Product innovation rumors as forms of open innovation

Prior studies of open innovation have highlighted the effects of different flows of knowledge between firms and external partners—such as flows of software code, technical solutions, or new product ideas—and how firms face a “paradox of openness” about how open to be to external sources while also appropriating value. There are increasingly flows of more provisional knowledge as well, in the form of product innovation rumors exchanged within online technology blogs. Our study objective was to understand how product innovation rumors are used by firms as both inflows and outflows of provisional knowledge and their effect on the innovation process. Using interview data within a high-technology firm whose forthcoming products were the subject of rumor within technology blogs, we develop propositions regarding how inflows of product innovation rumors affect innovation decisions (while addressing concerns about appropriability and intrafirm knowledge flows) and how outflows from firms may affect stakeholders outside the firm (through selective revealing and influence of technology blog editors). Product innovation rumors in part address the paradox of openness by forming an informal means of open innovation alongside formal processes, and we suggest further research opportunities in this domain.     

Innovative path dependence: Making sense of product and service innovation in path dependent innovation processes

This paper analyses path dependence and path creation in firm innovation focusing on the effect of cognitive frames and organisational processes. A Northern European medical device firm is analysed through a detailed assessment of the structural and processual elements of cognitive path dependence. Cognitive schemas are analysed through development of ideal typical views on innovation and through an investigation of two specific innovation projects.Drawing on sensemaking and actor network theory the paper adds to the literature in three respects. First, it provides a more systematic analysis than available in the existing literature of how cognitive frames enable and constrain firm innovation. Second, it presents an empirical analysis that contributes to a differentiation of the concept of path dependence, distinguishing between innovative path dependence and technological path dependence. Third, the paper analyses the timing of constraints and path dependence. In the cases studied the innovation approach frames the innovation problem and constraints in relation to technologies have an impact on the innovation processes later, after new technologies have been thoroughly researched.The paper illustrates how the case firm is cognitively locked into an innovation path focused on generating ever-new product versions on different technological platforms, regardless of cannibalisation among the firm's different product versions. Despite the cognitive lock-in to an innovation path the firm is unconstrained in its choice of technological platforms and paths. Firms’ innovation processes may thus simultaneously be characterised by unrestrained search processes and myopic behaviour.     

Persistence of innovation in unstable environments: Continuity and change in the firm's innovative behavior

The concept of persistence is generally used to define the positive relationship between past and present innovations, which is explained by feedback and accumulation processes triggered by the firm's past results. This paper states that changes in the economic or institutional conditions of the environment impact on the type of profitable innovations, and past innovations might not be suitable for the new environment. As a result, firm's innovative behavior might change, which means that the firm's set of decisions about engaging in the seek for innovations or not and, if so, the set of investments and capabilities it allocates to innovate could be modified. Empirical evidence is provided to reject the persistence hypothesis and to show that past innovations do not necessarily impact present ones. This paper examines the relationship between past and present innovations for a group of Argentinean firms during 1998–2006, which coincides with a period of macroeconomic instability. Results suggest that persistence has to be analyzed in terms of a dynamic firm's innovative behavior—regardless of its results—and how it allows the firm to accumulate competences and resources, which increases the odds of successfully responding to changes in the environment and continuing to innovate.     

Critical capabilities for effective management of complementarity between product and process innovation: Cases from the food and drink industry

The management of the complementarity between product and process innovation has been discussed for five decades. The most recent advancement in the conceptual development uncovered different extents of complementarities occurring between product and process innovation at the project level. Prior literature suggested that facilitating a better interplay between these two types of innovation holds the potential for the development of a long-lasting competitive advantage. Despite its theoretical and managerial importance, management of new product and process development (NPPD) projects with different extents of complementarity between product and process innovation remains poorly understood. To address this gap, we adopt perspectives from contingency theory and dynamic capabilities. Building upon Hullova, Trott and Simms’s (2016) classification of complementarities we investigate the management of different complementarity types in four NPPD projects in the UK food and drink industry. We introduce empirically derived framework for effective management of NPPD projects with different extents of complementarity between product and process innovation. The framework identifies three critical capabilities and associated activities; 1) identifying the complexity and novelty of the project and assessment of internal and external resources and knowledge stocks, 2) deploying the most suitable integration mechanism(s) for the identified complementarity type and 3) leveraging of the knowledge learned and experience acquired during the project. Jointly, these three intertwined capabilities act as a complementarity management tool for product and process development managers, enabling them to manage their NPPD projects portfolios more effectively.     

