Organisational learning antecedents and open innovation: Differences in internationalisation level

The aim of this study is to inspect differences in internationalisation level of firms from a transitional economy based on their innovation outcomes, open innovation and organisational learning practices. Results indicate that firms with lower internationalisation level owe their innovation success to coupled and outbound open innovation practices that originate from market research, competitor tracking and public information. Mediating effect of outbound innovation is present in the relationship between market research and innovation success. Firms with higher internationalisation level do not exhibit significant effect of open innovation on innovation success, but their organisational learning antecedents such as market research and research and development negatively affect innovation success, while public information and forecasting have a significant positive effect on innovation success. The major contribution of this study is the understanding of how organisational learning antecedents and open innovation practices interact in firms with different internationalisation levels, whereby firms with higher internationalisation level already have competitive advantage that lower internationalisation firms need to achieve.     

组织忘却、知识搜寻与绿色创新

组织忘却对创新的促进作用已受到关注,但鲜有文献研究组织忘却与绿色创新的关系,也甚少有学者分析知识搜寻在组织忘却与绿色创新关系中的作用。在相关文献研究的基础上,将知识搜寻分为广度知识搜寻和深度知识搜寻,以知识搜寻为中介变量,通过211家企业的问卷调查,运用层次回归分析方法,对组织忘却、知识搜寻与绿色创新关系展开实证研究。研究发现：组织忘却对绿色创新、广度知识搜寻和深度知识搜寻均有显著的正向影响,广度知识搜寻和深度知识搜寻对绿色创新有积极影响,广度知识搜寻和深度知识搜寻在组织忘却与绿色创新关系中起完全中介作用,深度知识搜寻在组织忘却与绿色创新关系中的中介效应大于广度知识搜寻的中介效应。     

组织忘记、外部知识搜索与企业转型升级速度区域创新环境建设的调节作用

加速转型升级是中国企业应对“百年未有之变局”增强核心竞争力的重要战略行动。新发展格局下中国企业如何提高转型升级速度呢?本文以外部知识搜索为中介变量、区域创新环境建设为调节变量,构建了组织忘记影响企业转型升级速度的理论模型,以232份企业问卷为样本进行实证分析。结果显示:组织忘记对企业转型升级速度具有正向影响;外部知识搜索在组织忘记与企业转型升级速度之间起部分中介作用;区域创新环境建设正向调节了市场知识搜索对企业转型升级速度的积极影响,而对组织忘记与企业转型升级速度的关系起到了负向调节作用。本文丰富并拓展了组织学习视角下的知识搜索分析框架,并为中国企业如何通过组织忘记和知识搜索加速转型升级提供了有益启示。     

组织忘记、关系学习、开放度与商业模式创新

为探究网络经济时代企业如何充分利用外部资源实现商业模式创新,本研究基于开放式创新视角,以关系学习为中介变量,企业开放度为调节变量,构建了组织忘记影响商业模式创新的理论模型,并运用相关分析与回归分析方法,对320份有效样本进行了实证分析。结果显示：组织忘记对商业模式创新具有正向影响;关系学习在组织忘记与商业模式创新之间起中介作用;企业开放度正向调节关系学习对商业模式创新的影响;企业开放度正向调节关系学习在组织忘记与商业模式创新之间的中介效应。     

技术系统演化中的忘却学习研究

忘却学习作为组织学习的一种典型模式在技术系统演化的研究中日益重要,受到大量学者的关注。相对于一个技术范式周期内的组织学习研究,忘却学习成为技术范式转变时期组织学习的主导模式。但对于忘却学习的研究,目前还缺乏系统科学的深入探讨。本文将尝试性的从知识与流程的角度界定忘却学习以及构建技术范式转变时期组织从学习到忘却学习的演化模型。     

