Exploring the antecedents of potential absorptive capacity and its impact on innovation performance

This paper builds upon the theoretical framework developed by Zahra and George [Absorptive capacity: a review, reconceptualization, and extension. Academy of Management Review 2002;27:185–203] to empirically explore the antecedents of potential absorptive capacity (PAC), i.e. the ability to identify and assimilate external knowledge flows. Based on a sample of 2464 innovative Spanish firms, we find evidence that R&D cooperation, external knowledge acquisition and experience with knowledge search are key antecedents of a firm's PAC. Also, during periods of important internal reshaping, when there are significant changes in strategy, design of the organization and marketing, firms exert more effort to accumulate PAC. Finally, we find that PAC is a source of competitive advantage in innovation, especially in the presence of efficient internal knowledge flows that help reduce the distance between potential and realized capacity.     

Impacts of collaboration and network indicators on patent quality: The case of Canadian nanotechnology innovation

This article studies the impact of collaboration and co-inventorship network characteristics of Canadian nanotechnology inventors on the quality of their inventions. We investigate the impact of four types of variables on patent quality, using the number of claims as a proxy for quality: (a) the presence of highly central inventors; (b) the presence of star inventors; (c) repeated collaboration; (d) international collaboration. We show that the presence of more central inventors and of stars in the research team has a positive influence on patent quality, while repeated collaboration has a negative impact. Patents owned by foreign organisations, controlling for whether assignees are firm, yields patents of higher quality.     

External knowledge search,absorptive capacity and radical innovation in high-technology firms

Open innovation and absorptive capacity are two concepts based on the idea that companies can leverage the knowledge generated externally to improve their innovation performance. The aim of this paper is to analyse the joint effect of open innovation and absorptive capacity on a firm's radical innovation. Open innovation is expressed in terms of external search breadth and depth strategies and absorptive capacity is described by distinguishing between potential and realized absorptive capacity. In order to test our hypotheses, we carried out empirical research in firms operating in high-technology industries. The results indicate that internal routines and processes for absorbing external knowledge help explain radical innovation as they show a significant effect of potential and realized absorptive capacity. Also, there is a moderating effect of absorptive capacity on open innovation. Specifically, potential absorptive capacity exerts a positive effect on the relationship between external search breadth and depth and radical innovation. Realized absorptive capacity moderates the influence of external search breadth. These findings confirm the complementary nature of absorptive capacity and open innovation search strategies on radical innovation.     

Internal networking and innovation ambidexterity: The mediating role of knowledge management processes in university research

This article focuses on public organizations to contribute to research on knowledge management processes, a field that until recently has focused primarily on private entities. Specifically, we analyse the mediating role of knowledge transfer and knowledge absorption in the relationship between the internal networking created in university research groups and innovation ambidexterity. Based on six hypotheses, the conceptual model is tested through a structural equations model with mediation effects. The data analysed come from 249 directors of Spanish public university research groups. The results show that the internal networking formed in university research groups has a positive and significant relationship to knowledge transfer and knowledge absorption, but we obtain different results for the relationship between knowledge transfer and knowledge absorption in the presence of innovation ambidexterity. Only knowledge absorption has a positive and significant influence on innovation ambidexterity. The most interesting results involve the mediating role of knowledge absorption in the relationship between internal networking and innovation ambidexterity. These results support the conclusion that directors of university research groups should promote development of knowledge absorption processes in order to stimulate innovation ambidexterity and thus to achieve ambidextrous innovative performance.     

Organizational Learning,knowledge creation,problem formulation and innovation in messy problems

This paper attempts to bring the discussion about knowledge creation, innovation and organizational learning to a level that addresses how messy problems are addressed and how the organizations must integrate the viewpoints of the key decision-makers, establish a process for testing their assumptions, include the context including the environment design, and to allow innovation and creativity to enter the choice of actions. It builds on the literature of problem formulation, innovation, and experimentation and on the articles in this special issue.     

