Research On The Relationship Between The Alliance Portfolio Network Characteristics,Organizational Learning And Enterprise Innovation Capability

Innovation has become an important driving force for the development of today's society,and also a key influencing factor for firms to win sustainable competitive advantages.The acceleration of technological iteration,creative destruction and explosive growth of knowledge increase the complexity and uncertainty of firm's innovation,it forces many firms to establish alliances with multiple partners at the same time and then build a self-centered alliance network to break through resource constraints and reduce innovation risks,thereby achieving continuous improvement of innovation capability.In fact,whether the innovation effect of alliance portfolio can be realized is affected by many factors,among which the characteristic of alliance portfolio network has the most complicated and uncertain influence on the innovation ability of focal enterprise.Therefore,it is crucial and important to build an alliance portfolio that is compatible with the enterprise's strategy and capability as well as the external environment of the organization for improving the enterprise's innovation ability.While the current academic research has drew the outline of the influence of the characteristic of alliance portfolio network characteristic on enterprise innovation,and to a certain extent,depicted the relationship between the node characteristic,relational characteristic and structural characteristic of alliance portfolio network and the enterprise innovation performance,but few existing research based on the multidimensional analysis framework of alliance portfolio network characteristic,and there is still a lack of in-depth research and clear conclusions on the process mechanism and the role scenarios of alliance portfolio network characteristic on enterprise innovation capability,and the research of the dynamic evolution relationship of alliance portfolio network characteristic and the enterprise innovation ability is also very scarce.Based on the practical and theoretical background,this paper establishes the research theme of " what kind of alliance portfolio should firms build to effectively improve its innovation capability".Around this theme,this dissertation discusses the following three basic questions in depth: First,how does alliance portfolio affect the firm's innovation capability? Second,how can firms build appropriate alliance portfolio in different situations to enhance innovation capability? Finally,how can firms adjust the alliance portfolio dynamically to improve innovation capability continuously?In view of the above research questions,based on Social Network Theory,Organizational Learning Theory,Contingency Theory and Dynamic Capability Theory,this dissertation constructing the triune analyzing configuration of alliance portfolio "partner diversity-tie strength-network size",establishing the theoretical assumption includes the intermediary effect model of organizational learning,regulatory effect model and system of environmental dynamism and technology-oriented strategy,using Structural Equation Method,Multiple Hierarchical Regression Method and Case Study Method to verify,and draw the following main research conclusions finally.(1)Alliance portfolio influences firm's innovation capability through organizational learning.The Structural Equation Modeling was used to analyze the questionnaire data of 169 firms,the empirical results show that exploratory learning and exploitative learning play an intermediary role in the process of alliance portfolio diversity,tie strength and network size affecting the focus firm's innovation capabilities.(2)The environmental dynamism and technology-oriented strategy play a regulatory role in the mechanism that alliance portfolio affects the organizational learning.Using Multiple Hierarchical Regression Modeling to analyze the questionnaire data of 169 firms,the empirical results show that the environmental dynamism positively regulates the relationship between partner diversity,tie strength and exploratory learning,while negatively regulates the relationship between partner diversity,network size and exploitative learning;the technology-oriented strategy positively regulates the relationship between partner diversity,network size and exploratory learning,and positively regulates the relationship between partner diversity,tie strength,network size and exploitative learning.(3)Dynamic matching of organizational learning balance and alliance portfolio characteristics can improve the firm's innovation capability continuously.Based on the research background of the new generation information technology firms in China,this dissertation analyzes the technology catching up process of Beijing Oriental Electronics(BOE)in the process of secondary innovation by using the vertical single case analysis method,and draws the research conclusion: In the process of secondary innovation,the focus firms follow the evolution of firm's alliance portfolio network from small scale,low degree of diversification,weak and strong alternating network to large scale,high degree of diversification and double network,dynamic coordination adjusting balance of organizational learning mode from the discrete equilibrium to type dual balance,achieve long-term organizational learning mixed ability of the balance will be conducive to the promotion and catch-up of innovation capability of late-developing firms.The theoretical contributions are as follows:(1)It reveals that organizational learning is the key way that the alliance portfolio network characteristics affect the innovation ability of enterprises,and to a certain extent,it effectively solves the problem of how to improve the innovation ability of enterprises in alliance portfolio.By revealing the process mechanism of alliance portfolio influencing firm innovation capability through organizational learning,it is clear that the development of organizational learning is the key path for firms to extract innovation value from the resources contained in the alliance portfolio.To a certain extent,it solves the question of how firms should improve innovation capability in alliance portfolios,promotes the in-depth research on the mechanism of technological innovation of firms through alliance portfolios,and also expands the research perspective of organizational learning theory.(2)Considering the situational effect of external environment and internal organization on the innovation effect of alliance portfolio,it is of great reference value for enterprises to construct effective alliance portfolio network and organization learning mode according to different environmental dynamics and technical strategy orientation.Clarify the regulatory effect of environmental dynamism and technology-oriented strategy on the impact of firm's alliance portfolio to organizational learning,which provides a comprehensive situational perspective for firms to effectively adjust alliance portfolio configuration to achieve corresponding organizational learning objectives and promote the improvement of technological innovation capability according to their external environmental characteristics and internal technology strategy,and enriches the theoretical research results of firms carry out technological innovation through alliance portfolio.(3)The dissertation reveals the co-evolution law of firm's alliance portfolio network characteristics,organizational learning and innovation capability,and provides a theoretical basis for enterprises to continuously improve their innovation ability through long-term dynamic adjustment of organizational learning balance mode and alliance portfolio network characteristics matching.The resources contained in the alliance portfolio will not be transformed into the firm's innovative capability automatically,the firms can effectively obtain the innovation value of network resources and ultimately provide inexhaustible power for the continuous improvement of innovation capability when they adjusts its organizational learning mode dynamically according to the characteristics of each analysis dimension of the alliance portfolio.Against the realistic background that most of China's firms belong to the late-developing firms and take the secondary innovation as the main innovation mode,this dissertation reveals the co-evolution law of firm's alliance portfolio,organizational learning and innovation capability in the dynamic process of secondary innovation and under the specific changes of external environment and technological strategic orientation,it will effectively guide firms to adjust the organizational learning mode dynamically according to the characteristics of alliance portfolio under the changing external and internal conditions,so as to promote the evolution of secondary innovation and the improvement of innovation capability continuously.This dissertation extends the research on the relationship between alliance portfolio and innovation capability vertically,and makes a useful supplement to the theory of alliance portfolio,organizational learning and technological innovation.