合作网络结构洞、知识网络凝聚性与探索式创新绩效:基于我国汽车产业的实证研究

Structural Holes in Collaboration Network, Cohesion of Knowledge Network and Exploratory Innovation Performance: An Empirical Study on the Chinese Automakers

本文基于结构洞理论和知识基础观,利用我国汽车产业366家企业在2002-2010年的面板数据,实证检验了企业外部合作研发网络结构洞与内部知识网络凝聚性对企业探索式创新绩效的影响。研究结果表明,占据组织间合作研发网络中的结构洞有利于企业开展探索式创新活动;组织内部知识网络全局凝聚性将阻碍企业探索式创新,但结构洞对探索式创新绩效的积极作用会随着知识网络全局凝聚性的提高而增强;与全局凝聚性不同,知识网络局部凝聚性有助于企业探索式创新,但局部凝聚性的提升会削弱结构洞对探索式创新绩效的积极作用。本研究不仅为解决结构洞与企业创新之间关系的争论提供了新的理论视角和实证依据,同时有助于管理者理解组织知识基础结构性特征在企业创新活动中所发挥的复杂作用。

The literature on knowledge bases emphasizes that heterogeneity of knowledge bases is closely related to innovation capability. However,when analyzing characteristics of knowledge bases,few studies on innovation have examined the overall pattern of knowledge combinations and its influence on organizational innovations.Moreover,firms have realized the importance of external,network-born resources in innovation activity.One view asserts that a "closed"social structure is beneficial for ego,since the ego can accrue benefits from many connections with alters.The alternative view highlights that open social structure is facilitative to ego,because ego can take advantages from the brokerage opportunities created by the open network.The debate in the extant literature of interorganizational networks indicates that an accurate understanding of the open ego network should account for both the ego's network structure and its internal features.Following this logic,drawn upon the structural holes theory and knowledge-based view (KBV),this study employs a panel dataset of 366Chinese auto-mobile manufacturers during the period of 2002-2010 to empirically examine the influences of structural holes in the interorganizational R&D collaboration network and cohesion of the intra-organizational knowledge networks on firms'exploratory innovation performance. Our results indicate that spanning structural holes in collaboration network is beneficial to a firm's exploratory innovation performance. Moreover,despite the global cohesion of knowledge network impedes a finn's exploratory innovation performance,the positive role of structural holes in improving the firm's explorative innovation performance is reinforced with the increase of the firm's global cohesion of knowledge network.In contrary,local cohesion of a firm's knowledge network is beneficial to a firm's exploratory innovation performance.However, the increase of local cohesion of knowledge network weakens the positive impact of structural holes on the firm's exploratory innovation performance.This study not only provides new insights into solving the debate on the relationship between structural holes and firm innovation,but also enhances managers'understanding on the complex role of structural features of intra-organizational knowledge base in firms' innovation activity.