知识宽度与深度对内部知识搜索的影响:结构洞的调节作用

The Impacts of Knowledge Breadth and Depth on Internal Knowledge Search: The Moderating Effect of Structural Holes

现有网络领域知识搜索研究忽略了知识宽度和深度实证检验的作用,且较少探究个体属性和网络属性间交互效应的影响。鉴于此,基于全球最大的33家医药企业1975-2014年在美国申请的专利数据,利用负二项回归模型,研究知识宽度和深度对研发人员内部知识搜索的影响(个体属性角度)及结构洞的调节作用(网络属性角度)。结果表明:知识宽度与深度均对内部知识搜索具有正向影响,结构洞正向调节上述关系。结论弥补了现有研究的缺陷,验证了个体属性和网络属性的交互作用,为组织管理者促进研发人员内部知识搜索提供了针对性建议。

Recent network literatures on knowledge search not only ignore to examine the impacts of knowledge breadth and depth empirically, but also pay few attention to the interaction between individual and network attributes. To fill the gaps, based on American patent data of 33 largest pharmaceutical enterprises worldwide from 1975 to 2014, this article employed negative binominal regression model to study the influences of knowledge breadth and depth on internal knowledge search by inventors from the perspective of individual attributes, and then to explore the role structural holes play in moderating above relationships from the view of network attributes. Empirical results indicate that both knowledge breadth and knowledge depth exert positive effects on internal knowledge search;structural holes moderate above relationships positively. Such results fill the gaps of current studies, and examine the interaction effects of individual and networks attributes. Moreover, these findings provide pertinent suggestions for managers to promote inventors to search internal knowledge.