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Article
Publication date: 14 September 2023

Kangning Liu, Bon-Gang Hwang, Jianyao Jia, Qingpeng Man and Shoujian Zhang

Informal learning networks are critical to response to calls for practitioners to reskill and upskill in off-site construction projects. With the transition to the coronavirus…

Abstract

Purpose

Informal learning networks are critical to response to calls for practitioners to reskill and upskill in off-site construction projects. With the transition to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, social media-enabled online knowledge communities play an increasingly important role in acquiring and disseminating off-site construction knowledge. Proximity has been identified as a key factor in facilitating interactive learning, yet which type of proximity is effective in promoting online and offline knowledge exchange remains unclear. This study takes a relational view to explore the proximity-related antecedents of online and offline learning networks in off-site construction projects, while also examining the subtle differences in the networks' structural patterns.

Design/methodology/approach

Five types of proximity (physical, organizational, social, cognitive and personal) between projects members are conceptualized in the theoretical model. Drawing on social foci theory and homophily theory, the research hypotheses are proposed. To test these hypotheses, empirical case studies were conducted on two off-site construction projects during the COVID-19 pandemic. Valid relational data provided by 99 and 145 project members were collected using semi-structured interviews and sociometric questionnaires. Subsequently, multivariate exponential random graph models were developed.

Findings

The results show a discrepancy arise in the structural patterns between online and offline learning networks. Offline learning is found to be more strongly influenced by proximity factors than online learning. Specifically, physical, organizational and social proximity are found to be significant predictors of offline knowledge exchange. Cognitive proximity has a negative relationship with offline knowledge exchange but is positively related to online knowledge exchange. Regarding personal proximity, the study found that the homophily effect of hierarchical status merely emerges in offline learning networks. Online knowledge communities amplify the receiver effect of tenure. Furthermore, there appears to be a complementary relationship between online and offline learning networks.

Originality/value

Proximity offers a novel relational perspective for understanding the formation of knowledge exchange connections. This study enriches the literature on informal learning within project teams by revealing how different types of proximity shape learning networks across different channels in off-site construction projects.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 13 May 2024

Ginevra Gravili, Alexandru Avram and Marco Benvenuto

The present article aims to examine the development of the theoretical framework surrounding collaborative consumption (CC) standards in recent years regarding European short-stay…

Abstract

Purpose

The present article aims to examine the development of the theoretical framework surrounding collaborative consumption (CC) standards in recent years regarding European short-stay accommodation booking platforms. The sharing economy has significantly impacted the tourist accommodation market in recent years. Starting with the use of experimental data on CCs published on Eurostat in 2019, this article analyzes the correlation between choices of CCs for short-stay accommodation, employment and the economic crisis.

Design/methodology/approach

A vector autoregressive panel approach was applied to investigate the correlation between CC short-stay accommodation choices using panel organization data from 561 EU regions between 2018 and 2021.

Findings

Analyzing the connection between the main data panel variables, a positive correlation was found, followed by an increasing trend in CC use. A self-multiplying effect is generated; that is, the more people use CC, the more electronic captures occur. Consequently, the improvement of CC use and knowledge-intensive activities in short-stay accommodation is strongly linked with employment and GDP.

Originality/value

The originality of the investigation is to examine with a cross-sectional panel data overview the reasons that can push stakeholders to adopt CC and to clearly define a new perimeter of research in terms of the endpoint of CC in short-stay accommodation. Furthermore, the study seeks to assess the end-point congruence to utilize CC as a new gamble to accelerate digital knowledge in the hospitality sector.

Details

Management Decision, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 May 2024

Shuliang Zhao and Junchen Wang

Proximity is a crucial factor influencing innovation collaboration and performance. Most existing studies have primarily focused on the organizational level and been static in…

Abstract

Purpose

Proximity is a crucial factor influencing innovation collaboration and performance. Most existing studies have primarily focused on the organizational level and been static in nature. Therefore, a further study on how proximity affects innovation performance is needed. This paper aims to fill this gap by highlighting the organizational, cognitive and geographical proximity in China’s open regional innovation system.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper analyzes the data from 2010 to 2015 through path analysis.

Findings

The results reveal that geographical proximity has a direct positive effect on regional innovation performance in China’s regional innovation system. It also shows that organizational proximity exerts a negative impact on absorptive capacity, and through it adversely affects regional innovation performance. In contrast, cognitive proximity is found to have a positive effect on absorptive capacity, enhancing regional innovation performance.

Originality/value

Based on these findings, this paper contributes to a better understanding of the role of proximity in innovation collaboration and performance. By highlighting the importance of different proximity types, it provides insights for policymakers and practitioners seeking to foster regional innovation.

