传统继承与跨代创新--基于长寿家族企业的多案例研究

Traditional inheritance and inter-generational innovation:A multi-case study based on long-lived family businesses

基于知识管理与企业创新相关理论,以经营传统行业的日本长寿家族企业为案例对象,对传统继承与跨代创新的关系进行案例分析.首先揭示长寿家族企业的创新方式:1)对传统知识的学习;2)传统工艺与现代技术的结合;3)新产品蕴含鲜明的传统风格.分析发现,消费需求变化、代际传承更替会给长寿家族企业带来创新契机.其中,实现产品创新需要对传统工艺继承和革新,追求跨代创新需要对家族传统继承和学习.而知识管理则支撑了在跨代创新中传统知识的继承、革新.在工艺传统方面,形式化技艺传统更依赖于知识传授,而非形式化技能传统更依赖于知识整合.在隐性家族传统方面,家业传统更依赖于知识外化,而经营传统更依赖于知识社会化.案例分析还发现传统继承的知识管理机制在一定程度上依赖于有效的家族经营结构.研究结论解释了长寿家族企业为何能够不断革新,同时也揭示了其坚守传统的价值.

Based on the knowledge management and related firm innovation theory, the paper carries out an in-depth case study on the relationship between inter-generational innovation and traditional knowledge based on Japanese long-lived family businesses in traditional industries. Firstly, the research reveals the characteristics of innovation of long-lived family business:(1) the learning of traditional knowledge;(2) the combination of traditional techniques and modern technologies;(3) the distinctive traditional style that the new product contains. Further analysis finds that the change of consumer demand and inter-generational succession would bring innovation opportunities for long-lived family businesses. The realization of product innovation requires the inheritance and innovation of traditional technology, and the pursuit of inter-generational innovation requires the inheritance and learning of family tradition. Further more, knowledge management supports the inheritance and innovation of traditional knowledge in inter-generation innovation. In the aspect of technological tradition, formal skill tradition depends more on knowledge transfer, while non-formal skill tradition depends more on knowledge integration. In the aspect of implicit family tradition, ancestral tradition depends more on the externalization of knowledge, while commercial tradition depends more on the socialization of knowledge. The case study also finds that the knowledge management mechanism of traditional inheritance depends on the effective family management structure. The research conclusion explains that why long-lived family businesses could innovate continuously, and reveals the value of adhering to tradition.