投入的影响.分析出随着技术溢出的提高,领先企业和跟随企业创新投入的不同变化情形,推导出由此产生的企业集群整体技术创新能力的演化方式,并给出了相应的政策建议.     

主导企业适应突破性技术变革的整合研究

突破性技术变革的频率正在不断加快,而主导企业在技术范式的转换过程中却经常遭遇绩效下滑甚至被新进入企业所替代.本研究认为,主导企业能否适应技术变革取决于三个因素的平衡和交互作用:技术投资、技术能力以及互补性资产,在考察技术变革所带来的竞争含义时强调综合考虑多个视角的重要性.此外,作者根据这些因素提供了三种应对机制:利用实物期权方法进行技术投资、利用自主事业单位开发新技术,以及利用互补性资产与突破性技术发起企业建立战略联盟.     

An empirical investigation of technology strategy in computer software initial public offering firms

Strategic management of technological resources plays a significant role in the success of firms in computer-related industries. To expand the literature on technology management in growing organizations, this paper presents a study of the relationships among select technology strategy dimensions and perceived performance of initial public offering (IPOs) computer software firms. Using content analysis, technology strategy data were collected from the prospectus of 31 computer software firms who committed IPOs in 1996. Empirical analysis shows support for propositions that a firm's technology posture and executive level technology experience influence investor reactions to IPOs.     

协作研发与在位企业突破性技术创新及代际知识桥的中介作用——以汽车行业为例

鉴于代际知识桥对企业突破性技术创新的作用可能不同,以65家汽车行业整车在位企业为样本,对其2009~2019年的面板数据进行负二项回归分析后发现:协作研发能够直接提升在位企业的突破性技术创新绩效,且显性代际知识桥与隐性代际知识桥在其间均可发挥积极中介作用;旧技术创新绩效对协作研发与突破性技术创新绩效的关系会产生积极作用,对显性代际知识桥与突破性技术创新绩效的关系会产生消极作用,但均不显著;旧技术创新绩效对隐性代际知识桥与突破性技术创新绩效的关系会产生显著消极作用。     

The Path‐Dependent Nature of R&D Search: Implications for (and from) Competition

We formalize R&D as a search process for technology improvements across different technological domains. Technology improvements from a specific domain draw upon a common knowledge base, and as such they share technological content. Moreover, different domains may rely on similar scientific principles, and therefore, knowledge about the technology improvements by one domain might be transferable to another. We analyze how such a technological relatedness shapes the direction of R&D search when knowledge generated from past search efforts disseminates to rival firms. We show that firms optimally diversify their search efforts, even toward domains that are riskier and less promising on expectation. This is amplified for higher competition intensity, i.e., higher cross‐product substitutability. Our work also suggests that different sources of learning about the domains may have opposite effects on the direction of search. Higher ability to infer the potential of an explored domain prompts the clustering of searches, whereas the ability to learn across domains prompts diversification. Finally, we discuss the technological landscape properties that prompt firms to engage in a sequential R&D search, instead of a parallel competitive search.     

EXPLORING THE LIMITS OF THE TECHNOLOGY S-CURVE. PART I: COMPONENT TECHNOLOGIES

The technology S-curve is a useful framework describing the substitution of new for old technologies at the industry level. In this paper I use information from the technological history of the disk drive industry to examine the usefulness of the S-curve framework for managers at the firm level in planning for new technology development. Because improvements in over-all disk drive product performance result from the interaction of improved component technologies and new architectural technologies, each of these must be monitored and managed. This paper focuses on component technology S-curves, and a subsequent paper, also published in this issue of the journal, examines architectural technology Scurves. Improvement in individual components followed S-curve patterns, but I show that the flattening of S-curves is a firm-specific, rather than uniform industry phenomenon. Lack of progress in conventional technologies may be the result, rather than the stimulus, of a forecast that the conventional technology is maturing, and some firms demonstrated the ability to wring far greater levels of performance from existing component technologies than other firms. Attacking entrant firms evidenced a distinct disadvantage versus incumbent firms in developing and using new component technologies. Firms pursuing aggressive Scurve switching strategies in component technology development gained no strategic advantage over firms whose strategies focused on extending the life of established component technologies.     

