Is small actually big? The chaos of technological change

In this paper, we develop themes from complexity and chaos theory that help to explain the technological change process. We apply two quantifiers, correlation dimensions and Lyapunov exponents, to examine the signs and degrees of chaotic technological dynamics. To illustrate our ideas, we study the development of electronic displays from 1976 to 2010, using patent data. The results of the chaos model are matched against the profiles of patent citations. Our analysis contributes to the development of a chaotic model of technological change.     

The scientific and technological cross-space: Is technological diversification driven by scientific endogenous capacity?

The principle of relatedness allows us to explore the likelihood that territories diversify their current technological portfolios based on the global co-occurrence patterns of technologies. Countries that excel at developing semiconductors should develop mobile phones because both technologies require similar endogenous capacities, including scientific knowledge. However, thus far, studies have been mostly limited to the knowledge common base assumption and have not questioned enough whether different scientific endogenous capacities may be behind similar diversification performances. To address this question, we introduce the concept of scientific and technological cross-density, which we define as the average proximity of a new potential technology to a country's scientific and technological portfolio. To conceptualize and measure the effect that scientific and technological cross-density may have on technological diversification, we applied a two-stage methodology to a sample of 182 countries during the 1988–2014 period. First, we build a network, the science and technology cross-space, (sci-tech cross-space), which relates knowledge and technologies based on co-occurrence values. Second, we estimate the effect of scientific-technological cross-density and technological density on technological diversification at the country level. We find that the more a new technology is related to a country's scientific portfolio, the greater its entry probability; additionally, the effect of technological density on technological diversification is greater than the effect of scientific and technological density.     

On the green and innovative side of trade competitiveness? The impact of environmental policies and innovation on EU exports

This paper aims at exploring how the export competitiveness of the European Union has been affected by environmental regulation and innovation. Starting from the Porter idea that environmental policies may foster international competitiveness by inducing technological innovation. We test both the strong and narrowly strong versions of the Porter hypothesis, in order to understand if such a virtuous cycle is confined into the environmental goods sector (respecting the narrow criterion) or it spreads out through the whole economic system. For this purpose we adopt a theoretically based gravity model applied to the export dynamics of five aggregated manufacturing sectors classified by their technological or environmental content.When testing the strong version, the overall effect of environmental policies does not seem to be harmful for export competitiveness of the manufacturing sector, whereas specific energy tax policies and innovation efforts positively influence export flows dynamics, revealing a Porter-like mechanism. When testing the narrowly strong version, environmental policies, but more incisively environmental innovation efforts, foster green exports. These results show that public policies and private innovation patterns both trigger higher efficiency in the production process through various complementarity mechanisms, thus turning the perception of environmental protection actions as a production cost into a net benefit.     

Impact of scientific and technological innovation policies on innovation efficiency of high-technology industrial parks – A dual analysis with linear regression and QCA

Scientific and technological innovation policies play a critical role in the innovative development of high-technology industrial parks. However, it remains unclear how scientific and technological innovation policies impact the innovation efficiency of high-technology industrial parks and what the impact pathways are. An in-depth investigation of this topic can give an insight into the inherent relation between the scientific and technological innovation policies and technological innovation. By conducting a theoretical analysis, this study empirically analyzed the impact of scientific and technological innovation policies on the innovation efficiency of high-technology industrial parks. The main research methods applied in this study were linear regression and qualitative comparative analysis (QCA). The results showed that the policy targets drove innovation efficiency in a relatively minor way. Among all policy tools, the demand-based policy tools had the most significant influence on innovation efficiency. The supply-based and environment-based policy tools had notable positive impacts during the lag periods of policies. The policy mix pathways for scientific and technological innovation policies that impact innovation efficiency come in four forms, namely, the targets-directed, demand-driven, supply-dominated environment optimization, and environment-dominated comprehensive pathways. Therefore, this study put forward proposals on classifying and refining the scientific and technological innovation policies and optimizing the policy mix-driven models.     

