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| The Configuration Path of Corporate Innovation Flexibility： A Fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis |
| Zhu Xuechun1,Xu Xin1,Zhang Wei2 |
| （1. School of Management, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China;2. School of Economics and Statistics, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China） |
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Abstract Innovation is the primary engine of development and the strategic support for constructing modern economic system. Enterprise is the most important force for innovation and playing a significant role in building innovation-oriented country. The rapidly changing external environment intensifies market competition.It is the key to win competitive advantages if a company can achieve innovation at low cost and obtain good innovation flexibility. The promoting effect of innovation flexibility on enterprise development is emphasized, but the research on antecedent factors of innovation flexibility is not rich at present. Existing literature cannot provide sufficient guidance for enterprises to enhance innovation flexibility. Therefore, how to effectively improve corporate innovation flexibility is a practical and scientific problem to be solved urgently. The effect of network capability and knowledge co-creation on corporate innovation has attracted academic attention. Network capability can help enterprises identify the value and opportunity in the external environment and effectively obtain innovation resources so that they can improve innovation ability. Knowledge co-creation can help enterprises reduce the cost of knowledge acquisition, carry out innovation activities, accelerate innovation and improve innovation performance at last. Innovation flexibility is affected by multiple factors, and different combinations of factors may produce the same results. However, the existing literature about corporate innovation flexibility does not systematically study the effect of different combinations of factors, and fails to effectively reveal the interaction between network capability and knowledge co-creation on corporate innovation flexibility. The qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) method from the configuration perspective can overcome the limitation of traditional research methods. It helps to deeply explore the configuration effect of multiple factors from systematic and comprehensive perspective. The configuration perspective is more suitable for studying the synergistic effect of network capability and knowledge co-creation on corporate innovation flexibility.#br#From the configuration perspective, the study uses the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) method to explore the linkage effect and path selection of corporate innovation flexibility from two levels of network capability and knowledge co-creation with five variables. The study uses a questionnaire survey to collect data and it is divided into two stages including pre-survey and formal survey, with 323 valid questionnaires at last.#br#The main conclusions are as follows. Firstly, network vision, network construction, network management, joint knowledge co-creation, and embedded knowledge co-creation are not necessary conditions for high or non-high innovation flexibility. A single antecedent condition has weak explanatory power for innovation flexibility. This shows that there are multifactors to enhance corporate innovation flexibility. Secondly, there are three ways to improve corporate innovation flexibility including resource acquisition, development-management and monotype. Lastly, there are two non-high-innovation flexibility paths and they are asymmetrically related to the influencing factors of high innovative flexibility paths.#br#The research incorporates network capability and knowledge co-creation into the theoretical framework. It studies the combined effect of network capability and knowledge on corporate innovation flexibility.It reveals the complex causal mechanism of network capability and knowledge on corporate innovation flexibility, and deeply analyzes the influence of synergistic linkage among multiple variables on corporate innovation flexibility. It can not only make up for the inadequacy of studying corporate innovation flexibility from a single-dimensional perspective, but also reveals the synergistic effect mechanism of network capability and knowledge co-creation on corporate innovation flexibility. At the same time, the paper studies innovation flexibility with QCA method and finds multiple paths and key elements for improving corporate innovation flexibility. The research findings can help to expand the application field of QCA method. Meanwhile, the study finds three high-innovation flexibility paths and two non-high-innovation flexibility paths which can better explain diversified paths to improve innovation flexibility. There arepractical implications for enterprises. Firstly, facing the uncertain external environment, the company can choose suitable paths based on its own technical features and management level with concentrating resources on key capabilities. Secondly, the company should choose the appropriate mode of knowledge co-creation and network, and make use of knowledge and other network resources effectively. Finally, the company needs systematic analysis and scientific judgment to accurately understand the relationship between knowledge co-creation and network capability to grasp the core elements for innovation flexibility.#br#
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Received: 26 September 2021
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