Cooperation for innovation: more is not necessarily merrier

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Serdal Temel ◽  
Anne-Laure Mention ◽  
Alp Eren Yurtseven

PurposeEmbracing a large set of innovation objectives and collaborating with diverse partners have been promoted as a means to improve innovation performance. However, empirical evidence on the relationships between breadth of objectives, breadth of cooperation and innovation performance is limited, particularly in the context of emerging economies. A larger number of objectives and cooperation partners inevitably increases the complexity in organizational alignment, and cooperation eventually leads to diminishing returns. This study adds to the debate on the costs and benefits of cooperation for innovation. Understanding the optimal levels of the breadth of objectives and cooperation supports managerial decision-making and productivity in the practice of cooperation for innovation.Design/methodology/approachOperationalizing breadth of innovation objectives and cooperation via the Turkish Community Innovation Survey data, self-reports reflecting 5,863 firm-level responses between 2006 and 2008 are analysed using tobit and probit models. The maximum likelihood estimator is used to find the optimal levels for breadth of objectives and cooperation.FindingsFirms with greater breadth of innovation objectives experience higher innovation performance; those with greater breadth of cooperation also experience higher innovation performance, but our results indicate the existence of optimal levels of breadth for both innovation objectives and cooperation.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors extend the logic that there is no safety in numbers in cooperation for innovation. If the aim is to enhance innovation performance, managers and policymakers need to pay attention to the number of innovation objectives and the amount of cooperation pursued by firms. However, innovation success may be closely associated with a firm's dynamic capabilities and ability to mobilize its resources. Drawing on organizational learning theories, future research could explore why a lower than maximum level of cooperation may be more conducive to reaching levels of enhanced innovation performance and whether this level is influenced by cognitive processes.Originality/valueThe authors draw attention to the ideal number of innovation objectives and number of cooperating partners required to enhance innovation performance, thus contributing to the debate on the complex relationships between innovation, performance and cooperation in the unique setting of a large developing economy.

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vijita S. Aggarwal ◽  
Madhavi Kapoor

PurposeThe study purports at investigating the effect of organizational factors (strategy, culture, information technology and structure) on knowledge transfer and innovation performance in the context of Indian International joint ventures (IJVs) of varied ages and industries. All the variables are woven together in the framework of dynamic capabilities theory.Design/methodology/approachPLS-SEM was used to analyze the primary data collected from IJVs. The disjoint two-stage approach was applied to check the mediation in the model. The multigroup technique was deployed to test group-differences in the sample.FindingsThe four organizational factors, combined as a construct, are seen to have a positive impact on knowledge transfer, which facilitates innovation performance. But mediation analysis revealed the insignificant indirect relationship of organizational factors with innovation through knowledge transfer for the total sample. In-depth group analysis revealed that these results differ between young and mature IJVs and knowledge-intensive and non-knowledge intensive industries.Research limitations/implicationsThe number of organizational factors is limited to four, which can be further increased. Longitudinal studies for investigating the formation of dynamic capabilities can be the future research direction.Originality/valueThe research has provided hierarchical analysis for organizational factors, knowledge transfer and innovation performance with multigroup industrial and age-wise analysis of Indian IJVs, which is still unplumbed in international business literature.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luz María Marín-Vinuesa ◽  
Pilar Portillo-Tarragona ◽  
Sabina Scarpellini

