Inter-project learning: processes and outcomes of knowledge codification in project-based firms

In this paper, we argue that the literature on knowledge codification has been overly concerned with the economic properties of its outcomes, neglecting the importance of its underlying learning processes. Following Zollo and Winter [Organisation Science, 2001, in press], the paper distinguishes three learning processes: experience accumulation, knowledge articulation and knowledge codification and suggests a framework to analyse the learning abilities of project-based firms. We propose that mechanisms for inter-project learning draw upon these learning processes and can be found at various levels of the project-based firm. Using empirical evidence from six case studies, we discern three empirical patterns, that we defined learning landscapes, of such mechanisms. Implications for the literature and practice of knowledge codification are discussed.     

Strategic knowledge management failures in small professional service firms in China

In this paper, we report and reflect on Knowledge Management (KM) projects conducted in two China-based, smaller–sized professional service firms. The authors acted as Action Researchers, assisting each firm extensively as it prepared for its implementation of an IT-based KMS. However, neither KMS implementation significantly improved knowledge transfer or work productivity. We analyze the project failures, noting the significance of specific strategic management deficiencies as well as inadequate employee involvement and incentives. The implications for the strategic management of knowledge and organizational change in China are considered.     

Sources of ideas for innovation in engineering design

This paper explores the sources of ideas for innovation in engineering design. It shows that engineering designers involved in complex, non-routine design processes rely heavily on face-to-face conversations with other designers for solving problems and developing new innovative ideas. The research is based on a case study and survey of designers from Arup, a leading international engineering consultancy. We examine the role of different mechanisms for learning about new designs, the motivations of designers, problem-solving and limits to designers’ ability to innovate. We explore how the project-based nature of the construction sector shapes the ways in which designers develop new ideas and solve problems. We suggest that among the population of designers in Arup, there are a number of different design strategies for innovating and that these can have important implications for how design is managed. We locate our approach in the research on innovation in project-based firms, outlining patterns of innovation in firms that survive on the basis of their success in winning and managing projects.     

Professional guilds, tension and knowledge management

Scientific research is a crucial success factor for knowledge intensive firms and is often a joint effort of scientists and managers. However, scientists and managers belong to different “professional guilds,” subscribing to different belief systems and valuing different types of incentives. These differences give rise to tension between scientists and managers. We integrate a large body of literature from knowledge management to develop a new theoretical model predicting that this organizational tension is affected by environmental factors such as the degree of industry munificence, firm-specific factors like knowledge-management policies, and the individual roles of boundary spanners within the firm. Further, we argue that this tension can lead to positive or negative outcomes.     

The interplay of cognitive and relational social capital dimensions in university-industry collaboration: Overcoming the experience barrier

The use of university-industry collaboration in the innovation process is viewed as a major driver of firm competitiveness. The organizational dynamics underlying successful external relationships, however, remain poorly understood. Using longitudinal case studies of 15 innovation projects, we examine how firms with varying degrees of experience in collaborating with universities and public research organizations rely on different social capital dimensions to achieve successful collaborations. We find that experienced firms establish external collaborations on the basis of cognitive social capital, but this basis is reinforced by relational social capital over time. Conversely, less experienced firms initially base their university collaborations on relational social capital, which is reinforced by cognitive social capital over time. Based on these findings, we theorize on the interplay of different dimensions of social capital in university-industry collaborations over time. Our study has important implications for the management of collaborative innovation projects. In particular, it provides guidance to enable less experienced firms to develop successful collaborations with university partners.     

开发支出资本化与企业创新

以2007至2017年沪深A股上市公司为研究对象,本文考察了开发支出资本化对企业创新的影响。,实证结果研究发现,开发支出资本化比例与企业创新呈倒U型关系。且结论在稳健性检验之后依然成立。表明：当开发支出资本化比例低于临界值时,由于抑制了管理层通过削减研发投资以实现盈余目标的动机得到抑制,从而促进企业创新;当开发支出资本化比例高于临界值时,促使管理层基于声誉风险管理层为避免将已资本化金额转为费用对当期盈余造成的负面冲击,进行过度研发投资,从而阻碍企业创新。说明不同开发支出资本化比例下,管理层研发投资不同动机对企业创新产生非线性影响。结论在稳健性检验之后依然成立。进一步分析还发现：,开发支出资本化通过研发投资效率作用于企业创新,而且管理层面临的盈余公告压力越大,开发支出资本化对企业创新的非线性影响更为显著。资本化通过非效率研发投资,作用于企业创新;盈余公告压力越大,资本化与企业创新之间的倒U型关系越明显。     