The impact of network ties strength and enterprises＇ learning capability on the technological innovation

网络关系强度作为表征企业网络的重要变量之一,理论界关于其对企业技术创新的影响尚存在较大的争议。本文以企业规模和研发投入作为控制变量,构建了网络关系强度、企业学习能力和技术创新三者之间的关系理论模型,并以申报广东省高新技术企业和民营科技型企业的企业为调查对象进行了实证检验。研究发现：（1）企业网络关系强度和学习能力都对技术创新存在着显著的正向影响。（2）企业学习能力在网络关系强度和技术创新之间起到不完全中介作用。（3）在小规模企业中,这三者之间并不存在相互影响的关系。本研究进一步深化了前人的研究结论,对组织网络及技术创新的相关研究都有学术贡献。     

Does a different view create something new? The effect of employee diversity on innovation

A growing literature is analysing the relation between diversity in the knowledge base and the performance of firms; nevertheless, studies that investigate the impact of employee diversity on innovation are scarce. Innovation is an interactive process that often involves communication and interaction among employees in a firm and draws on their different qualities from all levels of the organisation. This paper investigates the relation between employee diversity and innovation in terms of gender, age, ethnicity, and education. The analyses draw on data from a recent innovation survey. This data is merged with a linked employer-employee dataset that allow us to identify the employee composition of each firm. We test the hypothesis that employee diversity is associated with better innovative performance. The econometric analysis reveals a positive relation between diversity in education and gender on the likelihood of introducing an innovation. Furthermore, we find a negative effect of age diversity and no significant effect of ethnicity on the firm's likelihood to innovate. In addition, the logistic regression reveals a positive relationship between an open culture towards diversity and innovative performance. We find no support of any curvilinear relation between diversity and innovation.     

How and when information proactiveness leads to operational firm performance in the banking sector of Pakistan? The roles of open innovation,creative cognitive style,and climate for innovation

Utilizing the assumptions of the Resource-based theory, this study examined how and why new, rare, and inimitable resources in the form of information proactiveness motivation influence operational firm performance. We hypothesized open innovation as a mediator between information proactiveness motivation and operational firm performance. We also hypothesized the interactive effects of an individual’s creative cognitive style and information proactiveness motivation on open innovation whereas climate for innovation and open innovation jointly influence operational firm performance. A temporally segregated data (n = 260) was collected in three-time intervals from employees working in the banking sector of Islamabad, Pakistan. Utilizing the PROCESS approach, the findings of the study indicate that open innovation mediates the relationship between information proactiveness motivation, and operational firm performance. Moreover, the creative cognitive style was found to moderate the relationship between information proactiveness motivation and open innovation whereas climate for innovation emerged as a moderator between open innovation and operational firm performance. This research focused on unique information and contextual resources which directly and indirectly play significant roles in promoting the firm's open innovation and subsequent operational firm performance.     

Is open innovation imprinted on new ventures? The cooperation-inhibiting legacy of authoritarian regimes

Extant research explores the role played by individuals and, in particular, founders in defining open innovation strategies at the firm level. We join this discussion by combining insights from imprinting literature that explores the enduring impact of a founder's personal history, with inputs from literature that stresses the impact of past experience on trust formation. We suggest that founders are less likely to engage in open innovation if their experiences engender a generalized lack of trust. We use a unique database that includes East and West German founders to identify regional differences in activities conducted by authoritarian regimes that could inhibit trust. We find that founders who were exposed to high levels of secret police surveillance in the former socialist German Democratic Republic (GDR) are less likely to engage in interfirm R&D cooperation. We contribute to the literature on open innovation by exploring how a founder's social, political, and cultural backgrounds influence strategic decisions related to open innovation, and to recent imprinting literature by showing that variation in oppressive enforcement practices in authoritarian regimes, such as surveillance activities, can leave an enduring imprint. Our findings complement recent insights on ideological imprinting effects on young firms’ decision-making.     

Why are some independent inventors ‘heroes’ and others ‘hobbyists’? The moderating role of technological diversity and specialization

Despite a substantial body of research investigating the market significance of inventions by independent inventors, relatively little attention has been devoted to understanding their technological significance. A recent study conducted by [Dahlin, K., Taylor, M., Fichman, M., 2004. Today's Edisons or weekend hobbyists: technical impact and success of inventions by independent inventors. Res. Policy 33, 1167-1183] on the tennis racket industry shows that independent inventors are a heterogeneous group which includes both “heroes” who contribute substantially to technological progress and “hobbyists” who make only a marginal contribution. What is not asked - and therefore not explained - is why this distinction arises. In this paper, we focus on the type of prior technological knowledge (in terms of technological specialization and diversity) applied by independent inventors and their corporate counterparts as a factor explaining differences in technological impact. Our empirical setting is the field of medical equipment technology. We find that independent inventors are more sensitive to the negative effects of technological diversity than their corporate counterparts. Furthermore, our study reveals that technological specialization pays off more for independent inventors than for their corporate counterparts. Therefore, those independent inventors who apply low degrees of diversity and high degrees of specialization are capable of reaching the same level as or even outperforming their corporate counterparts, thus becoming “heroes”. Based on our findings, we discuss implications for research and corporate practice.     