PurposeThis study aims to define and measure the capabilities applied by firms to waste-related patents and their relations with the businesses economic performance to support decision-making towards a circular economy (CE).Design/methodology/approachA model of cause-and-effect relationships between firms' waste-related patents and the firm' capabilities was defined within the dynamic capabilities' theoretical framework. Empirical results were obtained by applying partial least squares structural equation modelling to a sample of 2,216 Spanish firms that hold 120,406 patents.FindingsResults revealed the importance of the innovation capabilities of firms related to patenting, such as collaborative innovation, persistence in patenting or the capabilities to collaborate with research institutes, as drivers of level of waste patents to improve the businesses economic performance.Research limitations/implicationsThe systemic nature of the CE at the firm level suggests future research focused on the environmental divergence that appears when the innovation on waste fall outside the regular domain of its industry. Another topic to be investigated is related to the full text of patents that could improve the results of this study.Practical implicationsThe definition of indicators to measure investments in the CE is complex, but it is necessary to assess progress in the closing of material loops at a micro level and to report the investments in waste-related patents in a circular model to the stakeholders involved in the economic management of the company.Originality/valueMeasuring CE-related patents and the specific capabilities needed for patenting in a circular framework is an understudied topic, and this study opens a specific line of inquiry enhancing the knowledge of CE within the dynamic capabilities' theoretical framework.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mari O' Connor ◽  
Justin Doran ◽  
Nóirín McCarthy

PurposeThis paper combines the concepts of search depth and cognitive proximity to investigate the impact of intense collaboration with different external agents on firms' innovation performance. It empirically tests whether firms that draw deeply on cognitively proximate collaborative partners are more innovative than those collaborating intensively with cognitively distant partners. It explores whether the impact of each external agent is equally important in determining the innovation output of firms.Design/methodology/approachUsing data from the Irish Community Innovation Survey 2012–2014, this paper employs a probit model to empirically test the impact of collaboration with cognitively proximate and distant sources of external knowledge to establish whether their impact on innovation performance is uniform.FindingsThe results show that not all collaborators equally impact firm innovation performance. Firms who indicate that knowledge sourced from backward linkages with suppliers is highly important are more likely to engage in both product and process innovation, with the effect more pronounced for the former. The extent of this is greatest for backward linkages compared to forward, horizontal and public linkages. Public linkages have the weakest impact on innovation output which raises questions from a policy perspective given the focus on university–industry collaboration for innovation. The findings indicate that collaboration with cognitively proximate sources of knowledge benefits firms' innovation output.Originality/valueThe study provides empirical evidence on the role of intense collaboration with cognitively proximate and distant external knowledge sources to explore their impact on the subsequent innovation performance of firms. The results can be used to help shape firm-level innovation policy, and indeed national policy, to promote innovation performance.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mandana Farzaneh ◽  
Peivand Ghasemzadeh ◽  
Jamal A. Nazari ◽  
Gholamhossein Mehralian

PurposeThe direct impact of organizational learning (OL) on organizational performance has been studied over the past two decades. However, how OL contributes to organizational innovation still remains under-researched. Based on the knowledge-based view of the firm and dynamic capability theory, we developed a theoretical framework in order to empirically examine how OL offers organizations the essential tools for creating dynamic capabilities (DCs), which pave the way for innovation performance (IP).Design/methodology/approachThe authors apply a time-lagged, multisource and survey-based research designed to test the proposed model in the pharmaceutical industry where knowledge is a source of innovation. The data collected from companies operating in such an industry were analyzed by utilizing hierarchical regression analysis to explore how OL could lead to IP through DC.FindingsThe results indicated that OL is positively, significantly associated with DCs, as well as its dimensions of learning, integrating and reconfiguring capabilities. The findings showed that these capabilities are significant predictors of innovation performance. In addition, the findings revealed that innovation culture significantly moderates the relationship between DCs and innovation performance.Originality/valueBy dedicating more time and resources, managers can reinforce dynamic capabilities as a strategic tool to generate new knowledge and distribute it across the organization, which can go a long way toward boosting innovation performance in the pharmaceutical industry. This study offers researchers and practitioners invaluable insights into how effective OL can enhance firm-level innovation performance through dynamic capabilities.


