网络嵌入对企业突破性创新能力影响研究——以网络分裂断层为调节变量

The Relationship between Network Embeddedness and Firm Radical Innovation Capability:The Moderating Role of Divisive Faultlines within Innovation Networks

分裂断层是产业技术创新网络演化中普遍存在的现象,其对企业突破性创新能力的影响已经成为学术界和产业界的关注的热点。为此,将分裂断层引入创新网络嵌入与突破性创新能力的研究框架中,探讨网络分裂断层的直接作用机制及调节作用机制。结果表明:(1)企业网络结构嵌入和关系嵌入均与其突破性创新能力呈倒U型关系。(2)网络关系分裂断层会直接促进企业突破性创新能力的提升;网络地位分裂断层不会直接影响突破性创新能力。(3)网络关系分裂断层正向调节企业网络嵌入对其突破性创新能力的影响;网络地位分裂断层仅正向调节企业结构嵌入对其突破性创新能力的影响。

As a universal structural attribute in the development and evolution of technological innovation networks in high-tech industries,divisive faultlines will cause significant differences in enterprises’utilization and integration of internal and external technological knowledge resources of networks,which directly affect their innovation and development.Therefore,both the academic and industrial scholars have increasingly paid attention to the effect of divisive faultlines within the innovation network on firms’innovation activities.However,the attention of the scholars has been directed mostly to firm innovation performance with limited attention to radical innovation capability.The purpose of this paper is to analyze the direct effects and indirect effects of divisive faultlines within the innovation network on firms’radical innovation capability from the perspective of network embeddedness.In detail,based on the theories of faultlines and social network,this study built the research framework related to innovation network embeddedness and firm radical innovation capability by considering the role of divisive faultlines within the innovation network.In this study we examine not only how network embeddedness and divisive faultlines within the innovation network directly affect firm radical innovation capability but also how divisive faultlines within the innovation network moderates the effect of network embeddedness on firm radical innovation capability.In this empirical research,the authors collected the patent data of main 95 enterprises in the field of unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)industry over the period 2000—2018.Then the authors conducted patent network analysis and hierarchical regression analysis to identify the relationships between network embeddedness,divisive faultlines within the innovation network and firm radical innovation capability.The findings of this paper indicate that,both structural embeddedness and relational embeddedness have inverted U-shaped relationships with firm radical innovation capability.Furthermore,we argue that only divisive faultlines(as modeled by the dispersion of tie strengthen within the innovation network)has an positively effect on firms’radical innovation capability;while divisive faultlines(as modeled by the dispersion of network status within the innovation network)has no direct impact on firms’radical innovation capability.Finally,we found that tie-based faultlines within the innovation network positively moderates the impacts of network embeddedness(structural embeddedness and relational embeddedness)on firms’radical innovation capability;Status-based faultlines within the innovation network positively moderates the impact of structural embeddedness on firms’radical innovation capability,and status-based faultlines within the innovation network cannot moderate the relationship between relational embeddedness and firm radical innovation capability.The theoretical contributions of this study mainly reflected in the following parts.First,this paper extends the faultline theory to the innovation network level.By identifying the differences of the tie strengthen and network status between enterprises,this paper clearly interprets the influence mechanism of tie-based faultlines and status-based faultlines within the innovation network on firm radical innovation capability.In total,our study enriches the research related to divisive faultlines within the innovation network.Second,from a multi-level perspective,this paper reveal the influence mechanism of network embeddedness on firms’radical innovation capability,and the moderating roles of tie-based faultlines and status-based faultlines within the innovation network on the above relationships,which will contribute the development of multi-level network theory and provide new research views for further research.In addition,the findings of our research provide theoretical guidance for tech-intensive firms to understand,respond and utilize the network embeddedness and divisive faultlines to improve their radical innovation capability.To be specific,on the one hand,firms should maintain a moderate level of structural embeddedness and relational embeddedness,on the other hand,firms should pay more attention on the inequality of tie strength and network status among different network members,in order to maximize the positive impact of divisive faultlines within the innovation network and promote the evolution of innovation networks smoothly.