Details

Journal of Science and Technology Policy Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2053-4620

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 September 2023

Weiqiao Xu and Ruifeng Hu

The academic experience of top management team (TMT) has a positive impact on firms' innovation performance. However, existing studies predominantly focus on the educational…

Abstract

Purpose

The academic experience of top management team (TMT) has a positive impact on firms' innovation performance. However, existing studies predominantly focus on the educational qualifications and institutional prestige of TMT, failing to comprehensively evaluate whether TMT possess genuine academic experience and the role of academic competence. This article aims to examine whether TMT academic competence has a potential influence on firm innovation performance and to understand the mechanisms behind this relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

Using firm-level metrics of Chinese listed firms and TMT scholarly publication data spanning 2000–2021, this paper investigates whether TMT academic competence can promote firms' innovation performance and conducts a moderated mediating effect analysis.

Findings

(1) Academic competence of TMT can contribute positively to firms’ innovation performance; (2) university–industry collaboration partially mediates this relationship; (3) the mediating effect is enhanced by cognitive proximity and (4) distance proximity does not diminish the mediating effect.

Research limitations/implications

Outcome of this study can assist academia in further understanding the impacts of TMT on firm innovation and aid government in promoting university–industry collaboration. Simultaneously, it can help firms adjust their TMT selection and training strategies to enhance innovation performance.

Originality/value

This article, as the first to construct an index of academic competence and to explore whether it has an impact on firms' innovation performance and its inherent mechanism, can provide a new research perspective for the study of the impact of TMT's characteristics on firms' innovation.

Details

Management Decision, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 23 July 2024

Yuejiao Zhao, Li Zheng and Ruofan Zhao

This study aims to examine the impact of geographical and business proximity between parent companies and affiliates on R&D investments in business groups. Furthermore, it…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine the impact of geographical and business proximity between parent companies and affiliates on R&D investments in business groups. Furthermore, it compares the moderating effect of value chain participants’ bargaining power and the performance-aspiration gap.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses data from 411 Chinese private manufacturing listed firms affiliated with business groups. This paper conducts regression analysis using Stata 16.0 software. Additionally, this paper employs combined random effects regression models, the 2SLS method and GMM method.

Findings

Geographical distance between focal affiliates and parent companies is negatively related to focal affiliates’ R&D. The higher the business proximity between focal affiliates and parent companies, the more R&D investments are made. Further research shows that with stronger bargaining power and a wider performance-aspiration gap, the negative relationship between geographical distance and R&D investment weakens.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the R&D investment literature by offering a novel perspective on why proximity influences affiliates’ R&D investments in Chinese business groups. This study enriches the proximity theory by introducing business proximity as a new dimension into the framework. Furthermore, this study highlights the boundary conditions of the proximity theory by ascertaining the moderating effects of bargaining power and the performance-aspiration gap.

Details

Chinese Management Studies, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-614X

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 5 August 2024

Patricia Pilar Zirena-Bejarano, Elbia Myreyle Chavez Zirena and Andrea Karina Caryt Malaga

The purpose of this paper is to respond to the existing gap in the literature and analyze empirically the mediating role of potential absorptive capacity and innovation capacity…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to respond to the existing gap in the literature and analyze empirically the mediating role of potential absorptive capacity and innovation capacity in the relationship between socio-cognitive capital and new product performance in tourism businesses.

Design/methodology/approach

Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was applied to measure the effect of independent variables and mediators on the results of new products through information collected from 300 companies through a structured questionnaire applied to tourism companies.

Findings

Important findings are presented demonstrating the positive and significant influence of cognitive social capital on the results of new products; however, this is not enough, so the potential absorption capacity and the capacity for innovation play a very important role in improving the effect on the results of new products. The findings suggest that organizations should direct their culture and shared goals toward assimilation and knowledge and the development of innovation capabilities in order to obtain more successful new product results.

Originality/value

The study adds value to the study of social capital by analyzing social cognitive capital and its impact on new product performance. In contrast to previous studies, it suggests incorporating potential absorptive capacity and innovation capacity as mediating variables in a comprehensive model that illustrates the positive spillover effect, thereby enhancing the outcomes related to new product performance.

研究目的

本文旨在處理現存文獻內的研究缺口。研究人員以實證研究法、去分析於旅遊業內潛在的吸收能力和創新能力在社會認知性資本與新產品性能之間的關聯上所扮演的協調角色。

研究設計/方法

研究人員以結構型問卷向300間旅遊公司收集資料和數據,並使用偏最小平方法的結構方程模型 (PLS-SEM),去測量各自變數與協調者對新產品的成效所產生的影響。

研究結果

研究結果頗為重要,因它證明了認知性社會資本,對新產品的成效會產生積極和重大的影響。唯這仍不足夠; 研究結果更確認了潛在的吸收能力和創新能力在優化新產品成效所帶來的影響方面,確扮演著極其重要的角色; 因此,研究結果建議組織應引導其文化和共同目標,走向知識同化和發展創新能力的道路上,以獲取更成功的新產品成效。