2014 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 368-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lidija Breznik ◽  
Robert D. Hisrich

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into the relationship between dynamic capabilities and innovation capabilities. It links dynamic capability with innovation capability and indicates the ways they can be related. Design/methodology/approach – The relationships between dynamic and innovation capability were investigated through a systematic literature review. Findings – The review indicates that common characteristics exist between of the both fields, which demonstrate six relationships. Additionally, findings show some inconsistencies and even contradictions. Originality/value – In this paper, the authors have compared dynamic capabilities, a relatively new approach in the field of strategic management, with innovation capabilities, a widely recognised crucial domain for sustained competitiveness. Since both areas address issues that are essential to today's environment, future research should seek to clarify both concepts, by undertaking some new research and developing comprehensive and unambiguous framework.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Madhavi Kapoor ◽  
Vijita Aggarwal

Purpose This study aims to investigate the relationship among knowledge transfer enablers, knowledge transfer process, absorptive capacity and innovation performance in the context of Indian international joint ventures (IJVs). These elements are woven with the thread of dynamic capabilities theory (DCT) into an integrated framework. Design/methodology/approach Data analysis is conducted on a quantitative survey of 196 IJVs with partial least squares structural equation modeling as the statistical technique. Findings Co-learning strategy, collaborative trust culture, information technology-based resources and systems and organizational structural design are found to be significant knowledge transfer enablers. Absorptive capacity has a complementary partial mediation effect on the positive relationship between knowledge transfer and innovation performance of Indian IJVs. Research limitations/implications The study has pioneered in explicating the criticality of IJV’s internal dynamics to cope with the global market dynamism in a much needed Indian context. Practitioners must focus on building dynamic capabilities in IJVs to make them sustainably competitive, as proposed and evaluated by this study. Further, IJV managers need to strategize their resources, routines and structure dynamically to foster knowledge transfer and innovativeness. Originality/value The comprehensive model on DCT offered by this study is rare to match in literature with a completely new context, which is the need of the hour.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Raposo ◽  
Cristina I. Fernandes ◽  
Pedro M. Veiga

PurposeResearch into the relationship between entrepreneurial ecosystems and sustainability has deepened in terms of both quantity and quality even while still remaining a fragmented and divergent field. Hence, the purpose of this study is to put forward empirical evidence to advance the literature on the relationship between entrepreneurial ecosystems and sustainability. To this end, the authors furthermore identify and highlight a future research agenda.Design/methodology/approachThe source of the empirical analysis in this article stems from the Community Innovation Survey, the leading statistical inquiry of innovation in companies carried out by Eurostat based upon the conceptual framework set out in the Oslo Manual. For modelling the variables, the authors applied binary regression based on logistic distribution.FindingsThe results of the research demonstrated how all of the variables considered for entrepreneurial ecosystems (co-operation with suppliers, co-operation with clients or customers, co-operation with universities; co-operation with government, public or private research institutes) return positive impacts on national sustainabilityResearch limitations/implicationsDespite the data spanning only the nine countries in the database, the results enable insights into the theory as the results serve to strengthen already existing considerations on the positive effects of entrepreneurial ecosystems for the sustainability of countries.Practical implicationsThe results of the research may generate important implications for company policy formulation. The identification of the relevance of the different actors in entrepreneurial ecosystems and their impact on sustainability may assist firms and policymakers to identify the leading actors and the resources necessary to sustaining their activities and thereby correspondingly establishing their priorities.Originality/valueThe research (1) both deepens the prevailing knowledge on this theme and fills a gap encountered in the existing literature; (2) in practical terms, for managers, entrepreneurs and politicians to better grasp how entrepreneurship constitutes a systemic phenomenon and these systems require approaching in terms of their impacts and greater contributions to obtaining sustainability.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sascha Raithel ◽  
Alexander Mafael ◽  
Stefan J. Hock

