Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-hc48f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T12:36:58.742Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

External Knowledge Search Strategies in China's Technology Ventures: The Role of Managerial Interpretations and Ties

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 February 2015

Jingjiang Liu ,
Lu Chen  and
Wiboon Kittilaksanawong
Jingjiang Liu
Affiliation:
Zhejiang University, China
Lu Chen
Affiliation:
Zhejiang University, China
Wiboon Kittilaksanawong
Affiliation:
Nagoya University of Commerce and Business, Japan
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Drawing on the threat-rigidity hypothesis, we examine how managerial opportunity and threat interpretations of external environments affect a technology venture's choice of external knowledge search strategies in an emerging market. Results from a sample of 141 technology ventures in China reveal that opportunity interpretation directly and positively influences both the breadth and depth of external search, whereas threat interpretation directly and negatively influences only external search depth. Furthermore, managerial ties strengthen the positive relationship between opportunity interpretation and external search breadth but weaken the positive relationship on external search depth. Managerial ties weaken the negative relationship between threat interpretation and external search breadth but strengthen the negative relationship on external search depth. Implications for both research and practice are offered.

Keywords

external knowledge searchmanagerial interpretationsmanagerial tiessearch breadthsearch depth外部知识搜索管理者解释管理者纽带搜索广度捜索深度
Type
Special Issue Articles
Information
Management and Organization Review , Volume 9 , Issue 3: Special Issue Knowledge Search, Spillovers, and Creation in Emerging Markets , November 2013 , pp. 437 - 463
Copyright
Copyright © International Association for Chinese Management Research 2013

