Knowledge Transfer, Knowledge Search And Organizational Learning Performance Relationship

Since 1980s,with rapid development of modern technologies(e.g.,information technology,computer technology,network technology and so on),foreign direct investment and international trade,the international industries transfer and manufacturing globalization have been sped up.Enterprises all over the world are increasing inclined to intentionally select different biggest value-added node in industrial value chain according to their own competitive advantage to participate into international division and cooperation,therefore an innovative,worldwide production network—global production network(GPN)has been shaping up(Shi & Gregory, 1998;Colotla,Shi & Gregory,2003;Ernst & Guerrieri,1998;Shi & Gregory,2005). With developments of the global production network,Chinese local enterprises have great opportunities to carry out knowledge search and to enhance knowledge learning through interaction with global production flagship(GPF),which is very important for Chinese local enterprises(CLE) to enhance their organizational learning performance and to further promote their sustainable development.So,under the background of global production network it has great necessity and importance for us to conduct this topic--"The occurred knowledge transfer how to affect Chinese local enterprises' knowledge search and organizational learning performance along with the alliance and cooperation with GPF in global production network".Along with this basic question we begin with this study,firstly it is deeply analyzed about the question and forms three sub-questions,namely along with the alliance and cooperation with GPF in global production network,(1) how the effect of the local enterprises' knowledge search on the organizational learing performance from the GPF;(2) how the effect of the knowledge transfer form the GPF to the local enterprises on the knowledge search(namely through the mediating effect of knowledge search)and sequently organizational learing performance;(3) how to choose the appropriate alliance governance models for the local enterprises to strength the moderating effect of the knowledge transfer to the organizational learning performance.Then we systemicly retrospect and curbs the relevant researches involved with global production network,knowledge transfer,knowledge search, alliance governance mode,organizational learning theories.Based on reviewing the relevant theories and deeply pondering the basic question of this study we construct the frame of this analysis;Next we construct the whole frame of this study and form the three sub-questions corresponding to the three branches models of this study, which involves following research processes:questionnaire design,data collection, variable measurement,assessment of reliability and validity,multivariable regression, result statement and discussion,we settle the basic question and the three sub-questions.At last,this study uses the structural equation model to test the whole research model including analyzing and testing the direct effect of knowledge transfer on organizational learning performance and the knowledge search in this model,the direct effect of knowledge search on organizational learning performance,and the indirect effect of knowledge transfer on organizational learning performance through the mediating effect of knowledge search.Furthermore,based on the testing of the whole research model,we develop the confirmable cast study and answer the basic question.Through the analysis and test of the basic questions put forward by this article, we come to the sequent conclusions:(1)This study hypothesises and tests the effect of knowledge transfer to learning performance.The determinents of knowledge transfer between GPF and Chinese local enterprises in global production network are categoried into the GPF properties of knowledge,the GPF intents of knowledge transfer,the CLE learning capacity,the CLE learning attitude and the CLE organizational learning culture.In addition we study the effect of these determinents on the organizational learning performance.The findings indicate that the properties of knowledge negatively affect CLE organizational learning performance;the higher the extent of complexity,proprietary, frontal and tacitness along with cooperation and communication with GPF,the more difficult CLE learn about the knowledge of GPF,the more disadvantage to increase the learning performance of organization.CLE learning attitude has no significant effect on its learning performance in the test of full model,but in partial model CLE learning attitude has a positive and significant effect and it indicates that affected by all other factors in the full model,the direct positive effect of CLE learning attitude on CLE organizational learning performance has been completely lessened.The GPF intents of knowledge transfer,CLE organizational learning culture both have positive and significant effect on the CLE organizational learning performance,especially the CLE organizational learning culture has a decisive and positive effect on the CLE organizational learning performance.Along with cooperation and communication with GPF,taking more effects to enhance the GPF intents of knowledge transfer and optimize the CLE organizational learning culture will substantially improve the CLE organizational learning performance.(2)This study distinguishes knowledge search into breadth of searching and depth of searching then hypothesises and tests the relationship between them and the effect of them to organizational learning performance.The findings show that the CLE breadth of searching has a positive and significant effect on the CLE organizational learning performance.CLE can augment the GPF channels of knowledge search and communication,and enlarge the scope the knowledge search, search more GPF knowledge in order to improve the learning performance;The CLE depth of searching also has a positive and significant effect on CLE organizational learning performance,and the increasing of CLE depth of knowledge search will improve the organizational learning performance more.In addition,besides of possiblely increasing the knowledge search and channels of communication,CLE also should concentrately and intensely use the effective knowledge search and channels of communication,and hugely improve the refined intensity of the GPF searching knowledge and utilize the intensity to improve the organizational learning performance;There is a positive relationship between the breadth of knowledge search and depth of knowledge search.Not having touched with the line of constraint of internal resources in CLE,they improve the breadth of knowledge not at the expense of the depth of knowledge search,or only to improve the breath or depth respectively,and this often increases the amount of resources while it adopts the strategy which improves the breath and depth of knowledge search simultaneously from GPF to perform knowledge search attaining to enhance the organizational learning performance.