Purpose There is limited insight concerning a firm’s remedy choice after a product recall. This study aims to propose that failure severity and brand equity are key antecedents of remedy choice and provides empirical evidence for a non-linear relationship between pre-recall brand equity and the firm’s remedy offer that is moderated by severity. Design/methodology/approach This study uses field data for 159 product recalls from 60 brands between January 2008 to February 2020 to estimate a probit model of the effects of failure severity, pre-recall brand equity and remedy choice. Findings Firms with higher and lower pre-recall brand equity are less likely to offer full (vs partial) remedy compared to medium level pre-recall brand equity firms. Failure severity moderates this relationship positively, i.e. firms with low and high brand equity are more sensitive to failure severity and then select full instead of partial remedy. Research limitations/implications This research reconciles contradictory arguments and research results about failure severity as an antecedent of remedy choice by introducing brand equity as another key variable. Future research could examine the psychological process of managerial decision-making through experiments. Practical implications This study increases the awareness of the importance of remedy choice during product-harm crises and can help firms and regulators to better understand managerial decision-making mechanisms (and fallacies) during a product-harm crisis. Originality/value This study theoretically and empirically advances the limited literature on managerial decision-making in response to product recalls.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin P. Dean

PurposeThis inquiry aims to determine the features and mechanisms that specially enable a multiteam system (MTS) to develop ambidexterity that can deal effectively with rapid changes in dynamic environments. The MTS is an emerging organizational unit comprised of tightly integrated networks of teams that may originate from one or more firms. The inquiry also considered how an MTS can engage those features and mechanisms to maximize ambidexterity as dynamic capabilities for increased innovation and long-term adaptation under complex, volatile conditions.Design/methodology/approachThis conceptual inquiry integrates the emerging research on MTSs with theory and studies relating to ambidexterity and dynamic capabilities. This inquiry focuses on the attributes and linkages that specially characterize an MTS. It analyzes these to determine the key mechanisms and interactions enabling and engaging ambidexterity at MTS unit level.FindingsMTSs can engage powerful mechanisms for ambidexterity functioning as dynamic capabilities at meso-organizational level. The attributes and linkages that distinguish an MTS from other units enable it to deal effectively and efficiently with near-term task demands by simultaneously balancing the essential tasks of exploration and exploitation, and by being able to rapidly adapt by reconfiguring taskwork and reallocating resources as required for sustainable innovation and long-term success within a dynamic environment.Practical implicationsThis inquiry provides valuable insights for designing MTSs that are equipped with selected teams, flexible memberships, specialized skills and permeable interfaces. Autonomy for an MTS allows the unit to span internal and external organizational boundaries to gain access to new discoveries and to exchange information and material resources for increased innovation. Ambidexterity as dynamic capabilities facilitates exploitation of current resources by efficiently reconfiguring taskwork and reallocating materials for adaptation and competitive advantage.Originality/valueThis inquiry appears to represent the most integrative effort to examine the underexplored potential of MTSs for developing and engaging ambidexterity functioning as dynamic capabilities. The inquiry appears to be a first effort at articulating a concept of MTS ambidexterity distinct from organizational ambidexterity. The analysis synthesizes a systems model that guides organizational leaders and opens new opportunities for future research.


2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 337-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Tattara

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the process of capability building at subsidiary level and the forces preventing such process. The paper discusses and tests three propositions governing this process. Design/methodology/approach This research is based on multiple case studies. A case study research is most useful when addressing issues about which little prior theory has been developed or empirical evidence collected. Findings Subsidiaries in Asia operate in a way substantially different from those in the West. Specifically what ways do market specificities in Asian economies serve to either inhibit or positively encourage the development of a subsidiary? What are the circumstances which could induce subsidiaries to outsource production? Research limitations/implications Future research should explore the regional effect on MNE subsidiary types and different flexibilities exhibited in the value chain. What are the specific aspects (macro and micro) that explain variations of business strategies at subsidiary levelboth over time and between countries? Practical implications Multinational enterprises (MNEs) should be aware of the strong potential for capability development at the subsidiary level. This increased awareness ought to induce consideration in MNEs about how best to encourage such know capability development and how to leverage these capabilities for a better MNE performance. Social implications Managers who knew the host country languages and culture, and have outward-looking attitudes, are in advantageous positions to learn about new opportunities. Originality/value The paper offers empirical insights into the state and drivers of subsidiary performance in Asia. Specifically it shows how neglect of external conditions can act to open people’s eyes and foster a capability-building process within subsidiaries.


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