知识网络嵌入影响农业集群企业成长的作用机理研究——以斗南花卉产业集群为例

A research on the mechanism of knowledge networks embedding on growth of clustered agricultural firms:Dounan flower cluster as an example

为什么嵌入同一知识网络的企业成长程度却不同?针对农业集群企业的特点,论文创新性地提出"知识网络嵌入—动态能力—企业成长"理论逻辑,并利用斗南花卉产业集群中142家企业的调查问卷进行了实证。研究表明,动态能力在知识网络嵌入与企业成长关系中存在中介作用;在动态能力的三个维度中,组织柔性能力和研发能力在知识网络嵌入与企业成长关系间存在部分中介效应,而环境洞察能力则不具有中介效应。上述发现揭示了知识网络嵌入影响企业成长的作用机理,丰富了已有关于集群与集群企业成长关系的研究成果,同时对我国农业集群企业的成长实践具有重要的指导意义。

Why do firms embedded in the same knowledge network cluster grow differently?How to grow by embedding knowledge network has become the focus of agricultural cluster enterprises.Chinese agricultural cluster have its specificity:first,farmer organizations′evolution of entrepreneurship is critical for the formation of an agricultural cluster.Farmer groups are the main owners of primary resources,key members of agricultural economic cooperation organizations,and the primary sources of business owners and entrepreneurs.Second,most of them are endogenous industrial clusters,and the homology of consanguinity,kinship,geography and other social and cultural factors determine their distinctive local grounding characteristics.These characteristics are not only conducive to the formation of advantageous clusters with unique local characteristics in the early stage of cluster development,but also lead to the closure,exclusion and low-end locking of the value chain in the later stage.Social network theory is an important perspective to study enterprise growth in transition economies.Embedding into networks,through both"structure embedding"and"relationship embedding",enables enterprises to acquire information and resource,which promote innovation performance and firm growth.While previous studies have advanced our understanding of the role of embedding into knowledge network in facilitating growth of industrial cluster enterprises,inspired the research ideas of this paper,but they suffer from certain gaps.First,research findings are inconsistent.For example,the development and embedding into cluster knowledge network stimulate knowledge flow and innovation diffusion,which can promote enterprise innovation.Compared with non-clustered enterprises,clustered enterprises do not have higher survival rate or growth rate,and may even have a negative effect on the growth of existing enterprises.Second,prior research assumes implicitly that all enterprises in the cluster can obtain equally the same resources and cluster related advantages from the cluster.This assumption ignores the heterogeneity of cluster enterprises and its influence on cluster resources and its liquidity.Finally,most of the literatures are carried out at the industrial level with a focus on the impact of manufacturing clusters on enterprise innovation and productivity,which is lack of the study of impact of cluster network on the growth of agricultural enterprises from the perspective of enterprise heterogeneity at the micro level.The theory for dynamic capabilities articulates how enterprises transform heterogeneous resources into competitive advantages and maintain such advantages.It is a useful perspective to understand how agricultural cluster enterprises break through low-end locking.Based on the characteristics of Chinese agricultural cluster enterprises,this paper proposes a theoretical framework that is named as"knowledge network embedding--dynamic capabilities--enterprise growth".Using Dounan flower industry cluster as a case study,this study conducts empirical research using 142 enterprises questionnaire in the cluster.We carry out multiple case studies on various types of agents in clustered knowledge networks.The following information is collected:(1)the development process and growth mode of flower enterprises;(2)overview of cluster knowledge network development;(3)the ways through which enterprises embed knowledge networks;(4)how embedding into knowledge networks affects enterprise operation and growth.The research has the following findings:(1)the embedding into knowledge networks,in a structure and relationship-based manner,has a positive and significant impact on the firm growth.(2)structural and relational embedding into knowledge networks have a positive and significant impact on the dynamic capabilities of enterprises.(3)dynamic capabilities play a partial mediating role in the relationship between knowledge network embedding and enterprise growth.Organizational flexibility and R&D ability in dynamic capabilities play a mediating role between embedding into knowledge network and enterprise growth,whereas environmental insight has no such effect on enterprise growth.The study has the following theoretical contributions:(1)the finding regarding the mediating role of dynamic capabilities in the relationship between embedding of knowledge network and growth of agricultural enterprises supports the theoretical logics of"knowledge network embedding-dynamic capabilities-enterprise growth",and enriches the growth theory of small and medium-sized enterprises.(2)by specifically investigating the mediating mechanism of three dimensions of dynamic capabilities,it shows that organizational reconfiguration and R&D ability play a partial mediating role on the relationship between knowledge network embedding and enterprise growth.These empirical findings demonstrate a theoretical correlation among knowledge network,dynamic capabilities and organizational growth and deepen our understanding of what drives growth of agricultural enterprises and how these firms build their dynamic capabilities.The above conclusion indicates that agricultural industrial cluster enterprises should fully recognize the importance of embedding into knowledge network and dynamic capability for their growth.First,we should attach importance to the function of knowledge network embedding.Enterprises should establish long-term and stable interaction and cooperation with other organizations,especially suppliers,customers,service institutions,universities and scientific research institutes,so as to promote the development of cluster knowledge network and make full use of the advantages of cluster to promote their own growth.Second,embedding knowledge network does not automatically promote enterprise growth,only by cultivating strong dynamic capabilities and giving full play to the role of mediating and bridge of dynamic capabilities,can enterprises make full use of the information,resources,innovative knowledge and strategic cooperation opportunities obtained by knowledge network embedding to promote the growth of enterprises.Third,in the construction of various dimensions of dynamic capacity,it is necessary to strengthen the cultivation of organizational reconfiguring,improve the ability to respond to environmental changes and the integration and utilization of resources,fully absorb the innovative knowledge in the knowledge network,improve the strength of their own research and development,and achieve sustainable growth.At the same time,the case study of Kunming Dounan flower industry cluster shows that agricultural industry cluster cannot form without the macro guidance and policy support of government departments.But the government′support cannot only stay in the initial support of cluster formation,the upgrading of agricultural clusters and the growth of enterprises still need the long-term support of government.