Analysis of sources of innovation, technological innovation capabilities, and performance: An empirical study of Hong Kong manufacturing industries

The concept of the regional innovation system (RIS) has been developed into an important framework for evaluating innovation performance. The study reported in this paper explores the relationship between the RIS and the firm's innovation system (FIS) according to the basic premise that firms that better utilize sources of information (SI) available within their regional innovation system (RIS) perform better due effect this has in enhancing the firm's technological innovation capabilities (TICs). The different innovation capabilities of a firm are regarded as the key components of the firm's innovation system. The sources of information available within an RIS include external sources (EXT) and external expert organizations, the latter of which are referred to as knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS). This study also explores the dual role of KIBS as both sources of and bridges for innovation in the RIS. Data were obtained through a mailed survey using a self-administered questionnaire. The utilization concept and the dual role of KIBS were verified. The results show that externally available information affects all innovation capabilities of the firm, while external expert organizations affect only the firm's R&D and resources allocation capabilities. This study contributes to the RIS literature by providing empirical evidence on how firms can interact with the RIS by utilizing SI to enhance their TICs and achieve global competitiveness.     

融资依赖、IPO与创业板上市公司创新投资

   以2009—2014年创业板上市公司首次公开募股(initial public offering,IPO）前后3年数据为样本,构建双重差分模型,实证研究了IPO对企业创新投资的影响和不同融资依赖企业IPO创新影响的差异及其原因。实证结果表明：IPO后企业创新投资显著下降,且外部融资依赖企业IPO后创新投资下降幅度显著大于内部融资依赖企业,因为外部融资依赖企业风险投资参与比例和持股比例较高,IPO后风险投资对企业创新的负影响显著,体现了IPO后企业高管和投资者在市场短期盈利压力的“短视”行为。这为科创板市场弱化短期盈利的监管以强化企业持续创新的动力提供了经验证据。     

Technological collaboration in product innovation: The role of market competition and sectoral technological intensity

Drawing on the strategic alliances and innovation literature, this study proposes that the impact of technological collaboration on product innovation is contingent on market competition and sectoral technology characteristics. Specifically, it argues that the generally observed positive effect of technological collaboration on product innovation may be diluted in highly competitive markets, and the interactive effect of technological collaboration and market competition on product innovation will be further moderated by sectoral technological intensity. Data on the product innovation and technological collaboration of 944 Chinese firms across five manufacturing sectors provide robust support for the contingent effects of technological collaboration on product innovation.     

Self-employment and innovation. Exploring the determinants of innovative behavior in small businesses

This paper explores the determinants of innovation in small businesses from a survey of more than 700 self-employed workers in Andalusia (Spain). Self-employed people running businesses with and without employees were included in the study and two types of innovation - product and process innovation - were differentiated.The theoretical framework adopted distinguishes between three levels of factors affecting the innovative activities of the self-employed: (1) the personal characteristics of the self-employed - such as their motivations and their educational and professional background. (2) The organization characteristics - such as the sector, the number of employees, the dependence on suppliers or clients and the management styles. (3) The characteristics of the external environment.Education appears as a key factor whose impact on innovation comes through two main sources: its effect on self-employed motivations and its influence on the management style of small businesses. Also previous experience as an employee and the comparative level of income in the area where the business is located are shown to be influential factors explaining innovation. Though firm size favors innovation, it does not play a determining role. Furthermore, results show significant differences between the factors explaining product and process innovation. The determinants for innovation in small businesses also vary substantially across sectors.     

Exploiting technological opportunities: the timing of collaborations

High-technology companies that discover new technological opportunities face two critical decisions: whether and when to collaborate in exploiting these opportunities. Prior research has examined factors such as transaction costs that determine whether firms decide to collaborate. In this study, we aim to understand when firms collaborate in exploiting opportunities. To this end we study the history of 86 biopharmaceutical product-development projects. We find that factors that reduce articulation and appropriation uncertainties in these projects—patent protection, high R&D intensity of the discoverer, partners’ prior collaboration experience, and support infrastructures in the industry—can speed up collaboration. Interestingly, project-specific factors do not seem to affect timing.     

Persistence of innovation and patterns of firm growth

In this work we exploit a long-in-time panel of Spanish manufacturing firms observed during the period 1990–2012 to examine the long-run contribution of innovation persistence to sales growth and market share dynamics. We examine two main research questions. First, do persistent innovators grow more than other firms? Second, do persistent innovators show more persistent growth patterns over time compared to other firms? We find negative answers to both questions: firms that persistently innovate over the first decade, do not grow more and do not display more persistent growth dynamics in the succeeding years, regardless of whether innovation persistence is defined in terms of R&D, patenting activity, or product or process innovation. These findings lend support to luck and random theories of firm growth, in turn challenging innovation persistence theories commonly suggesting that persistent innovators enjoy large and sustained comparative advantages.     