组织文化对企业知识管理成功影响的概念模型研究——基于多维度的视角

实践中企业发现组织文化是知识管理成功的关键影响因素,而现有研究在关注二者关系时,由于对组织文化缺乏动态、综合的视角,对其内在作用机理的解释与揭示程度远未令人满意。在回顾相关文献的基础上,从持续学习、人际信任、权力距离、长期导向、团队精神等5个核心特征维度剖析组织文化对知识管理成功的影响效应。研究结果表明,适度的权力距离,高度的持续学习、人际信任、长期导向和团队精神,各自能够通过在不同程度上影响知识管理不同的具体环节和活动,促进知识管理成功。企业在推行知识管理项目时,首需注意组织文化的变革,通过适当的管理制度与行动方案从以上五个方面入手,塑造出适合知识管理的文化。     

政企关系与产能过剩:基于中国制造企业微观视角

中国企业产能过剩的成因一直是经济学界的热门研究问题。但是,以往研究大多站在宏观行业视角或者政府视角,鲜有从企业微观视角来研究中国企业产能过剩的前因。本文基于资源基础观和制度理论的整合视角,研究了民营制造企业的政企关系如何影响其产能利用率。基于对2005年世界银行的中国营商环境调查数据进行分析,结果发现民营制造企业的政企关系与其产能利用率之间具有U型关系。研究还发现这种U型关系在地方经济增速趋势较差时期,以及企业内部治理水平较低的情况下更加显著。本文研究丰富了有关中国企业产能过剩的研究,对微观企业与宏观政策制定者都有着较大的启示意义。     

How do foreign firms patent in emerging economies with weak appropriability regimes? Archetypes and motives

Foreign firms patent in emerging economies with weak appropriability regimes at an increasing rate. This phenomenon constitutes a paradox since in such a setting foreign firms should have weak incentives to patent. In an attempt to resolve this paradox, we conducted an inductive analysis of 11 foreign firms that patent in such a setting, using the case of China as our empirical context. We identify four archetypes of foreign firms and three key antecedents the interaction of which determines which archetype a firm can be subsumed under.Our study complements the developed-economy focus of the extant appropriation literature by adding an international perspective. We extend previous econometric studies by identifying salient factors on the firm level that determine the extent to which a foreign firm patents in emerging economies with a weak appropriability regime, highlighting that the extent of a firm's motivation to maintain its freedom to operate can supersede imitability concerns. We also comment on the practical implications of these contributions for managers of foreign firms. Highlighting a structural conflict of interest between foreign firms from developed economies and the development goals of an emerging economy, we point to the generalizability of our results to a wide range of other emerging economies worldwide.     

中国企业科技跟踪的关键成功因素研究

企业通过科技跟踪,可以了解相关科技领域的现状及发展趋势,有助于企业技术战略的制定和实施。针对中国企业科技跟踪实施成功率低的现状,本文探索构建企业科技跟踪关键成功因素的分析框架,用于指导中国企业的科技跟踪实践。首先,通过对国外科技跟踪关键成功因素研究的结构性梳理,形成本文的研究假设及企业科技跟踪关键成功因素的分析维度。随后,在电子信息行业选取4家具有科技跟踪实践的典型企业,采用跨案例比较的研究方法,对企业科技跟踪关键成功因素进行识别和分析。最后,在跨案例比较研究的基础上,构建企业科技跟踪关键成功因素的分析模型。     