Product diversification through licensing: Empirical evidence from Chinese firms

Anecdotal evidence suggests that manufacturing firms are able to engage in product diversification through external technology acquisitions, such as technology licensing. However, there is little empirical evidence regarding this proposition to link inward technology licensing and firms’ product diversification or to suggest when and under what conditions the effect of diversification through this channel may be mitigated or augmented. The current study aims to address this research gap through an empirical investigation of a sample of 141 Chinese manufacturing licensee firms. The results indicate that inward technology licensing is positively related to a firm’s diversification and that this relationship is further moderated by a licensee firm’s R&D expenditure and technological distance relative to the licensor firm.     

When are acquisitions a viable catch-up strategy? Some empirical evidence from China

How emerging-market firms can catch up with forerunners from advanced economies is a key issue in the economic and technology literature. Research has suggested that acquisitions are a viable tool for firms in emerging markets to reduce the productivity gap with global leaders, but the empirical evidence on this matter is still far from conclusive. Contributing to this debate, this paper examines the impact of cross-border vs. domestic acquisitions on the labor productivity of firms across different sectoral environments. Studying the acquisitions pursued by Chinese listed firms over one decade, we find that cross-border acquisitions are positively associated with firms' labor productivity and that this effect is particularly strong in high-tech sectors and among leading firms. We also find that domestic acquisitions are positively associated with firms’ labor productivity and that this effect is particularly strong in low-tech sectors and among laggards. We further investigate the mechanisms underlying the acquisition–productivity link and contend that “technological innovation” is the primary mechanism by which acquisitions enhance firm productivity in high-tech sectors, whereas “enhancing operating efficiency” is the primary mechanism by which acquisitions enhance firm productivity in low-tech sectors.     

Technology, progress and economic growth

Robert Ayres asks a number of questions relating to technology, progress and economic growth. How far is human welfare attributable to science and technological progress rather than to economic growth, or vice versa? Can technological progress negatively impact on economic growth and employment? What kind of technology is needed for a truly sustainable future?The answers are critically important for producers, managers and governments. Increasing welfare is due primarily to science and technology, and only secondarily to economic growth. Scientific and technological progress generated economic growth, not vice versa. In its present form, economic growth can hinder technological progress (through increasing returns to scale reducing the rate of innovation). But current technological progress can negatively impact economic growth, and especially in the field of information technology. The falling price of manufacturing goods will lower the economic growth rate.Sustainability is the number one question. We are experiencing decreasing resource quality, increasing demand, and environmental constraints. The industrial world must cut material consumption, change its structure of demand, and sharply increase its productivity of materials and energy.The author advocates a completely new economic strategy - ‘radical dematerialism’, in which there is a massive reverse substitution of human labor for fossil energy and physical substances extracted from the environment. The sustainability of economies of the future will be based almost entirely on services - leasing will become the norm for products - and firms must learn to sell services, not products.     

Technology Learning, Technology Strategy and Competitive Pressures

This paper develops some hypotheses concerning technological learning in firms. The hypotheses are examined using a detailed study of Europe's leading dedicated biotechnology firm, Celltech Ltd. It relates how the competitive pressures facing the company, and similar US companies, have changed over the past decade, and how Celltech's technology strategy has placed considerable emphasis on technological learning in order to maintain its competitive position compared with large, multinational pharmaceutical companies. Some of the features of technological learning are examined, including: its purposive character; its differential and complex nature; its internal and external components; the complementary nature of the company's technology and human resource development strategy; and the importance of organizational considerations.     

EXPLORING THE STRATEGY-TECHNOLOGY CONNECTION IN SMALL MANUFACTURING FIRMS

Small manufacturing firms make a significant contribution to the economy. Yet, partly because of the greater availability of data on larger firms, strategic management and manufacturing strategy research have tended to neglect small business. Using a survey of small manufacturers, we examine the applicability of Porter's typology of generic strategies to this context and investigate the links between generic strategies and one important dimension of manufacturing strategy-technology management. The analysis of generic strategies shows consistency with previous work on larger firms and tends to support the use of the typology in this setting. Moreover, the internal and external influences on the technology adoption decision process vary significantly with generic strategies, implying that the role played by individuals and networks constitutes a dominant factor. Surprisingly, no distinction was found between firm groupings with respect to decision criteria, which suggests that the decision process of small firms remains rather inexplicit, informal, and, to a large extent, intuitive. We also found that technologically more sophisticated firms tend to hold stronger competitive positions and that technological strength appears to be related to both cost advantage and differentiation.     

