A framework for evaluating the benefits of collaborative technologies in engineering innovation networks

In times of rapid economic change, the decrease in knowledge value becomes inversely proportional to its speed of obsolescence, with successful organisations seeking to connect more rapidly and more effectively with others in the creation of new knowledge. The past decade has seen a growing interest in communities of practice as a method for transferring and generating knowledge within product development, rooted as they are in the nature of knowledge creation as a socially embedded process. Given the widespread adoption of collaborative technologies as facilitative platforms for innovation in the interactions of contemporary communities of practice, the objective of this research is to develop an evaluation paradigm and employ it to examine how such interaction is facilitated through the medium of Web 2.0 technologies. The contribution of this research to theory and innovation technology practice will be to further the understanding of collaborative technologies by examining the impact of Web 2.0 technologies on engineering innovation networks. Furthermore, it brings together the three diverse research areas of technology innovation, internet collaborative tools and psychological barriers and enablers.     

Strategic Network Orchestration in Emerging Markets: China's Catch‐up in the High‐Speed Train Industry

Transitioning from catch‐up in production to catch‐up in innovation capabilities is essential to emerging market firms (EMFs) achieving internationalization and a competitive advantage. While some EMFs are now positioned among the world's most advanced firms, many struggle to become independent innovators. Thus, understanding how EMFs can develop internal absorptive capacity and progress towards catching up in innovation capabilities remains important. Our study seizes this research opportunity and develops a network‐based explanation of catch‐up, which complements existing technological and organizational explanations. Specifically, we address the question of ‘How does the orchestration of collaborative networks enable EMFs to catch up in production and innovation capabilities?’ by describing an important yet under‐researched process of strategic network orchestration and showcasing the dynamic interdependencies between network orchestration and organizational learning. Our study provides a detailed account of Chinese high‐speed train (HST) development from 1990 to 2020 and opens the possibility for future research on network orchestration in emerging market contexts. This provides EMF managers with a set of actionable network orchestration mechanisms that can be used when designing and purposefully managing their strategic nets of domestic and foreign partners.     

Innovation: a knowledge transfer perspective

One means of innovation is the adoption of new knowledge from external sources. This article describes theory building research to improve the transfer of knowledge between universities and businesses that are collaborating together. Using pilot studies and in-depth interviews based on real-life innovation projects, the research identified and confirmed two hypothetical constructs; that successful knowledge transfer comes from the transfer of tacit knowledge; and that tacit knowledge can best be transferred in this arena using rich media channels. This article describes the research and goes on to assess a range of channels for their media richness and their ability to transfer tacit knowledge. This article then positions this in the frame of collaborative or open innovation. It concludes that selection of the appropriate channel can improve the innovation through the transfer of knowledge between organisations and presents a model for successful application.     

协同创新、知识溢出的演化博弈机制研究

基于演化博弈理论,研究企业、大学和科研机构间协同创新过程的"演化稳定策略"。通过设计知识共享模型分析知识投入与知识溢出对协同创新的影响并进行仿真检验。研究认为,长期的协同创新中"合作"策略是参与方采用的"演化稳定策略";当参与方数量不同时,小群体一方率先实现"合作"策略稳定,群体数量相近时双方采用"合作"策略的收敛速度趋于一致;增加知识溢出有利于提高协同创新效率与稳定性。在理论上解释了协同创新博弈的合作策略稳定性,为产学研合作的机制设计提供决策参考。     

产业生命周期不同阶段的最优集体创新网络结构

本文采用仿真方法从创新效率的角度对产业生命周期不同阶段下的最优集体创新网络结构进行了研究。研究发现,在产业生命周期的导入期,以较高的平均聚集系数为特征的规则网络具有最高的集体创新效率;在产业生命周期的成长期,以较高的小世界系数为特征的小世界网络具有最高的集体创新效率;当产业生命周期进入成熟期以后,以较短的最短路径长度为特征的随机网络具有最高的集体创新效率。本文通过对上述结果的进一步分析得出,上述结果是由以下三个层次的原因造成的。第一,产业生命周期的不同阶段具有不同的产业知识特征和技术机会。第二,产业知识特征会影响产业内部的知识流动和企业实现知识重组的能力,而技术机会的多少会影响企业搜寻并发现创新机会的能力。第三,较高的网络平均聚集系数有利于促进知识流动,而较短的平均最短路径长度有利于企业搜寻并发现创新机会。最后,本文提出了以上结论对创新政策制定者的一些重要启示。     

Relationship between Intellectual Capital and Knowledge Management: An Empirical Investigation