数字导向战略更新的前因及实现路径探析：组织忘却学习视角

   近年来,传统企业纷纷抓住数字技术机遇,致力于进行数字导向的战略更新活动。然而,现有文献对于传统企业数字导向战略更新前因变量的探讨还比较有限。本研究基于IS战略化和战略实践观,提出了“战略化活动-忘却学习-数字导向战略更新”的研究框架,构建了自上而下的创业导向活动、自下而上的组织即兴活动,通过组织忘却学习影响数字导向战略更新的理论模型。本文采用两种研究方法,即问卷调查和案例研究方法,探讨数字导向战略更新的前因及实现路径。研究表明：创业导向和组织即兴均有利于传统企业的数字导向战略更新;忘却学习分别在创业导向与数字化探索创新、组织即兴与数字化探索创新的关系中起到中介作用。本研究细致刻画了传统企业如何通过忘却学习进行数字导向战略更新的作用机制,具有重要的理论及实践价值。     

The emergence of a knowledge-based theory of internationalisation

This paper charts the development of the knowledge-based theory of internationalisation, driven particularly by early research at the University of Uppsala, led by Sune Carlson. Information and knowledge, allied with an interest in the associated effect on risk and uncertainty, were components of a process perspective. Its essence was a focus on the restraining effects of a lack of knowledge as decision-makers contemplated international market entry or expansion requiring a commitment of resources in various forms, in different types of foreign operations (such as exporting, licensing and foreign direct investment). Lack of knowledge of a prospective foreign market (of its characteristics, culture, ways of doing business) was seen to create uncertainty so that firm decision-makers would be less prepared to commit resources. This situation was bound to change as a firm conducted operations in the foreign market and acquired experiential knowledge (learning by doing), which made the foreign market less of a mystery, in the process lowering uncertainty. As the learning process unfolded, and expanded opportunities were perceived, at some stage the firm might be prepared to undertake additional commitments to the foreign market. Empirical research at Uppsala, and in Finland, had shown a pattern of gradual expansion of foreign commitments by internationalising firms. In terms of theoretical development, a key step was relaxation of the assumption of perfect knowledge used in economics (not without critique), noted by Don Lamberton in 1974. Following the development of internationalisation theory in the 1970s, there was a range of extensions to the basic theory, such as the role of networks, the nature of inward–outward connections, and the need for knowledge to pass over language hurdles in the process of international transmission – within and outside the firm. In one sense, the internationalisation of companies was a perfect research site for an exploration of the role of information and knowledge in firm behaviour, given the additional exigencies of the diverse and demanding information environment that is the international arena.     

Industrial business associations improving the internationalisation of SMEs with digital platforms: A design science research approach

This paper aims to contribute to the lack of design knowledge on digital platforms (DPs), by studying the new and specific context of DPs managed by industrial business associations (IBAs) to improve the internationalisation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). A specific objective is to elicit detailed digital platform’s requirements and features for this particular organisational context. A design science research (DSR) approach is adopted to develop design propositions (the artifact), following the context-intervention-mechanism-outcome logic (CIMO-logic). The design propositions are derived for DPs that can support different types of generative mechanisms of social interaction: information sharing, collaboration, and collective action. The design propositions are obtained by balancing empirical knowledge based on interviews performed with IBAs and SMEs in Portugal and in the UK, with theoretical knowledge from the literature of information systems, DPs and collaborative networks (CNs). The utility of the design propositions is further evaluated by experts and IBAs. The findings are proved to be relevant for practice, mainly for IBAs, SMEs, and digital platform designers to develop more effective collaborative DPs and sociotechnical systems, supporting CNs and the internationalisation needs of SMEs. The knowledge generated in this study brings new design knowledge on DPs, contributing with design propositions translated into tangible and concrete requirements and capabilities, situated in a specific context and empirical setting.     

The new product learning cycle

This paper summarizes our extensive study (n = 158) of new product success and failure in the electronics industry. Conventional “external factor” explanations of commercial product failure based on the state of the economy, foreign competition and lack of funding, were found not to be major contributors to product failure in this industry. On the other hand, factors that can be strongly influenced by management such as coordination of the create, make and market functions, the quality and frequency of customers' communications, value of the product to the customer, and the quality and efficiency of technical management explained the majority of the variance between successful and unsuccessful products. From these findings a framework for understanding and managing the new product development process that places learning and communication in the center stage was developed.Successes and failures in our sample were strongly interrelated. The knowledge gained from failures was often instrumental in achieving subsequent successes, while success in turn often resulted in unlearning the very process that led to the original success. This observation has led us to postulate a new product “learning cycle model” in which commercial successes and failures alternate in an irregular pattern of learning and unlearning.     