研究的原創性/價值

本研究分析社會認知性資本及它對新產品成效的影響,就此而言,本研究增添了研究社會資本的價值。與過去的研究相比,本研究建議設計一個顯示積極的溢出效應的全面性模型,當中包含潛在的吸收能力和創新能力,作為中介變數,因此,與新產品性能有關的成果得以提昇。

Details

European Journal of Management and Business Economics, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2444-8451

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 July 2024

Jiayuan Liu and Jianzhou Yan

This study aims to explore how coworkers leverage epistemic objects and guanxi (a Chinese term defining relationships based on mutual dependence) network to promote knowledge…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore how coworkers leverage epistemic objects and guanxi (a Chinese term defining relationships based on mutual dependence) network to promote knowledge integration of “who knows what” in the development of sustainable innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a mixed-methods research approach, including quantitative questionnaires, social network analyses and a qualitative ethnography, all of which were collected from a large enterprise in China.

Findings

Epistemic objects can promote knowledge integration of “who knows what” among coworkers during their innovation development process. In addition, structural holes in a coworker network will impede knowledge integration of “who knows what,” but guanxi can turn this impeding effect into a facilitating effect.

Research limitations/implications

First, the focus on the role of epistemic objects in eliciting knowledge generates implications for creating employee identity and coordinating knowledge heterogeneity. Second, by demonstrating how epistemic objects trigger both affective and cognitive trust to promote knowledge integration of “who knows what,” the authors complement existing studies of knowledge management (KM). Third, by presenting how coworkers fill their structural holes in their collaborative innovation, the study reveals the nature of connecting the appropriate resources with the appropriate needs, which generates implications for social capital integration and innovation enhancement. Fourth, by showing how “structural hole controllers” become “structural hole fillers” under different conditions, the authors recognize the different ways in which brokers leverage their structural holes and highlight the unique role of Chinese guanxi culture in triggering a structural hole filling behavior, thereby contributing to the literature of structural hole theory and culture management. Fifth, by creating a full picture of how coworkers strategically leverage their knowledge of “who knows what” in the development of sustainable innovation, the authors identify the influential factor that stimulates innovation, adding to the literature on the interaction between KM and innovation. Sixth, the emphasis on the independent role of epistemic objects produces an implication for the interplay between object-control and human-control in innovation work.

Practical implications

This study supports organizational leaders to make optimal decisions in their innovation development process by suggesting them to invest in developing an integrated knowledge of “who knows what.” To achieve it, the authors suggest managers make good use of non-human artifacts to gain the identification with the knowledge of not only themselves but also the whole team, and award the “integrator” an honor for filling structural holes that may trigger the creation of more structural hole fillers. Furthermore, the focus on the independent role of epistemic objects as knowledge elicitors and trust triggers in innovation work generates another practical implication for managers to rethink the controlling role of objects and humans in the organization and modify their managerial practices accordingly.

Originality/value

By exploring how coworkers leverage epistemic objects and guanxi network to promote knowledge integration of “who knows what” in the development of sustainable innovation, this study reveals the role of object-control and human-control in facilitating knowledge practices for stimulating innovation, thereby contributing to the literature of KM and innovation.

Details

Journal of Knowledge Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1367-3270

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 March 2024

Valérie Mérindol and David W. Versailles

Innovation management in the healthcare sector has undergone significant evolutions over the last decades. These evolutions have been investigated from a variety of perspectives…

Abstract

Purpose

Innovation management in the healthcare sector has undergone significant evolutions over the last decades. These evolutions have been investigated from a variety of perspectives: clusters, ecosystems of innovation, digital ecosystems and regional ecosystems, but the dynamics of networks have seldom been analyzed under the lenses of entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs). As identified by Cao and Shi (2020), the literature is silent about the organization of resource allocation systems for network orchestration in EEs. This article investigates these elements in the healthcare sector. It discusses the strategic role played by entrepreneurial support organizations (ESOs) in resource allocation and elaborates on the distinction between sponsored and nonsponsored ESOs in EEs. ESOs are active in network orchestration. The literature explains that ESOs lift organizational, institutional and cultural barriers, and support entrepreneurs' access to cognitive and technological resources. However, allocation models are not yet discussed. Therefore, our research questions are as follows: What is the resource allocation model in healthcare-related EEs? What is the role played by sponsored and nonsponsored ESOs as regards resource allocation to support the emergence and development of EEs in the healthcare sector?

Design/methodology/approach

The article offers an explanatory, exploratory, and theory-building investigation. The research design offers an abductive research protocol and multi-level analysis of seven (sponsored and nonsponsored) ESOs active in French healthcare ecosystems. Field research elaborates on semi-structured interviews collected between 2016 and 2022.

