A Study On Firm's Core Rigidities In The Perspective Of Complex Adaptive System

Core rigidities are becoming to invite popular attentions of scholars and practitioners worldwide. Previous studies on core rigidities tended to regard the organization as a system of balance. The theory of Complex Adaptive System (CAS), however, believes the organization is a system of far away from the balance, at the edge of chaos, thus offering a new perspective for exploring core rigidities. Therefore, based on CAS theory and by means of literature research, statistical analysis, expert appraisal, mathematical modeling and deduction, this dissertation initially put forward an evolution mechanism model for core rigidities. Furthermore, this dissertation constructed a set of measurement index system for core rigidities in the view of the shadow system's supports for the legal system. Also, grey target theory was applied into the analysis of data colleted from 4 high-tech firms. Finally, to surpass the core rigidities is discussed from two aspects: one is to control parameters affecting the organization to enter innovative space; the other is to emphasize the leaders'role. Main arguments were achieved as following: 1)The mechanism of evolution of core rigidities. The evolution mechanism model for core rigidities indicated that, the dynamic of core rigidities rooted from the interaction between the legitimate system and the shadow system. Controlling parameters (information flow speed, members diversity, members contact and anxiety repression) are the conditions of evolution. Once parameters reach the critical value, the shadow system is attempting to subvert the legal one. Thus, the organization enters the creative space from the stable zone. In case the shadow system is able to implement double-loop study, new core rigidities will emerge, that the old one is surpassed and the organization enter the higher level stable zone, where the shadow system supports the legitimate system tightly, reinforcing new core rigidities. Otherwise, the organization will collapse when it enters the chaos zone from the creative space. Along with the controlling parameters'changing, core rigidities will encounter spiral ascendance evolution. 2) The estimation of core rigidities. Applying grey target theory into analyzing the four high-tech firms'core rigidities, We found that the shadow system's support for human resources sub-system , culture sub-system, and organizational structure sub-system has significant influence on the high-tech firm's core rigidities, while the shadow system's support for strategy sub-system, assets sub-system and technology sub-system has not. 3) The relations between control parameters of creative space and the firm's innovation performance. The results of empirical study about 146 firms has showed the firm could enter creative space by independently adjusting every one of the values of four controlling parameters, namely, information flow rate, diversity of group members, linking degree and anxiety-restraining level, to the critical point, that is, the four control parameters alone has significant positive relations with product innovation and process innovation. But when the four control parameters were adjusted simultaneously, the result showed that anxiety-restraining level and diversity of group members have significant positive relations with product innovation, while anxiety-restraining level has significant positive relations with process innovation and information flow rate has fair. 4) The tactics of leader in order to surpass core rigidities. The two-phase leadership model indicated that leaders not only put popular management in practice and restrained anxiety, but also must take measures to influence control parameters to make the organization enter the creative space as quickly as possible in the first phase, and in the second phase, should simulate and contribute to double-loops study.