管理领域的模块化理论演进与实证研究综述

The Evolution Path and Empirical Review of the Modularization Theory in Management Studies

从IBM-360电脑到大众汽车的MQB平台,模块化在产品设计工程管理领域的应用产生了令人瞩目的效益,在供应链管理和组织管理等领域的正向影响也在不断发酵,针对模块化理论的研究和实践成为当前战略管理和运营管理领域的焦点之一。基于当前研究缺口,运用文献计量学的研究方法,对Web of Science数据库中878篇有关模块化文献的引文和主题词进行定量的共被引分析,绘制了近30年来管理领域的模块化理论研究的知识图谱和演进路径。结论显示:管理领域模块化的理论研究主要围绕产品架构、组织设计、供应链管理、大规模定制、组织学习、供应链敏捷性和服务模块化7大聚类展开,焦点从最初的理论探讨逐步向模块化的实现路径及其前因后果的研究深入,且产品设计模块化是模块化研究最为成熟的领域。在此基础上,分别从产品、组织和生产3个关键维度对模块化的动因、结果变量、影响过程与测量的重点实证文献进行了综述,并分析指出了现有实证研究的不足之处及未来研究机会点。最后,总结构建了管理领域的模块化理论总体研究框架。

The management principles of modularization contributes to understand a complex system or organization. From IBM’s 360 computer to Volkswagen’s MQB platform, the application of modularization in product design and engineering has produced remarkable benefits, and the positive impact in the areas of supply chain management and organization management is also continuously fermenting. The research and practice of modularization theory has become one of focuses in the current strategic management and operation management studies. However, many scholars have so far failed to reach agreement over the current theoretical research paradigm of modularization in the management studies, and the core concepts and constructs of modularization are ambiguously defined. Besides,the existing literature reviews lack of timeliness and integration theoretical systems to discuss modularization theories in depth, as well as systematic research on modularization motivations, results, processes and measurement in microcosmic. To a certain extent, the above-mentioned problems have restricted the effective theoretical accumulation,testing and development of modularization in the management studies. This article aims to keep track of the latest research trends and the evolutionary paths of modularization in the management studies as a whole, it conducted a bibliometric analysis of 878 modularization articles for 30 years, and provided a different perspective by investigating the mapping knowledge and the evolution path in the field of modularization over time via co-citation and co-occurrence analyses. Thus the modular concepts have well been classified according to product, organization and production. Therefore, based on the above three dimensions, the article illustrated the measures, inducements, consequences and processes of modularization, aiming to put forward the weakness, future opportunities of existing empirical re-searches.Finally, the results indicated the main researches of modularization in the management studies focus on seven clusters referred to "product architecture", "organizational design", "supply-chain management", "mass customization", "learning", "supply-chain agility" and "service modularity". The hot topic in modularization research has changed from the initial theoretical discussion(development period: 1962-1999) to the implementation of modularization and its causes and consequences(boom period: 2000-present), and the product design modularization is the most mature research field.Based on the bibliometric analysis and empirical research literature review, our results also refined the overall theory framework of modularization in the management studies, the four core inducements were the market environment, technological change, institutional environment and internal factors. Moreover, existing empirical researches mainly focus on the test of the three outcome variables of innovation ability, organizational performance and competitiveness, trying to open the "black box" of modularization in the management studies, the mediating roles of supplier participation, strategic flexibility, agile manufacturing and path dependence, as well as the adjusting effects of cross-functional integration, suppliers integration, product complexity, and cultural distance, has been discussed.Most empirical researches agree that the implementation of modularization has a distinct direct positive impact on the innovational ability, organizational performance and competitiveness, especially in the industry of automotive,IT, and home appliances. However, under specific circumstances, such as excessive use of modularity, conflict between modularization and standardization strategies, modularization has leaded to low performance and innovation barriers, which means that modularization sometimes fails, depending on the coordination rules and institutional support in organizations. The constructs of modularization are mainly measured by subjective judgments, whose measurement methods are divided into two main parts, single index measurement and scale measurement that is represented by the measurement scales developed by scholars including: Worren(2002), Lau(2007&2010&2011) and Parente(2011).Because the empirical researches on the modularization in the management studies are still in its infancy, the key research issues are scattered research systems, lacking in innovation of research methods, and conflicts conclusions. Furthermore, the contributing Factors are still needed to be tested in practice. However, we believe that the results provide interesting implications to further modularization studies in the management domain. First of all, the connotation of modularization concepts and the related variable relationships should reach agreement in the future.In addition, the measurement scales of modularization with higher reliability and validity should be developed. Besides, future empirical research is needed to adopt both static data and dynamic data in various types of industries and setting. Finally, the guiding theory framework of the modernization in the management studies should be sustainably explored in depth, and the model integration will need to be further gone into.