Two important streams of the literature have examined intellectual capital (IC) and knowledge management (KM). Surprisingly, they have developed in parallel, without any empirical research on the relationship between them. This article empirically examines how IC and KM affect each other, and also investigates their consequences, viewing three intermediate consequences (dynamic capabilities, efficiency, and innovativeness) to mediate their effects on firm performance. In addition, this article examines the effects of the organization's culture on IC and KM. To address these issues, a comprehensive model is developed and tested using a combination of survey and secondary data of 533 companies in Taiwan. The results support the theoretical model. Major findings include the following: IC affects KM and dynamic capabilities; KM facilitates innovation but not dynamic capabilities or IC; a learning culture facilitates IC and innovation but not KM; firm performance depends on efficiency and innovation, but not directly on dynamic capabilities; and efficiency does not depend on any of the other constructs in the study. The article's implications for research and practice are examined.     

The Distinctive Patterns of Dynamic Learning and Inter‐firm Differences in the Indian Pharmaceutical Industry

Technological or institutional change has proven to be a major cause of the failure of established firms, and history is full of examples. In a globalized world the capability of a firm to reconfigure existing competencies and create new knowledge for innovation has emerged as a dynamic capability to succeed. I examine the learning processes involved in the development of innovative R&D capabilities in Indian pharmaceutical firms as a response to the strengthening of patent law. The strong patent law represented a major institutional change for Indian firms which had grown in a weak patent era. The analysis shows that the development of new capabilities involved the removal of rigidities and the acquisition of new knowledge, and reveals that Indian firms are adopting strategies such as hiring of Indian scientists educated or working overseas in pharmaceutical R&D and collaborative R&D to acquire innovative R&D capabilities. It further points out the inter–intra firm heterogeneity in learning processes and suggests that the move from basic to advance level capabilities is neither linear nor automatic. It requires a deliberate effort and investment by firms in different mechanisms of learning. The Indian pharmaceutical firms' responses provide important insights for firms from other developing countries.     

When and with whom to cooperate? Investigating effects of cooperation stage and type on innovation capabilities and success

In times of saturated markets and decreasing product life cycles, the continuous development and successful launch of innovations are essential for profit-oriented organizations of any kind. Interorganizational cooperation enables companies to get better access to knowledge and capabilities in order to generate and successfully introduce innovations. While scientific research and management practice have acknowledged the importance of cooperation, little research effort is dedicated to empirically determine the effectiveness of cooperation intensity within different stages of the innovation process (cooperation stage) and with different partners (cooperation type). This article aims to fill these gaps by empirically examining the effects of cooperation intensity with different kinds of partners (horizontal, vertical and institutional cooperation) in different stages of new product development (concept and product development as well as implementation stage) on innovation capabilities and success of individual companies. Drawing upon a sample of 154 high-tech companies from the German B-2-B sector, our results reveal that it is in general beneficial for a company to cooperate. However, cooperation in concept and product development primarily improves a company's innovation capabilities while cooperation in the implementation stage primarily enhances innovation success of a company. With respect to cooperation type, vertical, horizontal as well as institutional cooperation significantly enhance innovation capabilities and success of a company. However, cooperation with institutional partners was found to be the most important contributor throughout all stages.     

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。     

Creating a European high-tech network: A regional approach to a more dynamic internal market

Network Europe or RECIT (Réseau Européen pour la Compétitivité et l'Innovation Technologique) is a collaborative venture of regional development agencies promoting business co-operation, R&D collaboration, and transfer of technology across the national frontiers of Europe. It is partly funded under the European Commission's SPRINT programme. In a short period of time, Network Europe and its progenitor organisations have implemented an active programme of co-operation between European regions.The authors, who belong to a constituent organization in Network Europe, set out the potential benefits of such inter-regional networks in Europe. They argue that if co-operation is not widely achieved soon, Europe may find itself on the losing side in the battle for competitivity in world markets.     

Towards a Theory of Network Facilitation: A Microfoundations Perspective on the Antecedents,Practices and Outcomes of Network Facilitation

Firms cooperate in inter‐firm networks to foster their competitiveness and improve their innovation outcomes. In many cases, network facilitators who are either embedded in a lead firm or a third‐party organization manage the cooperation among the network firms. This qualitative study adopts a microfoundations perspective to investigate the behavioural antecedents of the network facilitators, their facilitation practices and the related network‐level outcomes. Results show that lead‐firm facilitators more strongly invest in trust‐building measures since they are considered deficient in benevolence and integrity. Without these investments, they run the risk that conflicts of interest hinder the stimulation of positive network‐level outcomes. Third‐party facilitators, by contrast, enjoy certain credits of trust and focus on balancing firm interests from the network's activation, but need to invest in enhancing their competencies and skills with regard to the industry the firms operate in. The findings contribute to developing a theory of network facilitation by providing a nuanced understanding of how network‐level outcomes can be reduced to individual‐level factors.     