知识服务机构联结与制造企业双元服务创新

开展双元服务创新既能保持制造企业在成熟产品市场的竞争力,又能开发新服务以占领新兴市场,从而保证更大竞争优势的获取。但,利用与探索将争夺本就稀缺的服务创新资源,很难同时追求。基于关系网络视角,本文提出,与知识服务机构建立联结是制造企业接近并获取服务创新资源,进而破解资源困境、促进双元服务创新的重要路径。为此,以宁波和重庆两地共296个制造企业为样本,考察知识服务机构联结对制造企业双元服务创新的影响,并对技术能力与战略柔性的调节效应进行检验。结果表明：知识服务机构联结正向促进制造企业双元服务创新;技术能力对知识服务机构联结与双元服务创新间关系的调节效应呈倒U 型;资源柔性、协调柔性正向调节知识服务机构联结与双元服务创新的关系。本研究结论对于制造企业服务创新和组织双元创新文献有着重要理论贡献,对制造企业合理配置静态、动态能力以发挥知识服务机构联结对双元服务创新的促进性影响提供了管理启示。     

In search of project classification: a non-universal approach to project success factors

In this study we attempt to answer two questions: Is there a natural way to classify projects and what are the specific factors that influence the success of various kinds of projects? Perhaps one of the major barriers to understanding the reasons behind the success of a project has been the lack of specificity of constructs applied in project management studies. Many studies of project success factors have used a universalistic approach, assuming a basic similarity among projects. Instead of presenting an initial construct, we have employed a linear discriminant analysis methodology in order to classify projects. Our results suggest that project success factors are not universal for all projects. Different projects exhibit different sets of success factors, suggesting the need for a more contingent approach in project management theory and practice. In the analysis we use multivariate methods which have been proven to be powerful in many ways, for example, enabling the ranking of different managerial factors according to their influence on project success.     

开发支出资本化与企业创新

以2007至2017年沪深A股上市公司为研究对象，本文考察了开发支出资本化对企业创新的影响。，实证结果研究发现，开发支出资本化比例与企业创新呈倒U型关系。且结论在稳健性检验之后依然成立。表明：当开发支出资本化比例低于临界值时，由于抑制了管理层通过削减研发投资以实现盈余目标的动机得到抑制，从而促进企业创新；当开发支出资本化比例高于临界值时，促使管理层基于声誉风险管理层为避免将已资本化金额转为费用对当期盈余造成的负面冲击，进行过度研发投资，从而阻碍企业创新。说明不同开发支出资本化比例下，管理层研发投资不同动机对企业创新产生非线性影响。结论在稳健性检验之后依然成立。进一步分析还发现：，开发支出资本化通过研发投资效率作用于企业创新，而且管理层面临的盈余公告压力越大，开发支出资本化对企业创新的非线性影响更为显著。资本化通过非效率研发投资，作用于企业创新；盈余公告压力越大，资本化与企业创新之间的倒U型关系越明显。     

Influencing citizen behavior: Experiences from multichannel marketing pilot projects

Information technology allows national and local governments to satisfy the needs of citizens in a cost effective way. Unfortunately, citizens still tend to prefer traditional, more costly channels, such as the front desk, phone and mail. Through pilot projects government agencies attempt to influence this behavior of citizens, directing them towards the online channel. With this paper we provide insight into the possibility to influence citizens’ behavior in the complex landscape of multi-channel service provision. The paper systematically compares five pilot projects using a framework that is based on organizational and marketing literature. The results show that socio-psychological factors are crucial in multi-channel management, much more than the technology itself. We conclude that citizens can be directed towards the online channel. However, not all projects are successful. Economic and legal instruments tend to sort more direct effects than communication or service instruments. Moreover, organizational factors such as bureaucracy often hinder eventual success. Choosing a smart and relatively small scope and strong project manager may help to evoke success in directing citizen online behavior.     

Factors affecting university-industry R&D projects: The importance of searching, screening and signalling

This paper presents an empirical analysis of the determinants of research cooperation between firms and Public research organisations (PROs) for a sample of innovating small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The econometric analysis is based on the results of the KNOW survey carried out in seven EU countries during 2000. In contrast to earlier works that provide information about the importance of PROs’ research, we know the number of firm/PRO collaborative research and development (R&D) projects. This allows us to study the determinants of firm collaboration with PROs in terms of both the propensity of a firm to undertake R&D projects with a university (do they cooperate or not) and the extent of this collaboration (number of R&D projects). Two questions are addressed. Which firms cooperated with PROs? And what are the firm characteristics that might explain the number of R&D projects with PROs? The results of our analysis point to two major phenomena. First, the propensity to forge an agreement with an academic partner depends on the ‘absolute size’ of the industrial partner. Second the openness of firms to the external environment, as measured by their willingness to search, screen and signal, significantly affects the development of R&D projects with PROs. Our findings suggest that acquiring knowledge through the screening of publications and involvement in public policies positively affects the probability of signing an agreement with a PRO, but not the number of R&D projects developed. In fact, firms that outsource research and development, and patent to protect innovation and to signal competencies show higher levels of collaboration.     

