Spin-off technology enterprises are featured with unique attributes and laws. By introducing and absorbing core resources such as technology and knowledge of the parent enterprise, it moves into the organizational practices and processes of the parent enterprise so that it has competitive ability and advantages in the early stage of its establishment to promote the upgrading of enterprise value chain. The current environment is constantly changing, and dynamic capability emphasizes that spin-off technology enterprises should remain sensitive to the external environment and exert dynamic capability in their development process to promote enterprises to enhance entrepreneurial vitality, form competitive barriers, and achieve value chain upgrading. However, few scholars have explored the dynamic capability of spin-off technology enterprises and have not paid attention to the change and intermediary role of dynamic capability in different stages of value chain upgrading. Therefore, following the theory of dynamic capability and from the perspective of dual innovation, this paper aims to answer what dynamic capabilities spin-off technology enterprises should have at different development stages, and in what paths these dynamic capabilities promote the upgrading of enterprise value chain.
This paper chooses Western Superconducting as the research object and draws on the grounded methodology proposed by Jia Xudong and Heng Liang. In this case study , it builds a relationship model of "dynamic capability of spin-off technology enterprises, dual innovation and value chain upgrading at different development stages" with the aim of opening the "black box" of dynamic capability of spin-off technology enterprises to promote the value chain upgrading process. First, key events in different development stages of Western Superconducting are coded, and relevant concepts are continuously gathered to form the initial category. Second, by using STRAUSS and CORBIN's conditional action-outcome model, the categories derived from open coding are linked together and summarized into nine main categories, i.e., the ability to identify opportunities, integrate resources, learn, change and make upgrades, utilize innovation, explore innovation, and realize upgrading of process , product and function upgrading.Finally, on the basis of an in-depth excavation of the abstraction level, the core category is summarized, the correlation between the core category and the main category is determined, and the relationship model implied in the specific phenomenon is extracted to form the story context.
Through the case study, it is found that (1) the dynamic capability of spin-off technology enterprise is represented by opportunity identification, resource integration, learning and absorption, and transformation and renewal; (2) the dynamic capability of spin-off technology enterprise varies in different development stages, promoting the upgrading of enterprise value chain: the embryonic stage is represented by opportunity identification, resource integration, learning and absorption; the initial stage is represented by opportunity identification, learning and absorption; and the growth stage is represented by opportunity identification, learning and absorption; (3) dual innovation plays a mediating role in the dynamic capability of spin-off technology enterprises and the upgrading of their value chain. The research conclusions have certain contributions.Firstly, this paper focuses the dynamic capability theory on spin-off technology enterprises, explores their different dynamic capability hierarchy at different development stages, and expands the research boundary of dynamic capability theory. Secondly, from the perspective of dual innovation research, it reveals the effective path of dynamic capability of spin-off technology enterprises to promote the upgrading of value chain, and defines the intermediary role of dual innovation. Thirdly, this paper uses the grounded theory research method to make up for the shortcomings of traditional quantitative research methods. Fourthly, this paper clarifies the different dynamic capabilities of spin-off technology enterprises in different development stages, which provides a solid basis for the cultivation of science and technology enterprises. Finally, by exploring the dynamic capability of spin-off technology enterprises,it manages to refine the mechanism of its effect on the value chain upgrading of enterprises to provide reference for the value chain upgrading path of spin-off technology enterprises.