Configuring knowledge connectivity and strategy conditions for foreign subsidiary innovation

We argue that product innovation by foreign subsidiaries of multinational corporations is a complex undertaking requiring a theoretical understanding of how managers combine subsidiary structural arrangements, knowledge connectivity, and contextual conditions into configurations that yield innovative products. Accordingly, we integrate relevant conditions from interrelated literature streams and explore their complementarities and substitutions in relation to subsidiary product innovation. Using a neo-configurational approach and data on 183 foreign subsidiaries operating in Europe, we identify six equifinal configurations associated with subsidiary product innovation. We leverage the configurational patterns to elaborate theory of how subsidiary product innovation is primarily driven by the interrelations among the relevant conditions, thus contributing novel insights to research on subsidiary management and global innovation.     

Policies to Attract R&D-related FDI in Small Emerging Countries: Aligning Incentives With Local Linkages and Absorptive Capacities in Chile

Over the last decade we have witnessed an unprecedented growth in the number of cross-border R&D investments towards large emerging countries such as China and India. However, small middle-income countries have played a marginal role as recipients of R&D-related FDI despite increasing policy efforts. In particular, several Latin American countries have recently launched new policy programs with the aim of attracting this kind of investments, but it remains uncertain whether public incentives can be useful to compensate for other locational disadvantages. The case of Chile provides an interesting empirical setting to explore these issues because during the last decade its government has been actively promoting R&D-related FDI through a new policy mix. This article suggests that for national innovation systems to benefit from the attraction of internationally-mobile R&D it is critical for public policies to ensure that appropriate linkages are established with local actors that hold absorptive capacities. Equally important for a small emerging economy like Chile is to prioritize R&D-related FDI in strategic technology niches where the country can realistically attain critical mass.     

Entrepreneurial Orientation in low- and medium-tech industries: The need for Absorptive Capacity to increase performance

The implications of Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO) for firm performance in low- and medium-tech (LMT) industries are largely unexplored and seem to be limited. In this paper we seek to address this research gap studying how Absorptive Capacity can act as a key factor determining the effectiveness of EO in such a context. Specifically, we adopt the knowledge-based view of the firm and explore the moderating effects of Absorptive Capacity’s Potential and Realized dimensions on the EO–performance relationship in LMT industries. Our regression results based on a lagged dataset of 103 medium-sized firms based in Italy confirm our hypotheses that, in LMT industries, EO has a positive effect on firm performance when coupled with high levels of both Potential and Realized Absorptive Capacity.     

技术群体成员变动、知识流耦合与产业创新网络抗毁性:技术异质性的调节作用

开放式创新盛行的背景下,如何提升产业创新网络应对创造性毁灭的能力是学界和业界关注的重点。针对产业创新网络结果研究中动态中观层面的缺失,本研究聚焦整体网视角下技术群体的成员变动影响产业创新网络抗毁性的多层级作用关系,分析技术群体耦合的中介作用和群间技术异质性的调节作用。本研究以新能源产业主要技术领域的138个专利引用网络为研究对象,执行网络拓扑分析和层次回归分析进行实证检验。结果表明:技术群体耦合在技术群体成员变动与产业创新网络抗毁性的关系中起非线性中介作用,群间技术异质性正向调节中介作用的前半段路径。本研究拓展了技术群体的动态属性研究及其与产业创新网络抗毁性的跨层级关系研究,深化了技术群体成员变动如何影响产业创新网络抗毁性的作用机制。研究结论揭示了技术群体微观成员变动影响更高层次网络结果的作用机制,对产业政策部门如何构建抗毁性较高的创新网络具有重要的实践价值。     

Reference model for implementing ERP systems: an analytical innovation networks perspective

The process for implementing ERP systems is related with the identification of a large range of variables (organisational goals, business rules, business processes, actors, resources and specifics and unique concepts to support these variables). The main agents related to the implementation are the solution supplier, the customer company and the consulting service. If the implementation process is addressed as an organisational innovation, the question is: How to coordinate the ERP implementation resources from an innovation agents network? In order to answer this question, a reference model is proposed for the formation and management of an innovation agent’s network for ERP implementation. The research method is based on a multi-case study for identifying the requirements and to elaborate the reference model applying a modelling method the Enterprise Knowledge Development (EKD). As results, the reference model in an analytical perspective of innovation networks and their drivers, enables to identify, understand and support the process of implementing ERP systems under the EKD models they are: goals; business rules; business processes; actors and resources; concepts; technical components and requirements.     