Brokering knowledge: Linking learning and innovation

This paper presents a model of innovation, knowledge brokering, that explains how some organizations are able to routinely innovate by recombining their past knowledge in new ways. While existing theories of organizational learning and innovation are useful, the links between them are crucial for understanding how existing knowledge becomes the raw materials from which individuals in organizations construct innovative solutions. This model develops these links by grounding processes of learning and innovation in the larger social context within which they occur. Using a microsociological perspective, this article draws together research spanning levels of analysis to explain innovation as the dissembling and reassembling of extant ideas, artifacts, and people. Previous research has suggested that firms spanning multiple domains may innovate by moving ideas from where they are known to where they are not, in the process creating new combinations of existing ideas. This paper more fully develops this process by linking the cognitive, social, and structural activities it comprises. Knowledge brokering involves exploiting the preconditions for innovation that reside within the larger social structure by bridging multiple domains, learning about the resources within those domains, linking that knowledge to new situations, and finally building new networks around the innovations that emerge from the process. This article also considers the origins of knowledge brokers as firms committed to this innovation strategy, the structural and cultural supports for the knowledge brokering process, and several obstacles to the process that these firms experience. Finally, I discuss the implications of this model for further research on innovation and learning, and the implications for other organizations seeking to establish their own capabilities for brokering knowledge.     

The Two Pillars of New Management Research

Ken Starkey and Paula Madan's report, Bridging the Relevance Gap (2001), advocates the development of collaborative networks between academics and organizations. Drawing on similar experiences, this article discusses two essential conditions of such programmes: a clarification of the scientific object of management research, and the design of research-oriented partnerships. The scientific identity of management research should be distinguished from other social sciences: management sciences do not study economic or social facts, but 'models of collective action' which are then perceived and judged conventionally and historically as 'economic or social phenomena'. Therefore, the essence and universality of management research is in understanding, criticizing and inventing 'models of collective action'. In management research, as in other design sciences, the classical laboratory and field models of research are important. However, a third model of research based on partnerships is required, where knowledge does not transcend action but is integral to it. Yet research is not simply 'doing better' and requires theoretical and empirical control. Hence, the design of 'research oriented partnerships' is a crucial key of new management research. Inspired by existing experiences, the research community could lay down the rules and commitments expected from academics and companies in research-oriented partnerships. Resting on these two pillars, research could contribute to the invention of new models of collective action adapted to contemporary issues and values and reduce misleading mimetic behaviour, blind compliance to gurus or fashion in management practice.     

The Brazilian Multinationals' Approaches to Innovation

Brazilian multinationals, born in a country where the environment is non-conducive to the scientific breakthrough type of innovation so stimulated in other countries, are increasingly expanding in international markets, where innovativeness is an intrinsic component of competitiveness. Aiming to study Brazilian multinationals' approaches to innovation, a new analytical framework was developed assuming that the internationalization process relies on the firm's innovative capability. In turn, innovative capabilities are derived from core competences and competence formation at firm level is influenced by the characteristics of the national environment. A survey involving 61 Brazilian multinationals led to the identification of four approaches to innovation, the competences that enable each one of them and the country-of-origin effects over competence development. That led to the explanation of why firms that do not show the expected strength in R&D, but are able to combine skillfully their organizational competences, manage to develop innovative capabilities which allow them to internationalize successfully. The overall outcome suggests that the dynamic relationships among institutions – competences – innovation – internationalization are setting new grounds for the international expansion of Brazilian firms.     

产业创新网络动态演进机制模拟与实例分析

产业创新网络是由产业内以创新为目的、相互独立又相互关联的企业以及企业间关系耦合而成的网络.产业创新网络的演进机制是其研究的关键内容,但这一领域的研究成果、特别是定量研究成果较少.文章基于社会网络理论,将产业创新网络描述为企业间以创新为目的的关系网络;企业节点及其相互关系构成产业创新网络结构,知识资本和社会资本是产业网络创新的基础,企业的进入与退出机制以及企业的行为决策影响产业创新网络的演进过程,基于此构建基于多智能体的仿真模型来分析产业创新网络的演进机制;中国基于TD-SCDMA标准的3G产业网络演进过程实例表明,该仿真模型能够有效反映产业创新网络演进的特点,仿真模拟是分析产业创新网络演进机制的有效方法.     