跨国专利合作网络中技术接近性的调节作用研究

技术接近性对于企业间的跨国专利合作具有重要作用.基于多维接近性整体分析框架,采用中国电力系统技术领域2000年至2008年国外专利合作数据,分析技术接近性对其他接近性的调节作用.通过构造112家中外企业的专利合作网络,运用QAP网络回归方法实证检验跨国专利合作网络中技术接近性在地理接近性和社会接近性影响专利合作网络中节点连接距离和连接重要性过程中的调节作用.研究结果表明,在考虑多维接近性共同作用时,技术接近性对网络节点的连接距离和连接重要性具有重要影响,有助于节点之间构筑较短的连接渠道并形成较为重要的合作关系.除此以外,技术接近性还能正向调节社会接近性对连接重要性的正效应,但对于社会接近性与连接距离之间的关系没有显著的影响.由此验证了技术接近性可以影响其他接近性与跨国知识合作关系的基本假设,为进一步揭示不同接近性之间的相互作用机制提供了理论基础.     

基于核心-辅助技术匹配的二次创新及其演化路径研究

本研究提出了基于核心技术与辅助技术匹配的二次创新及其演化模型,详细归纳了后发企业创新演化路径,以解释中国本土企业的创新成功。通过对中兴通讯案例的编码和归类,本文界定了后发企业核心技术与辅助技术的学习与相关创新。通过对纵向分析,后发企业的创新可以分为三个阶段:在狭义二次创新阶段,后发企业进行核心技术引进模仿和本地辅助技术的利用型创新,为核心技术适配本地的辅助技术;在后二次创新阶段,后发企业进行辅助技术探索和核心技术利用,跟踪国外新兴核心技术,进行基于辅助技术研发的价值创造型创新;在一次创新阶段,后发企业进行核心技术探索,并进行辅助技术利用以推动核心技术创新。本文归纳了两个理论命题:第一,发展中国家后发企业的创新是一个核心技术从模仿引进、利用创新到探索创新的演化过程,辅助技术常常先于核心技术进入探索阶段;第二,后发企业核心技术的利用创新驱动了辅助技术探索,核心技术探索创新驱动了辅助技术利用。     

发展中国家企业技术能力提升因素的实证研究

企业技术能力提升是内外部诸多因素协同作用的结果.对发展中国家企业技术能力内涵加以界定,以产业环境驱动、技术合作网络、外部技术转移和内部技术努力4个维度的各因素为基础.构建发展中国家企业技术能力提升因素的理论模型,并利用191家中国技术密集型制造企业的调研数据对理论模型和相关假设进行验证.研究表明,产业环境驱动维度的因素都对技术能力提升有显著影响,其中政策支持和产业协同对能力提升呈正向影响,市场压力对能力提升呈负向影响;技术合作网络维度的纵向和横向技术合作关系对技术能力提升没有显著影响;外部技术转移对技术能力提升呈现出显著负向影响;内部技术努力中的技术投入对技术能力提升有显著正向影响,创新氛围对技术能力提升没有显著影响.在结合实际对实证结果进行分析和讨论的基础上,提出提升中国企业技术能力的对策.     

Case studies of technology roadmapping in mining

Mining is a long established art with legacy processes and institutional structures that face rapidly changing technological environments. The perception is that technology planning and forecasting receives priority attention only as far as they may be linked to making production tonnage in the short term, thus giving the impression that new technology may be introduced without developing a culture and operational requirements that influence successful implementation of new technologies. With depleting ore grades of existing mines, and the prevailing global financial crisis making it prohibitive to develop richer sources, mining is considered to be short-term risk averse and this accentuates a more conservative approach towards technology planning and forecasting. Based on surveys and interviews with practicing miners, this paper discusses three case studies on the practice of technology planning and forecasting in mining firms. It is evident that technology planning and forecasting, and particularly the use of the roadmapping approach, is not a ‘culture’ common to mining firms.