技术多元化、知识场活性与新产品开发绩效--高管团队异质性的调节效应

Technological Diversification,Knowledge Field Activity and New Product Development Performance:The Moderating Effect of Top Management Team Heterogeneity

基于高技术制造型企业的大样本调查数据,实证研究了技术多元化对企业新产品开发(NPD)绩效的影响,分析了知识场活性的中介作用以及高管团队异质性的调节效应。结果表明:相关技术多元化正向影响NPD绩效;非相关技术多元化负向影响NPD绩效;知识场活性在技术多元化(相关、非相关)与NPD绩效之间起部分中介作用;高管团队异质性正向调节了相关技术多元化与知识场活性之间的关系;高管团队异质性在相关技术多元化与NPD绩效之间的调节效应是通过知识场活性的中介起作用。

How to adopt an appropriate technology diversification(TD)strategy to improve new product develop-ment(NPD)performance and thus gain sustainable competitive advantage in the fierce market competition is both an im-portant practical challenge and academic issue for Chinese firms.This paper firstly explores the relationships among TD,knowledge field activity(KFA),top management team heterogeneity(TMTH)and NPD performance based on knowledge management(KM)and upper echelons theory,and puts forward theoretical hypotheses and constructs research model.Secondly,245 middle and senior managers of high-tech manufacturing enterprises in Anhui,Jiangsu,Hubei and other regions with strong NPD ability were selected for questionnaire survey,and SPSS 25.0 and Amos 24.0 software were used for descriptive statistics and reliability-validity test.Thirdly,path analysis is used to test the main effect and mediating role of KFA,hierarchical regression analysis is used to test the moderating effect of TMTH,and the impact mechanism of different types of TD on NPD performance is empirically studied.Finally,this study also uses the process plug-in to analyze the data robustness,and verifies the reliability and robustness of the above results again.The main findings of the study are:(1)Related-TD has a positive impact on NPD performance;unrelated-TD negatively affects NPD performance.(2)KFA partially mediated relationships between TD(related&unrelated TD)and NPD performance.(3)TMTH positively moderates relationships between related-TD and KFA.(4)The moderating effect of TMTH between related-TD and NPD performance works through KFA,that is,TMTH plays a mediated moderating effect between related-TD and NPD performance.The theoretical contributions of this study are:Firstly,this paper divides the dimensions of TD from the perspective of technological relevance,explains the reasons for the differences in TD on NPD performance,and broadens the research ideas in the field of TD and NPD performance.Secondly,this paper expounds the mechanism between TD and NPD performance from the perspective of KM,which enriches the academic achievements in the field of TD and KM.Thirdly,this paper finds the mediating role of KFA between TD and NPD performance,broadens the application field of KFA,and lays a foundation for revealing the mechanism of TD affecting NPD performance.Fourthly,this paper not only discusses the moderating effect of TMTH,but also proposes and tests mediated moderating effect,which makes a useful attempt to further explore the complex relationship between TD,TMTH and NPD performance.The practical implications of this study are:Firstly,when choosing TD strategy,enterprises should combine their own reality and existing knowledge base,focus on related-TD and try to integrate and connect resources in order to maintain competitive advantage.Secondly,when implementing TD strategy,enterprises should strengthen the construction of knowledge sharing platform,enhance KFA,and further enhance NPD capability.Thirdly,when selecting TMT members,enterprises should understand the differences in their professional skills,educational and functional background between candidates and existing TMT members,and establish management team with complementary advantages to better improve NPD performance.