(3)This study also hypothesises and tests the effect of knowledge transfer on the knowledge search.The findings show that the GPF properties of knowledge have a negative and significant effect on the breath and depth of GPF knowledge search,the higher the extent of complexity,proprietary,frontal and tacitness the GPF knowledge, the more difficult for CLE to search knowledge broadly and deeply;The CLE learning capacity has a positive and significant effect on the breadth of CLE knowledge search and has nonsignificant effect on the depth of CLE knowledge search.This indicates the inferiority of CLE learning capacity presently,CLE has difficult with processing deeply searching of knowledge toGPF,but facilitates CLE to explore,search and acquire the superficial knowledge about research and development,manufacturing,marketing of GPF.The GPF intents of knowledge transfer and the CLE learning capacity both have on significant effect the breadth of CLE knowledge search,but both have a positive effect on the depth of CLE knowledge search,namely among the alliance and cooperation with CLE and GPF,it makes effort to improve the GPF intents of knowledge transfer and vigorously improve the CLE learning attitude,these can strength the searching of knowledge deeply from CLE to GPF;The CLE organizational learning culture has a positive and significant effect on the breadth and depth of CLE knowledge search,increasingly optimizes the organizational learning culture,and hugely facilitates the knowledge search broadly and deeply from CLE to GPF.(4)Based on the above conclusions,this study further analysises the mediating effect of knowledge search between knowledge transfer and organizational learning performance indirectly.These findings indicate that knowledge search plays a mediating effect of knowledge transfer on organizational learning performance.That is to say,the GPF properties of knowledge has a mediating effect on organizational learning performance indirectly and positively,not only via the breadth of CLE knowledge search,but also via the depth of CLE knowledge search;While the CLE learning capacity only via the mediating effect of the breadth of CLE knowledge search has a indirectly and positively affected the CLE organizational learning performance;The GPF intents of knowledge transfer and the CLE learning attitude both via the mediating effect of the depth of CLE knowledge search have a indirectly and positively affected the CLE organizational learning performance.(5)At the same time,this study also hypothesises and tests the moderating effect of the alliance governance mode between the knowledge transfer and the resulting influence of organizational learning performance.These findings indicate that the alliance governance mode in itself has no significant effect on organizational learning performance,nevertheless it plays a moderating effect between the knowledge transfer and the resulting influence of organizational learning performance.It shows that it play a positive moderating effect between the GPF properties of knowledge and the CLE organizational learning performance.In cooperating and being alliance with GPF,CLE choosing the closer alliance governance mode will further lessen the role of the negative effect of GPF properties of knowledge on the CLE organizational learning performance,namely lessening the disadvantage effect of the GPF properties of knowledge on improving the CLE organizational learning performance;The alliance governance mode all plays negative moderating effect between the GPF intents of knowledge transfer and the CLE organizational learning performance,the CLE learning attitude and the CLE organizational learning performance,and the CLE organizational learning culture and the CLE organizational learning performance.In cooperating and being alliance with GPF,CLE choosing the closer alliance governance mode will lessen the facilitating their enhanceing the CLE organizational learning performance role.Thus,under a good learning attitude and organizational learning culture in CLE and a intense intent of knowledge transfer with GPF,it is not appropriate for CLE to choose a close,on the contrary,to choose a loose alliance governance mode to improve the organizational learning performance with GPF alliance and cooperating;The alliance governance mode plays a positive moderating effect between the CLE learning capacity and the CLE organizational learning performance,namely when the CLE learning capacity is weak(or strong),it is appropriate to choose a close(or loost) alliance governance mode with GPF alliance and cooperating in order to improve the CLE organizational learning performance.(6)In addition,this study tests the effect of control factors placing on organizational learning performance.The findings indicate that the size of firm,the property of industry,and the time of alliance and cooperation all have no significant effect on the CLE organizational learning performance.At present the cooperating time between CLE and GPF is prevalent short(as it is showed on the descriptive statistics of sampling on the total tablet 3.2 and the age of alliance and cooperation), while the CLE size of firm and the property of industry are hard to change,namely they are both as uncontrolled factors,it makes them have no significant effect on the CLE organizational learning performance.As to CLE it is difficult to improve the organizational learning performance by trying to change its size,the property of industry and the age of alliance and cooperation with GPF.The important findings concluded from above analysis have some important instructional implication.It can provide the corresponding policy guidance for Chinese local enterprises to enhance their organizational learning performance,and at the same time,based on the knowledge search and acquisition of developing countries this study complementaries and enriches the relevant theory of organizational learning among the alliance and cooperation with GPF in global production network Under the background of global production network the relevant researches have been an interesting and hotted point,and this study only has a preliminarily empirical research about knowledge transfer,knowledge search and organizational learning in this network.In future study,we will continuously enrich this topic combining with the research development of the relevant theories at home and broad and Chinese local enterprises' practical circumstances.