Ethical control of innovation in a globalized and liberal world: Is good science still science?

The independence of science was long seen as of prime importance. This position has become less common today. The perception of scientific research as a public service has led to the opinion that it must be accountable to citizens and produce knowledge and innovation that meet their expectations. Numerous authors have voiced the need for anticipatory ethical control of innovation focusing on the scientific research process. This control is considered as the must-have guarantee for “good science.” The current article attempts to trace the ideological origins of the ethical control of innovation, examines its effectiveness against the challenge of globalization and technology-derived major threats and its compatibility with scientific methodology. It also suggests ways to both regulate the innovation process and preserve the independence of science. On the whole, we conclude that truly effective ethical regulation of innovation, i.e. one that protects the greatest number from its adverse effects, is achieved first and foremost by questioning our liberal economic model and the place given to science in our societies.     

Innovation with ‘Chinese’ characteristics? Reflecting on the implications of an ethnic-based paradigm of management and innovation

Cultural studies seem to dominate the field of management and innovation in China. Researchers have defined and considered Confucianism and a number of common, transnational Asian/Chinese values and practices allegedly unifying China and parts of East Asia. These values and practices have been erected as the cultural pillars of ‘Chinese management’, ‘Chinese entrepreneurship’ and, more recently, ‘indigenous innovation’ in the ethnic Chinese world and now mainland China. We believe these values and practices, frequently claimed as unique and fueling innovation in Chinese firms, to be potentially manipulated for strategic purposes, by political authorities as well as business organizations. This paper examines the aforementioned premises and questions the notions of Chinese ethnicity, values, management and innovation from political and strategic perspectives. We first present the emergence of Chinese values and Chinese management. We then consider this emergence in relation to political agendas and the renewal of Asianism or New Confucianism. The second part of the paper analyzes how such values and ethnicity can be utilized by entrepreneurs for both defensive and offensive business purposes. We then illustrate our debate with some reflections on the Shanzhai form of indigenous innovation before concluding with implications for researchers, managers and entrepreneurs and discussing the dangers of exoticism and avenues for future empirical research.     

Helping with inquiries or helping with profits? The trials and tribulations of a technology of forensic reasoning

The commercialization of forensic scientific provision in the UK over the last two decades has had a major role in shaping a changing epistemic identity for forensic scientists working within this jurisdiction. Efforts to match the presumed epistemological standards of the 'pure' sciences have been brought together with concerns about value for money in a new approach to the interpretation of evidence, an activity that lies at the heart of criminal investigative practice. A study of the Case Assessment and Interpretation method developed by members of the UK Forensic Science Service is used to show how a technical innovation in the delivery of forensic science services to the police has instantiated these two recent social processes.     

The elixir (or burden) of youth? Exploring differences in innovation between start-ups and established firms

Despite the widely acknowledged role of start-ups in economic development, little is known about their innovative activities compared with those of established firms. Drawing on a sample of 12,209 UK firms, we differentiate between services and manufacturing firms and, using a matching estimator approach, demonstrate that start-ups differ significantly from established firms in their innovation activities. We find that in services, being a start-up increases the likelihood of product innovations. However, in manufacturing, we find no significant differences in the likelihood of product innovation between start-ups and established firms. When examining the returns to innovation, we find that start-ups have a significant advantage both in services and in manufacturing. We explore the implications of these results for theory and policy.     

How can clusters sustain performance? The role of network strength, network openness, and environmental uncertainty

This paper draws on social network theory to develop a model of regional cluster performance. We suggest that high performing regional clusters are underpinned by (1) network strength and (2) network openness, but that the effects of these on the performance of a cluster as a whole are moderated by environmental uncertainty. Specifically, the positive effects of network openness on cluster performance tend to increase as environmental uncertainty increases, while the positive effects of network strength on cluster performance tend to decrease as environmental uncertainty increases. Our findings have theoretical and practical implications for social network research in general, and cluster research in particular.     

The social as the heart of social innovation and social entrepreneurship: An emerging area or an old crossroads?

This paper aims to contribute to the conceptual debate on the connection between social innovation and social entrepreneurship, considering the role of the ‘social’ within this connection. Supported by a systematic literature review (SLR) with an in-depth analysis of 34 articles from Scopus-indexed and Web of Science databases journals, this paper identifies, analyzes and describes the difficulties and opportunities in the social innovation and social entrepreneurship literature. Little is known about the link between both concepts and the influence of the ‘social’ in their development and implementation. This SLR was conducted to identify and describe definitions and patterns. Results show that the connection between social innovation and social entrepreneurship is in its take-off phase, but it still is a fragmented field with a huge lack of consensus. Thus, it will be important to see where the field will head, as this paper aims to be a first step in the understanding of social innovation and social entrepreneurship through a collective and integrated perspective, providing an elucidation of the different perspectives of the literature.     