The multi-level effects of corporate entrepreneurial orientation on business unit radical innovation and financial performance

Corporate enterprises must support its business units to adapt to changes that are increasingly dramatic and complex. In response, corporate entities must organize to embed a corporate entrepreneurial orientation (EO) that pervades the actions of its business units to create the radical innovations needed to thrive in these circumstances. By developing a global willingness–local ability framework, we test a multi-level model of corporate EO by conceptualizing its effects on business unit radical innovation and business unit financial performance, moderated by business unit R&D resourcing and business unit absorptive capacity. With data from 2820 business units of 1290 Taiwanese corporations from two separate surveys, we find support for our theoretical expectations and contribute much-needed knowledge of the multi-level effects of EO and the conditions to turn EO into actual innovation activity and profit from it.     

知识原理、知识具体与企业知识创新

当知识成为社会尤其是企业创新的重要资源时,对知识所进行的分析和研究越来越深入。本文从企业知识分类的角度分析了企业创新的一个重要方面,提出了知识原理和知识具体两个相对应的概念,分析了这两个概念在被企业运用过程中的性质和特点,从而指出知识原理与知识具体的转化是一项重要的创新活动。     

知识型团队动态能力构建、团队体系模型与创新运作模式研究

知识型团队是现代组织执行复杂创新任务的重要组织形式.本文从分析知识型团队与知识工作任务的匹配关系入手,在引入知识链及知识链网络等概念的基础上,探讨了基于知识链的知识型团队的动态能力构建机制,分析了围绕知识链网络的知识团队结构体系模型及创新运作机理.     

PPP项目中信任对商业模式创新行为影响的实验研究:社会资本创新能力的调节作用

本文通过文献分析构建了以社会资本感知的信任为自变量、商业模式创新行为为因变量、社会资本创新能力为调节变量的理论模型。采用问卷调查的方式开展情境模拟实验,并采集到119份有效的实验数据。运用方差分析处理实验数据,对提出的理论模型进行实证检验。研究结果显示:(1)信任的三个维度(制度信任、认知信任、情感信任)对商业模式创新行为的产生和执行均具有显著正向影响;(2)制度信任对商业模式创新行为产生、执行的影响不受社会资本创新能力的调节,而情感信任对商业模式创新行为产生、执行的影响均受到其调节;(3)认知信任对商业模式创新行为产生的影响受到社会资本创新能力的调节,而认知信任对商业模式创新行为执行的影响不受其调节。在此基础上,本文为政府及相关部门激励社会资本进行商业模式创新提出策略建议。     

学习、知识整合与创新的关系研究

本文研究企业的学习导向、知识整合、技术创新和管理创新之间相互影响的机制和路径,并以我国华南地区的196家企业为样本进行实证研究.学术贡献在于明确了上述变量之间的影响路径和作用机制,我们也发现学习导向对知识整合有显著的直接正向影响,学习导向必须通过知识的整合才能促进技术创新和管理创新.本文的结果对于正确理解组织的学习与创新过程以及知识整合在企业的学习与创新实践中的作用有重要的参考价值.     

Combinations of absorptive capacity metaroutines: The role of organizational disruptions and time constraints

This paper explores absorptive capacity metaroutines in a financial organization that experienced a large-scale misappropriation episode. We selected an instrumental case and collected individual semi-structured interviews, on-site nonparticipant observations, and documents to better understand the combination of absorptive capacity in organizational contexts. Findings revealed that the magnitude of organizational disruptions and time constraints influenced absorptive capacity metaroutines. The magnitude of organizational disruptions related to the intensity of required change for innovation adoption and the persistence of outcomes, while time constraints influenced the degree of involvement and cohesiveness of organizational members. In addition, findings showed that the combination of absorptive capacity metaroutines experienced asymmetries and had incremental and cumulative features. This work extends current theorizations of absorptive capacity conceptualized from a micro-foundation perspective as a collection of external and internal metaroutines and provides a means to start understanding potential factors that influence the combination of absorptive capacity metaroutines. Implications for theory and practice are discussed, and suggestions for future research are offered.     

在国家创新系统内优化配置科技资源

科技资源、科技财力资源和科技人力资源是当今的“第一资源”. 因而如何优化配置科技 资源已成为决策者、管理者提高国家竞争力、企业竞争力的核心问题. 本文提出在“国家创新系 统”中优化配置科技资源的观点, 并从实践方面, 包括我国科研院所转制、中国科学院的知识创 新工程和科技中介机构建设等加以论证.