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Acquaah, M. 2012. Social networking relationships, firm-specific managerial experience and firm performance in a transition economy: A comparative analysis of family owned and nonfamily firms. Strategic Management Journal, 33(10): 1215–1228.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. 1991. Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Anderson, J. C., & Gerbing, D. W. 1988. Structural equation modeling in practice: A review and recommended two-step approach. Psychological Bulletin, 103(3): 411–423.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Atuahene-Gima, K., & Li, H. 2004. Strategic decision comprehensiveness and new product development outcomes in new technology ventures. Academy of Management Journal, 47(4): 583–597.Google Scholar
Atuahene-Gima, K., & Murray, J. Y. 2007. Exploratory and exploitative learning in new product development: A social capital perspective on new technology ventures in China. Journal of International Marketing, 15(2): 1–29.Google Scholar
Atuahene-Gima, K., & Yang, H. 2008. Market orientation, managerial interpretation, and the nature of innovation competence development. Academy of Management Annual Conference, Anaheim, CA.Google Scholar
Biemann, T., Cole, M. S., & Voelpel, S. 2012. Within-group agreement: On the use (and misuse) of rwg and rwg(j) in leadership research and some best practice guidelines. Leadership Quarterly, 23(1): 66–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brislin, R. W. 1986. The wording and translation of research instrument. In Lonner, W. J. & Berry, J. W. (Eds.), Field methods in cross-cultural research: 137-164. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Brown, S., & Eisenhardt, K. 1998. Competing on the edge. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.Google Scholar
Chattopadhyay, P., Glick, W. H., & Huber, G. P. 2001. Organizational actions in response to threats and opportunities. Academy of Management Journal, 44(5): 937–955.Google Scholar
Chen, C. C, Chen, X., & Huang, S. 2013. Chinese guanxi: An integrative review and new directions for future research. Management and Organization Review, 9(1): 167–207.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, W. R., & Miller, K. D. 2007. Situational and institutional determinants of firms' R & D search intensity. Strategic Management Journal, 28(4): 369–381.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chesbrough, H. 2003. Open innovation. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Chiang, Y.-H., & Hung, K.-P. 2010. Exploring open search strategies and perceived innovation performance from the perspective of inter-organizational knowledge flows. R & D Management, 40(3): 292–299.Google Scholar
Cohen, W. M., & Levinthal, D. A. 1990. Absorptive capacity: A new perspective on learning and innovation. Administrative Science Quarterly, 35(1): 128–152.Google Scholar
Daft, R. L., & Wcick, K. E. 1984. Toward a model of organizations as interpretation systems. Academy of Management Review, 9(2): 284–295.Google Scholar
De Luca, L. M., & Atuahene-Gima, K. 2007. Market knowledge dimensions and cross-functional collaboration: Examining the different routes to product innovation performance. Journal of Marketing, 70(1): 95–112.Google Scholar
Dutton, J. 1993. The making of organizational opportunities: An interpretive pathway to organizational change. In Staw, B. M. & Cummings, L. L. (Eds.), Research in organizational behavior, 15: 195–226. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.Google Scholar
Dutton, J., & Duncan, R. 1987. The creation of momentum for change through the process of strategic issue diagnosis. Strategic Management Journal, 8(3): 279–295.Google Scholar
Dutton, J., & Jackson, S. 1987. Categorizing strategic issues: Links to organizational action. Academy of Management Review, 12(1): 76–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eisenhardt, K. M., & Schoonhovcn, C. B. 1990. Organizational growth: Linking founding team, strategy, environment, and growth among U.S. semiconductor ventures, 1978-1988. Administrative Science Quarterly, 35(3): 504–529.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Farh, J. L., Tsui, A. S., Xin, K. R., & Cheng, B. S. 1998. The influence of relational demography and guanxi: The Chinese case. Organization Science, 9(4): 471–489.Google Scholar
Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. 1981. Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1): 39–50.Google Scholar
Geletkanycz, M. A., & Hambrick, D. C. 1997. The external ties of top executives: Implications for strategic choice and performance. Administrative Science Quarterly, 42(4): 654–681.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
George, E., Chattopadhyay, P., Sitkin, S. B., & Barden, J. 2006. Cognitive underpinnings of institutional persistence and change: A framing perspective. Academy of Management Review, 31(2): 347–365.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guo, C., & Miller, J. K. 2010. Guanxi dynamics and entrepreneurial firm creation and development in China. Management and Organization Review, 6(2): 267–292.Google Scholar
Gupta, A. K., Smith, K. G., & Shalley, C. E. 2006. The interplay between exploration and exploitation. Academy of Management Journal, 49(4): 693–706.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jackson, S. E., & Dutton, J. E. 1988. Discerning threats and opportunities. Administrative Science Quarterly, 33(3): 370–387.Google Scholar
James, L. R., Demaree, R. G., & Wolf, G. 1984. Estimating within-group interrater reliability with and without response bias. Journal of Applied Psychology, 69(1): 85–98.Google Scholar
Julian, S. D., & Ofori-Dankwa, J. C. 2008. Toward an integrative cartography of two strategic issue diagnosis frameworks. Strategic Management Journal, 29(1): 93–114.Google Scholar
Katila, R., & Ahuja, G. 2002. Something old, something new: A longitudinal study of search behavior and new product introduction. Academy of Management Journal, 45(8): 1183–1194.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Katila, R., & Shane, S. 2005. When does lack of resources make new firms innovative? Academy of Management Journal, 48(5): 814–829.Google Scholar
Kotabe, M., Jiang, C. X., & Murray, J. 2011. Managerial ties, knowledge acquisition, realized absorptive capacity and new product market performance of emerging multinational companies. Journal of World Business, 46(2): 166–176.Google Scholar
Landis, R. S., & Dunlap, W. P. 2000. Moderated multiple regression tests are criterion specific. Organizational Research Methods, 3(3): 254–266.Google Scholar
