如何解决制造企业的服务创新困境:跨界搜索的作用

How to Resolve the Service Innovation Dilemma in Manufacturing Firms: The Role of Boundary-Spanning Search

制造企业进行服务创新面临着一个重要的困境:由于产品和服务的不同特性,基于产品创新积累的知识无法满足服务创新的需要,甚至会形成能力刚性而成为服务创新的障碍。本文指出并证实跨界搜索是解决这一困境的关键因素。特别地,技术知识跨界搜索和市场知识跨界搜索都能推动制造企业的服务创新。进一步,本文还验证了外部环境是影响跨界搜索价值的重要因素:随着行业竞争强度的提升,技术知识跨界搜索对服务创新的促进作用增强;随着环境不确定性的提高,市场知识跨界搜索对服务创新的促进作用增强。

Manufacturing firms face an important dilemma in service innovation：because of the different characteristics between products and services, the accumulated knowledge in product innovation is unable to meet the needs of the service innovation, and even forms capability rigidity to impede service innovation. Given the importance of service innovation for manufacturing firms, it is imperative to examine how to develop new services. Yet, innovation research remains dominated by research that is focused on products rather than on services. Thus how to resolve service innovation dilemma in manufacturing firms becomes a critical research question. In this paper,we argue that the boundary-spanning search provides a key to this dilemma. Previous researches focus on the effect of technology search on innovation, largely ignoring market search. However, service involves close interaction with customers, in that customers are often the source of new service. Thus, large market knowledge must to be involved to develop a service innovation and market search may play a more important role in service innovation. Thus this study aims to simultaneously examine the impacts of technology search and market search. In addition, external environment is an important factor to affect the value of boundary-spanning search. Because environmental uncertainty and industry competition are the main environmental characteristics under the background of Chinese economic transition, we examine if the effects of technology search and market search are moderated by environmental uncertainty and industry competition. We conduct an empirical research using an original data set of 270 manufacturing firms in Suzhou Industrial Park. Suzhou Industrial Park is one of the most innovative industrial parks in China, and most firms in this park are active in investing in product innovation and service innovation. Thus, manufacturing firms in Suzhou Industrial Park provide a good context to examine our theoretical model. Following results are obtained. First, the boundary-spanning search of technology knowledge and market knowledge can both promote service innovation of manufacturing firms. Second, we find that external environment is an important factor to affect the value of boundary-spanning search. With the rising intensity of industry competition, the role of the boundary-spanning search of technology knowledge is enhanced in promoting service innovation. However, industry competitive intensity does not significantly moderate the relationship between technology search and service innovation. In addition, with the improvement in the level of environmental uncertainty, the role of the boundary-spanning search of market knowledge is enhanced in promoting service innovation. Environmental uncertainty, however, does not significantly moderate the relationship between market search and service innovation. Taken together, the results of this study suggest that boundary-spanning search can help resolve service innovation dilemma in manufacturing firms. Boundary-spanning search appears to be a key mechanism by which firms can reach out to obtain heterogeneous knowledge beyond its own knowledge base. With the new knowledge, firms can overcome the capability rigidity and develop new service. However, firms can not only focus on technology search to identify various external technological resources. Market search, which focuses on various external market resources, also plays a critical role in service innovation. In addition, it is important to note that the value of technology search and market search in promoting service innovation is contingent on the environment. While the role of the boundary-spanning search of technology knowledge is enhanced in the environment of high competition, the value of the boundary-spanning search of market knowledge is enhanced in the environment of high uncertainty. These find- ings shed some lights on the discipline＇ s knowledge on the research question above.