如何建立有效的界面——关于技术创新界面管理的探讨

技术创新的界面管理得出了一些新的管理问题 ,本文主要研究分析了界面管理的原则 ,从组织技术与环境、组织模式与安排、观念与组织文化等三个层次阐述界面管理的条件 ,分析了与界面管理相关的问题     

Innovation paths and the innovation performance of low-technology firms—An empirical analysis of German industry

This paper analyses innovation paths and the innovation performance of low-technology firms in comparison to medium- and high-technology firms. Firstly, it shows that low-, medium- and high-technology sectors consist of a considerable mix of low-, medium- and high-technology firms. Thus, it is necessary to look at the firm level when analysing how innovation patterns differ depending on the level of R&D intensity. Secondly, the product and process innovation performance of low-technology firms in German industry is analysed based on data from 1663 firms in the German Manufacturing Survey 2006, applying a set of both product and process related innovation output indicators. The empirical results show that low-technology manufacturing firms lag behind their medium- and high-tech counterparts regarding their product and service innovation performance, to a large degree on purely definitional grounds, but that they seem to perform equally well and in some respects even better at process innovation.     

协同创新能力评价指标体系构建——基于国家重点实验室的实证研究

解析了国家重点实验室协同创新能力的内涵与要素,梳理出协同创新能力的测量指标。通过德尔菲法、隶属度分析、相关分析和信度效度检验对指标进行甄别筛选,构建了国家重点实验室协同创新能力评价指标体系,采用模糊层次分析法确定了各级指标权重。选取化学领域的26个国家重点实验室作为协同创新能力评价的实证对象,对其协同创新能力进行模糊综合评价,对评价指标体系进行了验证。     

技术创新与中小企业可持续发展

文章对中小企业技术创新可持续发展的内涵进行界定,分析技术创新促进中小企业可持续发展的原因,以创新作为驱动力,提出促进企业可持续发展的措施;政府机构应该加强可持续发展和技术创新的重要性的意识。     

Technological innovation in services and manufacturing: results from Italian surveys

This paper provides fresh empirical evidence on technological innovation in the service sector, and highlights major similarities and differences with manufacturing. The main findings are the following. Technological innovation is quite a diffused and variegated phenomenon in market services. Engineering, technical consultancy, computing and software emerge as the most innovative sectors. Innovation expenditure per employee in these industries is rather close to the manufacturing average. Service firms as well as the manufacturing ones rely on a wide range of innovation sources. The acquisition and development of software and investment in machinery are the most cited. Investment, R&D and software are the major components of firms' innovation expenditure. Both in services and manufacturing the most important objective of firms' innovation strategies consist of improving service/product quality, increasing market shares and reducing production costs. Major obstacles for introducing technological innovation in services, as well as in manufacturing, are of an economic nature—i.e. lack of appropriate sources of finance and cost of innovation too high. Technological information is drawn mainly from in-house production departments as well as from outside suppliers of equipment, clients and customers. Again this is a pattern which is quite similar to the one found in the manufacturing sector. Finally, in the near future the importance of technology for firms' performance is expected to increase in all service industries. Overall, service and manufacturing sectors show more similarities than differences with respect to some basic dimensions of innovation processes.     

金融创新的年龄依赖性:国家制度文化的视角

本文吸收组织生态学、组织学习理论和演化理论中关于年龄依赖性的观点,探究了组织年龄对金融创新的影响;更进一步地,以国家制度文化的视角,考察组织年龄在不同国家情境下的作用形态。本文的实证分析基于全球100多家期货交易所2000~2010年间的面板数据。结果表明,组织年龄与金融创新呈现U型关系;这种非线性关系在低经济管制、高不确定性规避的国家中更为显著。基于研究结果,本文提出促进我国金融机构发展,完善金融监管体系的建议。     