The roles of infrastructure capability and customer orientation in enhancing customer-information quality in CRM systems: Empirical evidence from Taiwan

This study adopts both a resource-based perspective that combines technology, human, and business resources to develop an infrastructure capability, and a strategic-positioning perspective that emphasizes customer orientation to examine customer information quality in customer relationship management (CRM) systems. Specifically, this study examines how firms bundle infrastructure capability and customer orientation to enhance the quality of customer information that enhances customer relationships and firm performance. The results of data gathered from 116 financial service firms in Taiwan suggest that the impact of quality on firm performance begins with infrastructure capability and customer orientation, and that the complementarity between these factors positively influences customer information quality. The results indicate that customer information quality positively affects customer relationship performance, which consequently leads to improvements in overall firm performance.     

考虑非对称溢出效应的竞争企业研发投资

    考虑两个竞争企业的研发投资存在非对称溢出效应时的最优研发投资策略问题。运用博弈论构建有无研发投资的模型并求解分析,揭示不同强度的研发投资溢出、吸收能力和研发成功概率等因素对竞争企业研发投资博弈均衡的影响。结果表明：两个企业的研发投资溢出均较弱时,它们都会投资;一方的溢出较弱而另一方的较强时,双方将分别成为唯一的投资方和搭便车者;溢出效应中等时,它们或者都投资,或者都不投资;溢出效应均足够强时,二者都不投资。敏感性分析显示,企业会依据不同水平的产品差异度、吸收能力和研发成功概率调整最优研发投资策略。此外,消费者剩余和社会福利在两个企业都投资时最优,单一企业投资时次之,无研发投资时最差。     

员工导向提升原始性创新的机制研究

本研究构建了以战略柔性和战略创新为中介机制的员工导向提升企业原始性创新的关系模型,并分析了企业特征的调节作用。采用取自303家我国企业的双份调研问卷对文中所提的链式多重中介效应模型进行实证检验,结果显示员工导向通过三条并行路径促进原始性创新：第一,员工导向增强战略柔性进而促进原始性创新;第二,员工导向以战略创新为中介机制提升原始性创新;第三,员工导向通过战略柔性促进战略创新,进而提升原始性创新。此外,链式多重中介效应随着企业年龄和企业规模的增加而减弱。     

Modes of governance of new service development for mobile networks: A life cycle perspective

This paper focuses on governance modes for service development of mobile telephone networks (GSM, Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), GPRS, UMTS). ‘Services’ refer to services containing information. The paper shows that the phase of the life cycle of the network and the service affects the choice of governance mode of new service development projects. Governance modes include internal development by the telecom operator, several forms of collaboration between telecom operator and service firm, and only providing a network by the telecom operator to the service firm, which then develops and provides its services (external). In this paper a model is developed for the governance mode of service development in different phases of the life cycles of the mobile network and service, based on the degrees of uncertainty and urgency involved in the network and service development processes. Four cases are presented of service development projects for mobile telecom networks. These cases indicate that the number of redesigns and the level of communication costs in collaboration projects indeed depend on the degree of urgency and uncertainty involved in these projects, which are in turn affected by the life cycle of the network and service.     

服务创新的驱动力和模式

服务创新是企业增强自身竞争力的重要手段,是推动服务业发展的强大动力,服务企业在内外部驱动力的作用下开展创新活动,同时遵循不同的创新模式．阐述了服务创新的驱动力及不同的创新模式,通过本文可以了解影响服务企业进行创新的内外部要素,并对不同要素作用下企业采取的创新模式形成整体上的把握．对企业管理者也有较强的指导和启发意义。