Intra-Firm Network,Knowledge Search And Exploratory Innovation Performance

Exploratory innovation is process of learning and utilizing new technology to foster continuous competitive advantage.Firm needs to relentlessly foster exploratory innovation capacity,form core technological advantage,elevate innovation and competitive capacity,and cope with dynamic market environment.Due to the internal complexity and unique technological difficulty of exploratory innovation,firm cannot rely on itself or temporary simple cooperation,while needs to construct internal collaboration network among inventors to elevate its capacity to conduct complex innovation activities as well as the promote agility when facing fast developing technological environment.In the meanwhile,domestic and foreign practice of exploratory innovation process proves that knowledge is the origin and basis of firm exploratory innovation strategy.Firm faces the challenge of how to find the valuable knowledge from the vast sea of knowledge and avoid entering competency trap through constructing intra-firm network with a high level of adaptability and flexibility.However,present studies on the relation between intra-firm network and exploratory innovation performance mostly take a static view,while has not illustrated on the dynamic feature of intrafirm network.Also,few studies focus on the mediation effect of knowledge search in the relation between intra-firm network and exploratory innovation performance.Based on organizational learning theory,social network theory and re-combinative search theory,this research views knowledge search as the intermediate element of intra-firm network to exploratory innovation,details four dimensions of knowledge search scope and knowledge search rhythm based on technological content,and explains the mechanism of how the static structure and dynamic feature of intra-firm network influences firm’s knowledge search and exploratory innovation performance.First,based on static structural feature identifies two network indices of clustering and average path-length,based on dynamic network feature identifies two network indices of dynamic triadic closure and inventor renewal,and examines the influence of intra-firm network clustering,intra-firm network average path-length,intrafirm network dynamic triadic closure and intra-firm network inventor renewal on firm’s exploratory innovation performance.Then,analyzes the effect of intra-firm network clustering and average path-length on firm knowledge search breadth and knowledge search depth as well as the effect of intra-firm network dynamic triadic closure ad inventor renewal on firm new knowledge search rhythm and existing knowledge search rhythm.Last,builds the theoretical model of ’internal network-knowledge search-exploratory innovation performance’,analyzes the mediation effect of firm knowledge search breadth and depth in the relation between intrafirm network clustering and firm exploratory innovation performance,and in the relation between intra-firm network average path-length and firm exploratory innovation performance respectively.Analyzes the mediation effect of firm new knowledge search rhythm and exiting knowledge search rhythm in the relation between intra-firm network dynamic triadic closure and firm exploratory innovation performance,and in the relation between intra-firm inventor renewal and firm exploratory innovation performance respectively.This research chooses 110 U.S.public biotechnology firms during 1998-2010 as research sample,and using OLS regression and negative binomial regression empirically analyzes the hypotheses.Based on empirical results draws on following conclusions.(1)Intra-firm network clustering has an inverted U-shape effect on firm exploratory innovation.Intra-firm network average path-length has an inverted U-shape effect on firm exploratory innovation.Intra-firm network dynamic triadic closure has a positive effect on firm exploratory innovation.Intra-firm network inventor renewal has an inverted U-shape effect on firm exploratory innovation.(2)Intra-firm network clustering has a positive effect on firm knowledge search breadth,and has an inverted U-shape effect on firm knowledge search depth.Intra-firm network average path-length has a positive effect on firm knowledge search breadth,and has an inverted U-shape effect on firm knowledge search depth.Intra-firm network dynamic triadic closure has a positive effect on regularity of firm new knowledge search rhythm,and has no significant effect on regularity of firm existing knowledge search rhythm.Intra-firm network inventor renewal has an inverted U-shape effect on regularity of firm new knowledge search rhythm,and has an inverted U-shape effect on regularity of firm existing knowledge search rhythm.(3)Knowledge search breadth has a partial mediation effect in the relation between intrafirm network clustering and firm exploratory innovation performance,and has a partial mediation effect in the relation between intra-firm network average path-length and firm exploratory innovation performance.Knowledge search depth has a partial mediation effect in the relation between intra-firm network clustering and firm exploratory innovation performance,and has a partial mediation effect in the relation between intra-firm network average path-length and firm exploratory innovation performance.New knowledge search rhythm has a full mediation effect in the relation between intra-firm network dynamic triadic closure and firm exploratory innovation performance,and has a partial mediation effect in the relation between intra-firm network inventor renewal and firm exploratory innovation performance.Existing knowledge search rhythm has a partial mediation effect in the relation between intra-firm network inventor renewal and firm exploratory innovation performance.