创新目标、信息来源与创新成功关系实证研究

由于企业自身知识和能力的局限性,创新搜索是其获得所需资源、推动创新发展的有效方式。现有研究表明,企业所采取的创新搜索策略会对其创新成果有显著的影响。采取开放式创新模式能够使企业接触到原本难以获得的资源,并对内部创新的驱动因素产生影响,促进创新的绩效。另外,对企业认知过程的研究也指出了创新搜索广度在消除其认知偏误方面的重要性。当面对创新风险带来的不确定性时,企业可以通过增加创新搜索的广度来有效应对。除了拥有多个创新目标之外,企业也可以通过增加创新信息来源数量来提升创新成功的可能性。本文以创新目标、信息来源与创新成功之间的关系为切入点,主要探讨了创新搜索广度对创新成功的影响程度,检验了创新搜索的"广种"效应。本研究主要回答以下三个问题:首先,企业的创新目标广度是否会提升其创新成功可能性?其次,企业的创新信息来源广度是否会提升其创新成功可能性?另外,创新搜索广度(包括创新目标广度与创新信息来源广度)与企业创新成功之间的关系是否会受到单一依赖性的影响?针对这三个问题,本文通过经济学与统计学相结合的理论分析建立了理论框架,并运用2008年中国企业创新调查数据进行了大样本(共包括30个制造业细分行业的870家企业信息)的实证分析,对创新搜索广度、创新信息来源广度对企业创新成功可能性的作用以及单一依赖性的影响进行了检验,发现并总结出关于我国制造业企业创新搜索"广种"效应的规律。研究发现:企业的创新目标广度与其创新成功可能性正向相关,即企业的创新目标越多,其创新成功可能性越大;企业的创新信息来源广度与其创新成功可能性正向相关,即企业的创新信息来源越多,其创新成功可能性越大;另外,企业的单一信息来源依赖性会负向调节信息来源广度对创新成功可能性的正向作用,但并不会完全抵消其正向影响。替换变量、分组回归等稳定性检验的结果进一步支持了本研究结论的正确性与可靠性。研究结论证明,我国制造业企业中创新搜索确实存在"广种"正效应,无论是增加创新目标还是扩展创新信息来源都对企业创新活动的成功有着显著的正向影响;同时,若企业对于少数创新信息来源依赖性过高,这种单一信息来源依赖性会削弱信息来源广度的正向作用,减小创新搜索的"广种"正效应。     

资源依赖与模块化交叉调节下的产学研用协同创新研究

本文关注的核心问题是：如何以用户需求为导向,构建有效的产学研用协同创新的模式和机制？围绕这一问题,桥接了资源依赖、模块化理论和协同创新理论,分析了在资源依赖和模块化的交叉调节下对于产学研用协同创新的影响关系。在此基础上,研究设计基于模块化的产学研用协同创新网络组织模型和模块化协调机制。结合案例验证发现：（1）在以模块为交互载体的产学研用协同创新网络组织中,资源依赖能够促进产学研各方的合作创新,而模块化既能改善资源过度依赖问题,还能担当创新需求方与供给侧的整合者;（2）模块化可以有效促进需求分析?模块创新?资源配置?组织协同的过渡,且利于确立产学研用协同创新重点和策略;（3）基于模块化的协调机制（规范性约束机制、延续性交互机制和架构调节机制）,有利于促进企业、大学、科研院所等创新主体之间知识交互和知识创新,有利于推动产学研用协同创新网络组织的持续运转。     

Collaborative networks and product innovation performance: Toward a contingency perspective

An increasing number of studies have examined the impact of collaborative networks on product innovation performance, but have produced inconsistent results. This research contributes to existing literature by examining how absorptive capacity affects the relationships between different types of partners and product innovation performance. The sample used in this research is drawn from the Taiwanese Technological Innovation Survey (TTIS) database. A moderated hierarchical regression approach is used to analyze the models, which are further explored by firm size and industry type. Some interesting findings appear. First, absorptive capacity positively moderates the impact of vertical collaboration on the performance of technologically new or improved products. Second, the effect of absorptive capacity on the relationship between supplier collaboration and the performance of new products with marginal changes varies based on firm size and industry type. Third, absorptive capacity negatively affects the relationship between customer collaboration and the performance of marginally changed products. Fourth, absorptive capacity positively affects the relationship between competitor collaboration and the performance of new products with marginal changes for large firms. Fifth, absorptive capacity negatively affects the relationship between collaboration with research organizations and the performance of technologically new or improved products. On the contrary, absorptive capacity positively affects the impact of collaboration with research organizations on the performance of marginally changed products. These results enrich current understanding of the relationships between collaborative networks and product innovation performance.     

Managing open incremental process innovation: Absorptive Capacity and distributed learning

In this conceptual article, we extend earlier work on Open Innovation and Absorptive Capacity. We suggest that the literature on Absorptive Capacity does not place sufficient emphasis on distributed knowledge and learning or on the application of innovative knowledge. To accomplish physical transformations, organisations need specific Innovative Capacities that extend beyond knowledge management. Accessive Capacity is the ability to collect, sort and analyse knowledge from both internal and external sources. Adaptive Capacity is needed to ensure that new pieces of equipment are suitable for the organisation's own purposes even though they may have been originally developed for other uses. Integrative Capacity makes it possible for a new or modified piece of equipment to be fitted into an existing production process with a minimum of inessential and expensive adjustment elsewhere in the process. These Innovative Capacities are controlled and coordinated by Innovative Management Capacity, a higher-order dynamic capability.