Knowledge search modes and innovation performance: The moderating role of strategic R&D orientation

Research on the impact of boundary-spanning search on the sustainable development ability of service-oriented manufacturing enterprises: evidence from Chinese listed companies

Purpose

This paper aims to analyze the mechanism underlying the impact of boundary-spanning search (BS) on the sustainable development ability (SDA) of service-oriented manufacturing enterprises and to emphasize the intermediary role of knowledge integration (KI). The moderating role of knowledge inertia on the link between BS and KI is also investigated.

Design/methodology/approach

This study constructs direct, mediating and moderating effects, selects 110 service-oriented manufacturing enterprises as research samples and obtains empirical data from questionnaires and annual reports. Among them, triangulation is skilfully used to obtain questionnaire data, and the regression method is used to test model relationships.

Findings

The results show that BS not only directly enhances SDA but also indirectly affects it through KI, which plays a mediating role in the impact of BS on SDA. In addition, knowledge inertia negatively moderates the relationship between BS and KI.

Originality/value

This paper makes three contributions. First, it enriches the research on the antecedent variables related to the SDA of service-oriented manufacturing enterprises. Second, by examining the mediating role of KI and the moderating role of knowledge inertia, the relationship between BS and SDA is revealed. Third, the research on knowledge management related to the SDA of service-oriented manufacturing enterprises is expanded.

Driving Sustainable Innovation in New Ventures: A Study Based on the fsQCA Approach

With the external environment becoming increasingly complex and changeable, how we can effectively enhance the innovation of companies in sustainability has become the focus of research. For startups, due to their lack of resources and poor independent innovation capabilities, they need to search for external knowledge from outside to meet their own needs. Therefore, obtaining external knowledge sources and adopting appropriate methods for knowledge search is the key to affecting innovation in sustainability. Moreover, enterprise capability is also an important factor restricting sustainable innovation. In this paper, we construct an integrated framework of resources and capabilities based on theoretical learning and practice between 2018 and 2021, containing technical knowledge, market knowledge, a formal search, an informal search, organizational learning, and strategic flexibility. Taking 450 new ventures in China as the research sample, we adopt the fsQCA method and derive the path driving the sustainable innovation of new ventures. The results show that resources and enterprise capabilities combine to influence sustainable innovation, and there are two configuration paths driving the sustainable innovation of new ventures. In the first pathway, a technical knowledge search, a market knowledge search, organizational learning and strategic flexibility are the core conditions; in the second pathway, a formal search, an informal search, organizational learning, and strategic flexibility are the core conditions.

Towards Enterprise Sustainable Innovation Process: Through Boundary-Spanning Search and Capability Reconfiguration

In the open innovation environment, enterprise sustainable innovation is no longer the result of individual decision-making. Extensive contact with suppliers, customers, scientific research institutions, and other subjects for boundary-spanning knowledge search, absorption, and reconfiguration is considered a critical path to enterprise sustainable innovation. Studying the process of “how boundary-spanning search affects enterprise sustainable innovation” has become an urgent and valuable task. Therefore, based on an innovation search perspective, this study explored the path and mechanism of boundary-spanning search affecting enterprise sustainable innovation, revealed the intermediary effect of capability reconfiguration, and clarified the regulatory role of information technology (IT) governance. We also proposed an integrated model promoting enterprise sustainable innovation process. Using questionnaire data from manufacturing companies in China, this study empirically tested the proposed model hypothesis. The results demonstrated that all boundary-spanning searches (supply-side, demand-side, and cross-regional searches) positively and significantly impacted enterprise sustainable innovation. However, the effects of the search types varied. Capability reconfiguration played a partial intermediary role between boundary-spanning search and enterprise sustainable innovation. IT governance positively moderated the relationship between boundary-spanning search and enterprise capability reconfiguration, particularly between cross-regional search and enterprise capability reconfiguration. This study enriches our understanding of the sustainable innovation process and provides theoretical guidance for enterprises to improve their sustainable innovation performance by effectively using boundary-spanning search strategies.

The Impact of Specialized Knowledge Search on Enterprise Innovation

Against the backdrop of the fierce competition in the market nowadays, a closed innovation model based on internal knowledge is no longer sufficient to support enterprises in search of high-performance innovation. Instead, corporations are desperately required to search for resources of external knowledge to meet their innovation goals. Existing studies on open innovation in corporate management failed to fully elaborate on the mechanism of how the external knowledge search could impose an impact on sustaining innovation and disruptive innovation. In this study, the external knowledge search was divided into three categories according to the knowledge-based theory, namely, the scientific knowledge search, the market knowledge search, and the supply-chain knowledge search. While taking into account the moderating role of the focus of attention of the manager, we analyzed the statistical results of 485 questionnaires collected from manufacturing enterprises to elaborate on the mechanism of how the specialized knowledge search could impose an impact on sustaining innovation and disruptive innovation. Our research conclusions are expected to enrich existing studies on the factors contributing to corporate innovation, including but not limited to sustaining innovation and disruptive innovation. In addition, the research findings are expected to lay an empirical foundation by summarizing previous theoretical opinions while providing references for subsequent in-depth studies in the meantime. Moreover, the paper has put forward practical management measures and suggestions that could enable enterprises in developing countries to search and effectively transform the external knowledge into innovative outcomes. Last but not least, this study is expected to provide both theoretical and practical guidance for enterprises to further facilitate innovation by means of knowledge search.