Lant, T. K., Milliken, F. J., & Batra, B. 1992. The role of managerial learning and interpretation in strategic persistence and reorientation: An empirical exploration. Strategic Management Journal, 13(8): 585–608.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lau, C. M. 2011. Team and organizational resources, strategic orientations, and firm performance in a transitional economy. Journal of Business Research, 64(12): 1344–1351.Google Scholar
Laursen, K. 2012. Keep searching and you'll find: What do we know about variety creation through firms' search activities for innovation? Industrial and Corporate Change, 21(5): 1181–1220.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Laursen, K., & Salter, A. 2006. Open for innovation: The role of openness in explaining innovation performance among U.K. manufacturing firms. Strategic Management Journal, 27(2): 131–150.Google Scholar
Leiponen, A., & Helfat, C. E. 2010. Innovation objectives, knowledge sources, and the benefits of breadth. Strategic Management Journal, 31(2): 224–236.Google Scholar
Levinthal, D. A., & March, J. G. 1981. A model of adaptive organizational search. Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 2(4): 307–333.Google Scholar
Li, H., & Atuahene-Gima, K. 2001. Product innovation strategy and the performance of new technology ventures in China. Academy of Management Journal, 44(6): 1123–1134.Google Scholar
Li, H., & Atuahene-Gima, K. 2002. The adoption of agency business activity, product innovation, and performance in Chinese technology ventures. Strategic Management Journal, 23(6): 469–490.Google Scholar
Li, H., & Zhang, Y. 2007. The role of managers' political networking and functional experience in new venture performance: Evidence from China's transition economy. Strategic Management Journal, 28(8): 791–804.Google Scholar
Li, J. J., Poppo, L., & Zhou, K. Z. 2008. Do managerial ties in China always produce value? Competition, uncertainty, and domestic vs. foreign firms. Strategic Management Journal, 29(4): 383–400.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Li, J. J., & Sheng, S. 2011. When does guanxi bolster or damage firm profitability? The contingent effects of firm- and market-level characteristics. Industrial Marketing Management, 40(4): 561–568.Google Scholar
Li, S. X., Yao, X., Sue-Chan, C., & Xi, Y. 2011. Where do social ties come from: Institutional framework and governmental tie distribution among Chinese managers. Management and Organization Review, 7(1): 97–124.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Luo, Y. 2003. Industrial dynamics and managerial networking in an emerging market: The case of China. Strategic Management Journal, 24(13): 1315–1327.Google Scholar
Luo, Y., Huang, Y., & Wang, S. L. 2012. Guanxi and organizational performance: A meta-analysis. Management and Organization Review, 8(1): 139–172.Google Scholar
March, J., & Shapira, Z. 1987. Managerial perspectives on risk and risk-taking. Management Science, 33(11): 1404–1418.Google Scholar
Ocasio, W. 1995. The enactment of economic diversity: A reconciliation of theories of failure-included change and threat-rigidity. In Cummings, L. L. & Staw, B. M. (Eds.), Research in organizational behavior, 17: 287–331. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.Google Scholar
Ocasio, W. 1997. Towards an attention-based view of the firm. Strategic Management Journal, 18(S1): 187–206.Google Scholar
OECD. 2009. OECD science, technology and industry scoreboard 2009. Paris: OECD.Google Scholar
Peng, M. W., & Luo, Y. 2000. Managerial ties and firm performance in a transition economy: The nature of a micro-macro link. Academy of Management Journal, 43(3): 486–501.Google Scholar
Podsakoff, P. M., Mackenzie, S. B., & Lee, J. Y. 2003. Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5): 879–903.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Porter, L. W. 1996. Forty years of organization studies: Reflections from a micro perspective. Administrative Science Quarterly, 41(2): 262–269.Google Scholar
Schilling, M. A., & Green, E. 2011. Recombinant search and breakthrough idea generation: An analysis of high impact papers in the social sciences. Research Policy, 40(10): 1321–1331.Google Scholar
Smith, W. K., & Tushman, M. L. 2005. Managing strategic contradictions: A top management model for managing innovation streams. Organization Science, 16(5): 522–536.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Staw, B., Sandelands, L. E., & Dutton, J. E. 1981. Threat rigidity effects in organizational behavior: A multilevel analysis. Administrative Science Quarterly, 26(4): 501–524.Google Scholar
Tan, J. 2003. Curvilinear relationship between organizational slack and firm performance: Evidence from Chinese state enterprises. European Management Journal, 21(6): 740–749.Google Scholar
Thomas, J. B., Clark, S. M., & Gioia, D. A. 1993. Strategic sensemaking and organizational performance: Linkages among scanning, interpretation, action, and outcomes. Academy of Management Journal, 36(2): 239–270.Google Scholar
Thomas, J. B., & McDaniel, R. R. 1990. Interpreting strategic issues: Effects of strategy and the information-processing structure of top management teams. Academy of Management Journal, 33(2): 286–306.Google Scholar
Tsui, A. S., & Farh, J. L. 1997. Where guanxi matters: Regional demography and guanxi in the Chinese context. Work and Occupations, 24(1): 56–79.Google Scholar
Tushman, M. L., & Romanelli, E. 1985. Organizational evolution: A metamorphosis model of convergence and reorientation. In Cummings, L. L. & Staw, B. M. (Eds.), Research in organizational behavior, 7: 171–222. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.Google Scholar
Uzzi, B. 1997. Social structure and competition in interfirm networks: The paradox of embeddedness. Administrative Science Quarterly, 42(1): 35–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vandenberg, R. J., & Lance, C. E. 2000. A review and synthesis of the measurement invariance literature: Suggestions, practices, and recommendations for organizational research. Organizational Research Methods, 3(1): 4–69.Google Scholar
White, J. C., Varadarajan, P. R., & Dacin, P. A. 2003. Market situation interpretation and response: The role of cognitive style, organizational culture, and information use. Journal of Marketing, 67(3): 63–79.Google Scholar
Williams, L. J., Cote, J. A., & Buckley, M. R. 1989. Lack of method variance in self-reported affect and perceptions at work: Reality or artifact? Journal of Applied Psychology, 74(3): 462–468.Google Scholar
Xin, K. R., & Pearce, J. L. 1996. Guam: Connections as substitutes for formal institutional support. Academy of Management Journal, 39(6): 1641–1658.Google Scholar
Zhang, Y., & Li, H. 2010. Innovation search of new ventures in a technology cluster: The role of ties with service intermediaries. Strategic Management Journal, 31(1): 88–109.CrossRefGoogle Scholar