Is social networking a waste of time? The impact of social network and knowledge characteristics on job performance

People use social media to help them solve problems and enhance performance. Users may engage in diverse social interactions online, increasing their knowledge base through both weak and strong ties. In this study we investigate the impact of social networks on job performance, focusing on knowledge quality and diversity based on social network theory and the knowledge-based view. The empirical analysis reveals that the strength of social network ties is strongly associated with knowledge quality in offline interactions, while social network diversity is associated with knowledge quality in online interactions. Knowledge quality acquired from social network has a significant impact on both creativity and productivity of job performance in the workplace. However, knowledge diversity acquired from diverse social network interactions is strongly associated with creativity, but not with productivity. The results of this study increase our understanding of the knowledge sourcing behaviors of workers.     

How does health information seeking from different online sources trigger cyberchondria? The roles of online information overload and information trust

Cyberchondria is conceptualized as excessive online searches for medical information, which is typically accompanied by feelings of emotional distress or anxiety. While previous studies in this nascent area have identified various psychological predictors of cyberchondria, a relative dearth of research has explored the role of different online information sources in its development. Informed by the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) model and the literature on cyberchondria, this study proposes a theoretical framework to explain why people develop cyberchondria when seeking medical information via different online sources. Based on a three-wave panel survey (N = 654), our findings suggest that health information seeking via online search engines increases online information overload (β = 0.11, p = .02), while health information seeking via social media platforms and health-specific websites increases online information trust (β = 0.13, p = .005; β = 0.25, p < .001). Additionally, online information overload is negatively related to online information trust (β = -0.39, p < .001). Subsequently, both online information overload and online information trust trigger cyberchondria (β = 0.73, p < .001; β = 0.15, p < .001). This study can contribute to the literature by expanding and deepening our understanding of cyberchondria developmental trajectory as well as emphasizing the pivotal role of online information sources in this complicated and dynamic process.     

How to deal with corruption? Examining the roles of e-government maturity,government administrative effectiveness,and virtual social networks diffusion

The role of e-government in combating corruption is an active area of research in Information Systems (IS). Drawing on the value framework for assessing e-government impact, and grounding our discussion on three theoretical perspectives, namely, (1) technological determinism theory, (2) general deterrence theory, and (3) Habermas’ public sphere perspective, we seek to explore how the diffusion of virtual social networks (VSNs) influences the relationships among e-government maturity, government administrative effectiveness, and corruption in a country. Our analyses based on publicly available archival data substantiate the (1) indirect relationships between e-government maturity in a country and corruption in three branches of its government (i.e., legislature, executive, and judiciary) through government administrative effectiveness, (2) interaction effect of VSN diffusion on the relationship between e-government maturity in a country and its government administrative effectiveness, and (3) interaction effects of VSN diffusion on the relationships between government administrative effectiveness in a country and its corruption dimensions. The key contributions of this research include the establishment of the (1) role of e-government in combating corruption in three branches of the government, and (2) idea of the public sphere in the context of VSN diffusion, and the subsequent exploration of its effects on e-government outcomes of a country.     

“All for One and One for All?” - Knowledge broker roles in managing tensions of internal coopetition: The Ubisoft case

Coopetition, i.e., cooperation between competing actors, has become a pervasive strategy for innovative firms. The primary focus of studies investigating coopetition centers on inter-firm relationships, highlighting the benefits, limits and configurational patterns of cooperative relationships between competing firms. Only a small, emerging group of studies seeks to extend the concept to the intra-firm level, stressing the existence and effects of competition and cooperation between units that are part of the same organization. This paper contributes to this latter group by investigating the effects of internal coopetition on knowledge and innovation sharing and highlighting the fundamental role of knowledge brokers in managing the resulting tensions. Based on a qualitative case study of the video game publisher Ubisoft, we stress how the tensions raised by internal coopetitive settings limit knowledge sharing between units, and we analyze the mechanisms through which the knowledge broker helps to overcome these limits. We identify three main functions of this knowledge broker that allow the promotion of knowledge and innovation transfer to occur between coopeting units: (1) protecting the unit’s competitive advantage by introducing a lagging principle in the transfer process, (2) reducing sharing costs by standardizing innovative solutions, and (3) enhancing awareness of and trust in innovative solutions by centralizing knowledge diffusion.