数字化转型背景下中小制造企业如何编排资源利用数字机会——基于资源编排理论的fsQCA研究

How Can Manufacturing SMEs Take Advantage of Digital Opportunities:fsQCA Research Based on Resource Orchestration Theory

利用数字机会是中小制造企业实现数字化转型的关键。资源编排理论指出,利用数字机会离不开企业资源和能力的支持,尤其要将各种资源和能力有效组合起来。但大量中小制造企业难以有效编排自身资源和能力来利用数字机会。为此,本文关注中小制造企业的五种传统资源和能力(实物资源、关系资源、制造能力、营销能力和创新能力)及两种数字资源和能力(大数据资源和数字平台能力),运用模糊集定性比较分析(fsQCA)方法对392份问卷数据进行分析,研究发现:五种传统资源和能力及两种数字资源和能力都不能单独作为中小制造企业数字机会利用的必要条件,但数字平台能力作为核心条件能发挥较为普适的作用。同时,中小制造企业的数字机会利用存在三种路径,可归纳为“内向型”“外向型”和“内外兼顾型”,通过进一步聚焦高技术制造业,发现其数字机会利用存在两种路径:“渐进型”和“突破型”。本文有助于发现如何在数字化背景下编排企业资源和能力,拓展了资源编排理论的研究情境(数字化背景)和研究范围(数字资源和能力),回应了识别“数据时代的资源编排规律”的呼吁。

The digital transformation of manufacturing industry plays an important role in promoting China’s economic development and enhancing national competitiveness.However,only a small number of small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises(SMEs)have successfully implemented digital transformation.Both theory and practice show that manufacturing SMEs can achieve the goal of digital transformation by taking advantage of digital opportunities.However,a large number of manufacturing SMEs have difficulties in taking advantage of digital opportunities and fall into the dilemma of“not turning”.Leveraging digital opportunities requires the support of enterprise resources and capabilities,especially the effective combination of resources and capabilities.A large number of manufacturing SMEs do not know what combination of resources and capabilities will help to take advantage of digital opportunities,resulting in some enterprises will not allocate resources and capabilities to take advantage of digital opportunities(resources will not be used),but also make some enterprises can not choose the right path based on their own resources and capabilities(do not know how to do).Therefore,identifying the combination of enterprise resources and capabilities that enable digital opportunity exploitation can provide guidance for the digital transformation of manufacturing SMEs.Resource orchestration theory emphasizes that the allocation and utilization of enterprise resources and capabilities are crucial(even more important than resources and capabilities themselves).Through the effective arrangement of resources and capabilities,enterprises can seize and use various opportunities to establish competitive advantages.Under the background of digitalization,the law of resource arrangement required by digital opportunity is obviously different from the traditional law.At the same time,digital resources and capabilities become the key to winning competitive advantage,and enterprises need to orchestrate digital resources and capabilities alongside traditional resources and capabilities.Therefore,this paper examines what combination of resources and capabilities can help manufacturing SMEs take advantage of digital opportunities.Based on the existing research,this paper focuses on the five traditional resources and capabilities of manufacturing SMEs(physical resources,relational resources,manufacturing capabilities,marketing capabilities and innovation capabilities)and two digital resources and capabilities(big data resources and digital platform capabilities),and uses the fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis method to identify the configuration path that helps manufacturing SMEs take advantage of digital opportunities.Through the analysis of 392 questionnaire data,this paper finds that digital platform capability has a universal effect on the utilization of digital opportunities for manufacturing SMEs,and summarizes three resource allocation modes:“inward”,“outward”and“both inward and outward”.Each path represents a different resource allocation mode,but all need to combine traditional resources and capabilities with digital resources and capabilities.Because of the rapid development of high-tech enterprises,they have a strong penetration of other enterprises,this paper further discusses the resource configuration of high-tech manufacturing SMEs.By focusing the research object on high-tech manufacturing SMEs,this paper further summarizes the“progressive”and“breakthrough”two paths.This paper has two theoretical contributions.First,this paper identifies the resource and capability configurations that support manufacturing SMEs to take advantage of digital opportunities,which helps to understand the antecedent variables of taking advantage of digital opportunities,in particular,the identified configurations can find the“multiple potential concurrent causal relationships”in which these resources and capabilities play a role.Second,by analyzing the joint impact of traditional resources and capabilities and digital resources and capabilities on the utilization of digital opportunities,this paper finds out how to arrange enterprise resources and capabilities under the digital background,expands the research context(digital background)and research scope(digital resources and capabilities)of resource orchestration theory,and responds to the call to identify“the law of resource orchestration in the data era”.At the same time,this paper has important practical value.Specifically,the conclusions of this paper can guide manufacturing SMEs that“have resources they will not use”to take advantage of digital opportunities by allocating resources and capabilities.For example,based on the path H2b,some manufacturing SMEs can combine their marketing capabilities,relationship resources and digital platform capabilities,coupled with the use of big data resources,to achieve the goal of utilizing digital opportunities and digital transformation.At the same time,this paper finds that it can also guide manufacturing SMEs that“don’t know what to do”to choose the appropriate path to use digital opportunities to achieve digital transformation goals in combination with their own resources and capabilities.For example,if a manufacturing SME has manufacturing capabilities,innovation capabilities,big data resources and digital platform capabilities,it can choose the path H1 to meet configuration requirements by strengthening marketing capabilities and realize digital transformation by taking advantage of digital opportunities.This paper also finds out the unique digital opportunity utilization path of high-tech enterprises.High-tech enterprises can choose their own path to capitalize on digital opportunities and accelerate digital transformation.There are some limitations in this paper.First,the analysis is based on cross-sectional data.With the change of enterprise life cycle,the focus of enterprise resources and capabilities will change,and the rule of resource scheduling may also be different.Future research can collect longitudinal data and conduct research using dynamic methods to explore the complex impact of traditional and digital resources and capabilities on the utilization of digital opportunities in the process of dynamic change.Secondly,this paper explores the impact of resources on opportunity utilization.In recent years,scholars have put forward the concept of integration of opportunities and resources,and future studies can explore the impact of the linkage and matching of digital opportunities and resources on enterprises’competitive advantages.Thirdly,the research object of this paper is manufacturing SMEs.Large manufacturing enterprises and other industries have the problem of how to orchestrate resources and capabilities to take advantage of digital opportunities,which requires re-examining the resources and capabilities that are important to them,such as technical resources and human resources.Future research can start from different perspectives and identify differentiated resource and capability configurations for utilizing digital opportunities for different research objects.Finally,starting from the environment,future research can explore the combination of resources,opportunities and environment.