A knowledge schema for organisational learning in academic libraries

This article introduces a formal methodology for deriving conceptual knowledge schema for today's academic libraries. This knowledge schema is defined in the form of a set of knowledge structures and their relationships, and with the purpose of identifying organisational learning requirements. These schemas will then form basis for an organisational knowledge base that assists collaborating librarians to identify appropriate links to relevant knowledge sources within the context of the tasks that they perform. The article demonstrates that the proposed schema when used in conjunction with a specialised knowledge map called the Awareness Net will constitute a suitable conceptual framework for identifying knowledge sharing and organisational learning requirements in today's university libraries.     

From group-based work to organisational learning: the role of communication forms and knowledge sharing

This paper examines the role of group-based work as a knowledge sharing mechanism in fostering organisational learning. Relying on insights from communication research, the paper develops a set of propositions highlighting the role of communication forms in mediating the effect of group-based work on knowledge sharing. Our view on group-based work is grounded in the philosophical perspective on organisational learning as occurring through interaction. This perspective emphasises the role of communication as the foundational basis for knowledge sharing and learning. Group-based work structures communication and creates conditions for sharing knowledge among organisational members. Drawing on cultural psychology research that reveals that people from different cultures have different cognitive styles and, thus, process and interpret information differently, the paper proposes a link between cognitive styles and preferences for different communication forms. It suggests that effectiveness of knowledge sharing in group-based work depends on whether the latter supports culturally preferred communication forms.     

学习和忘却、组织韧性与企业数字化能力获取研究

企业的数字化转型对组织内部能力与外部环境都提出了新的要求,传统企业普遍沉浸在缺乏“数字化能力”的焦虑中。本研究在组织印记理论基础上拓展了印记反弹效应,以数字时代开启的新兴经济体企业的反弹契机为背景,探索了促进企业数字化能力获取的组织特征与过程机制。采用国际竞争中处于相对劣势产业的259家中国企业样本进行实证研究,结果表明组织学习与组织忘与数字化能力之间存在正向关系,组织韧性在其间起到了部分中介的作用,企业网络数字氛围正向调节了组织学习、组织忘却与组织韧性的关系。研究结论表明,中国企业虽然在初创时期没有丰富的外部资源支持,但可以在后续发展中通过组织学习与忘却强化组织韧性等内部组织特征,并在良好的数字氛围等组织外部环境中实现更为迫切的获取数字化能力的反弹效应。     

失败学习与商业模式创新关系：知识管理与环境动态性的影响

   近年来,商业模式创新成为创业失败企业再发展的战略工具之一,商业模式创新路径研究广受关注,但鲜有研究涉及失败学习对商业模式创新的路径研究。基于经验学习理论和资源依赖理论,本文从知识管理和环境动态性视角,探讨了失败学习对商业模式创新的影响及其内在作用机制。基于215份企业调查数据,采用分层回归、Bootstrap等方法开展实证研究,结果表明：失败学习对商业模式创新有显著正向影响;知识管理3个维度都中介了失败学习与商业模式创新间的关系;环境动态性在知识获取与商业模式创新以及知识创造与商业模式创新的关系中均未起到调节作用;环境动态性不仅正向调节知识整合与商业模式创新间的关系,而且对知识整合在失败学习与商业模式创新关系间的中介作用具有显著的调节作用。研究结论进一步丰富了商业模式创新路径的研究成果,为企业商业模式创新实践提供了参考。     

企业业务流程知识检索方法研究——基于知识模式

 知识流是企业业务流程的一项重要方面,各个流程需要不同的知识。在分析了知识语义表达的基础上,结合企业流程对知识的需求,提出由企业元知识库、企业知识模式库以及流程知识模式库组成的知识库模型,并分析了使用知识索引提取企业知识模式和使用二进制区分矩阵提取业务流程知识模式的方法。最后,使用lucene和Struts等工具实现了基于知识模式的流程知识检索系统。实验结果表明,基于知识模式的流程知识检索具有较高的效率。     