Findings

This article shows explicit complementarities between top-down and bottom-up resource allocation approaches supported by ESOs in the healthcare sector. Despite explicit originalities in each approach, no network orchestration model prevails. Multi-polar coordination is the rule. Entrepreneurs' access to critical technological and cognitive resources is based on resource allocation modalities that differ for sponsored versus nonsponsored ESOs. Emerging from field research, this research also shows that sponsored and nonsponsored ESOs manage their roles in different ways because they confront original issues about organizational legitimacy.

Originality/value

Beyond the results listed above, the main originalities of the paper relate to the instantiation of multi-level analysis operated during field research and to the confrontation between sponsored versus nonsponsored ESOs in the domain of healthcare-related innovation management. This research shows that ESOs have practical relevance because they build original routes for resource allocation and network orchestration in EEs. Each ESO category (sponsored versus nonsponsored) provides original support for resource allocation. The ESO's legitimacy is inferred either from the sponsor or the services delivered to end-users. This research leads to propositions for future research and recommendations for practitioners: ESO managers, entrepreneurs, and policymakers.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 November 2023

Nihan Yildirim, Derya Gultekin, Cansu Hürses and Abdullah Mert Akman

This paper aims to use text mining methods to explore the similarities and differences between countries’ national digital transformation (DT) and Industry 4.0 (I4.0) policies…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to use text mining methods to explore the similarities and differences between countries’ national digital transformation (DT) and Industry 4.0 (I4.0) policies. The study examines the applicability of text mining as an alternative for comprehensive clustering of national I4.0 and DT strategies, encouraging policy researchers toward data science that can offer rapid policy analysis and benchmarking.

Design/methodology/approach

With an exploratory research approach, topic modeling, principal component analysis and unsupervised machine learning algorithms (k-means and hierarchical clustering) are used for clustering national I4.0 and DT strategies. This paper uses a corpus of policy documents and related scientific publications from several countries and integrate their science and technology performance. The paper also presents the positioning of Türkiye’s I4.0 and DT national policy as a case from a developing country context.

Findings

Text mining provides meaningful clustering results on similarities and differences between countries regarding their national I4.0 and DT policies, aligned with their geographic, economic and political circumstances. Findings also shed light on the DT strategic landscape and the key themes spanning various policy dimensions. Drawing from the Turkish case, political options are discussed in the context of developing (follower) countries’ I4.0 and DT.

Practical implications

The paper reveals meaningful clustering results on similarities and differences between countries regarding their national I4.0 and DT policies, reflecting political proximities aligned with their geographic, economic and political circumstances. This can help policymakers to comparatively understand national DT and I4.0 policies and use this knowledge to reflect collaborative and competitive measures to their policies.

Originality/value

This paper provides a unique combined methodology for text mining-based policy analysis in the DT context, which has not been adopted. In an era where computational social science and machine learning have gained importance and adaptability to political and social science fields, and in the technology and innovation management discipline, clustering applications showed similar and different policy patterns in a timely and unbiased manner.

Details

Journal of Science and Technology Policy Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2053-4620

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 June 2023

Patricia Pilar Zirena-Bejarano, Graci Tancayllo Yana and Andrea Karina Caryt Málaga

The purpose of this study is to analyze the moderating effect of adaptability on the relationship between cognitive social capital and innovation capacity in companies in the…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to analyze the moderating effect of adaptability on the relationship between cognitive social capital and innovation capacity in companies in the tourism sector. The study aims to contribute to a better understanding of the direct and indirect linkage generated between these variables.

Design/methodology/approach

The research was designed under the quantitative approach, and an empirical study was carried out by applying a questionnaire to 300 companies located in Arequipa, Perú. Data processing was conducted using partial least squares structural equation modeling using Smart PLS software.

Findings

The results demonstrate the existence of a positive and significant direct relationship between cognitive social capital and innovation capacity. Furthermore, it was found that adaptability moderates this relationship, improving the results. The study shows that shared goals and culture facilitate the transfer of knowledge, which allows the exploration of new opportunities, and that the accommodation of business resources enables companies to respond quickly to new market requirements, promoting the capacity for innovation.

Practical implications

Organizations operate in an environment of intense competition. Therefore, developing the capacity for innovation is essential to stay competitive. Managers must strengthen cognitive relationships by sharing objectives and culture with their contacts, in addition to developing the ability to respond to market changes. This will stimulate the creation of new products and services.

Originality/value

This document adds value to the literature on social capital and innovation, demonstrating the importance of adaptability and its moderating effect on the relationship between cognitive social capital and innovation capacity. This has not been explored before. The research shows how these three variables act synergistically in a model, improving results, which is essential to achieve the competitiveness of companies in the tourism sector of an emerging country.

Details

Journal of Facilities Management , vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1472-5967

Keywords

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