Crossing borders with social media: Online social networks and FDI

Social media is embedded in today's internationalization strategy. Companies extend their reach into foreign countries by posting and tweeting. Firms also enhance their mobile capabilities in foreign markets (e.g., knowledge and reputation) through user-generated content in online social networks. Levering on the capabilities-based theory of the multinational enterprise, this paper builds upon a resource-based, industry/network-based, and institution-based view framework. The study provides a comprehensive conceptual and empirical model to explain the effect of social networks on foreign direct investment. Empirical analysis in a global panel dataset of >4500 multinational enterprises suggests that online social networks' activity stimulates foreign capital expenditure and new affiliates. In addition, the article explores the relevance of customer capabilities along with sectoral and institutional moderating effects.     

Dynamic Capability Building in Service Value Networks for Achieving Service Innovation

Service organizations increasingly create new service offerings that are the result of collaborative arrangements operating on a value network level. This leads to the notion of “elevated service offerings,” our definition of service innovation, implying new or enhanced service offerings that can only be eventuated as a result of partnering, and one that could not be delivered on individual organizational merits. Using empirical data from a large telecommunications company, we demonstrate through structural equation modeling (SEM) that higher‐order dynamic capabilities in services are generated as a result of collaboration between stakeholders. Furthermore, it is through collaboration and education of the stakeholders that additional higher‐order capabilities emerge (customer engagement [CuE], collaborative agility [CA], entrepreneurial alertness [EA], and collaborative innovative capacity), all of which influence the service innovation outcome. Our study also reveals empirical evidence for an ongoing process of continuous dynamic capability building in accordance with the changing dynamics of business. Managers of service organizations should recognize the potential embedded in these higher‐order skill sets, starting from collaboration, learning, and management of creative ideas for both strategic and operational benefits. Moreover, the capabilities of CA, EA, and CuE are even more important in managing the flexibility, timely delivery, and reliability of service offerings. Managers should take measures to inculcate, promote, and manage these dynamic capability skill sets to foster innovation in services.     

Network closure's impact on firms’ competitive advantage: The mediating roles of knowledge processes

This study draws on the knowledge management and social network disciplines to examine the effect of network closure on organizations’ competitive advantage. We hypothesize that the level of network closure affects an organization's capability of knowledge identification, knowledge transfer, knowledge protection and knowledge institutionalization; these capabilities in turn affect an organization's competitive advantage. Thus, we model network closure as indirectly affecting an organization's competitive advantage. A Partial Least Square (PLS) analysis of the survey data of 78 Chinese petrochemical firms shows that network closure can both enhance and decrease an organization's competitive advantage. Network closure enhances an organization's competitive advantage by facilitating knowledge protection and transfer (via institutionalization), but decreases competitive advantage by hindering knowledge identification. Environmental dynamics that the organizations encounter are observed to moderate the effect of network closure. Combining our results with the findings from the literature, we propose that organizations operating in a dynamic environment, where the domain knowledge is in a state of flux, need to place great importance on knowledge identification; such organizations should choose a sparse network that allows them to receive diverse knowledge. In contrast, organizations operating in a stable environment should opt for a dense network to protect their knowledge and facilitate transfer of required knowledge.     

知识积累、知识激活与创新能力关系研究

关于知识与创新间的关系,现有研究多强调不同类型知识对创新总体绩效的影响差异,较少关注同一知识基对创新微观过程的不同阶段是否具有同等影响。针对这一理论缺口,本研究首先建构了知识积累与基于创新微观过程的企业创新能力间关系模型,并利用问卷调查获得的419份国内企业数据、利用层次回归方法进行实证检验。研究发现：企业知识积累对创新能力具有显著提升作用,并且这种积极效应贯穿在创新的整个微观过程中;分别以内、外组织学习为特征的不同知识激活机制在促进知识贡献于创新不同阶段能力提升过程中具有不同影响。本文最后讨论了理论贡献、管理意义及局限。     

Knowledge Management for the Entrepreneurial Venture

We synthesize research from operations management, entrepreneurship, organizational science, and strategy to investigate the performance‐enhancing benefits of knowledge management activities throughout the entrepreneurial process of a high‐tech venture from idea conception to commercialization. We adopt a dynamic learning perspective of entrepreneurship to understand how knowledge management activities change throughout four phases of the venture's life cycle. We introduce a framework that identifies a set of knowledge‐based capabilities that enhance the entrepreneurial venture's success. In the context of the first phase, we discuss knowledge as a key driver of entrepreneurial alertness and creativity, both of which impact the quality and quantity of opportunities and innovations discovered. Second, we describe how knowledge enables the entrepreneur to make decisions under uncertainty such as determining which opportunity to pursue. For Phase 3 of the life cycle, we explore the challenges of managing knowledge during the development of the product or technology including the trade‐off between exploration and exploitation. In the final phase, we explore how knowledge impacts the market entry decision, survival, and the value captured at commercialization. We conclude the article with suggestions for future research.