From collaborative research to new product development: why a central or brokered network position is not enough
Journal of Knowledge Management
ISSN: 1367-3270
Article publication date: 14 July 2021
Issue publication date: 11 March 2022
Abstract
Purpose
Although collaborative research is believed to be an important means of accessing external knowledge, research on whether taking a strategic network position benefits new product development (NPD) is inconclusive. This study aims to unravel the conditions under which taking a strategic position within a collaborative research network is conducive for a firm’s NPD.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on social network theory, absorptive capacity theory and knowledge recombinant studies, this study examines how strategic network positions (i.e. degree centrality and structural holes) and knowledge base cohesion (i.e. local and global cohesion) in tandem affect a firm’s NPD. A panel data set of 366 firms in the Chinese automobile sector (2002–2010) is empirically analyzed, using the panel negative binomial approach with random effects and several alternate estimation approaches.
Findings
This study reveals that, rather than the volume of a firm’s knowledge base, its cohesion determines how it absorbs and uses knowledge accrued from collaborative research for NPD. Specifically, this paper finds that centrally positioned firms have greater NPD when their knowledge bases are locally cohesive, while firms spanning structural holes have more NPD when their knowledge bases are globally cohesive.
Originality/value
Successfully transferring collaborative research outcomes into product innovation is difficult. This study contributes to the literature on strategic network positions and NPD. The findings advance the understanding of knowledge base cohesion’s moderating role in explaining how firms absorb and exploit external knowledge for internal innovation. The findings also have important implications for managers who wish to promote product innovation by engaging in collaborative research with external partners.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to Editor Manlio Del Giudice, the Associate Editor and the two anonymous referees for their very insightful comments and constructive suggestions on earlier versions of this manuscript. Dr Jian Li is grateful for comments from Arie Y. Lewin, Chris Marquis and Jiuchang Wei, as well as multiple participants of the ICIS (2019) Conference held by Tsinghua University in Beijing and the 2019 SYSBS International Symposium on Frontier Management Research held by Sun Yat-sen University, China. This research is funded by the National Science Foundation of China (grant no. 71502056, 71673082); Hunan Provincial Science and Technology Department (grant no. 2020JJ3017, 2020JJ5114, 2018JJ3083).
Citation
Li, J. and Yu, Y. (2021), "From collaborative research to new product development: why a central or brokered network position is not enough", Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 26 No. 3, pp. 615-641. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-06-2020-0473
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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