组织忘记对企业二元创新平衡的影响研究

构建一个有调节的中介模型,分析组织忘记对企业二元创新平衡的影响,以及战略柔性和企业规模在以上关系中所起的中介和调节作用,并通过271份有效的问卷调查数据进行实证检验。运用SPSSPROCESS宏程序(3.3版本)进行回归分析,发现组织忘记对企业二元创新平衡的直接效应和间接效应同时存在,战略柔性的两个维度-资源柔性和协调柔性在二者之间均起到中介作用,企业规模在组织忘记与战略柔性的两个维度间起着调节作用。研究结果不仅为二元创新平衡的研究开辟了新的视角,同时对中国企业提升二元创新平衡具有现实指导意义。     

创业失败学习与国际新创企业后续创新绩效

失败经验是一种宝贵的创业经验,可为后续创业活动提供具有高价值的隐性知识,提高了企业后续创新绩效。基于知识管理理论和组织学习理论,立足于创业失败学习与国际新创企业后续创新绩效之间的关系,构造了一个多重中介模型探究了创业失败学习、知识库、知识应用对国际新创企业后续创新绩效的作用机制。本文采用问卷调研法,以198份具有创业失败经验的国际新创企业作为样本,通过spss21.0 软件和Mplus7.0软件,对模型加以验证。结果表明：第一：创业失败学习与国际新创企业后续创新绩效具有显著的相关关系;第二：知识库和知识应用在创业失败学习和创新绩效之间起链式中介作用;第三：在考虑了知识库和知识应用的情况下,创业失败学习与创新绩效之间的关系不显著。研究模型打开了创业失败学习和后续创新绩效间的黑箱,对于创业者更好的进行创业失败学习以促进企业后续创新发展带来了一定的启发。     

The role of the entrepreneur in identifying international expansion as a strategic opportunity

This research explores business internationalisation as a process of recognising and exploiting business opportunities in an international context and uses Spain's natural stone industry as a case study. We differentiate internationalisation into two stages: opportunity identification and subsequent opportunity exploitation. We focus on the initial identification stage to determine the impact of entrepreneurs’ cognitive variables when gathering relevant information for internationalisation of the firm, highlighting the role of entrepreneurs’ alertness, the centre of interest, causal logic, and prior experience. We also examine the importance of the entrepreneur's environment, social networks, and institutional setting. In our empirical analysis, we find that although interested in internationalisation, entrepreneurs in the natural stone industry devote very little time and effort to gathering information. As a result, decisions related to internationalisation are restricted by uncertainty and a poor understanding of the appeal, barriers, and available support services.     

Managing knowledge assets in a complex business landscape: the relevance of emotive knowledge

In today's complex business landscape it is critical to identify and understand what are the knowledge-based value drivers affecting business value creation. This paper focuses on the relevance of the emotive knowledge as a key knowledge asset shaping organisational capabilities of 21st century organisations. The concept of emotive knowledge is analysed in accordance with a twofold perspective. On the one hand, it is considered as a driver of people's engagement, and on the other it is viewed as a key factor affecting the creation of intangible value to be incorporated into organisational infrastructures and products.     

组织忘记、组织学习与企业动态能力

组织惰性阻碍企业动态能力产生与增强,而组织忘记和学习可以解除组织惰性的束缚。本文首先剖析了组织忘记和学习对动态能力的影响,并建立了模型,进而论述它们之间关系,指出组织学习产生企业动态能力,而组织忘记和学习进一步促进和增强企业动态能力;并运用案例进行验证。     

Exploring the role of proximity in SME knowledge-acquisition

Knowledge-acquisition activities of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are assumed to benefit from geographic proximity to similar firms and centres of research excellence. This paper will explore the knowledge-acquisition processes and critical interfaces of innovative SMEs and outline factors that contributed to an observed lack of geographic proximity-based knowledge search activity. A growth path based upon innovation driven, rapid internationalisation and subsequent customisation strategies fostered organisational proximity-based knowledge-acquisition from international sources. It is argued that local contextual factors will determine if organisational or geographic proximity (or both) are the key to knowledge-acquisition. The recognition of a diversity of potential growth trajectories is recommended for SME policies.