知识基础、知识距离对企业绿色创新影响研究

摘要/Abstract

摘要： 本文通过对106家中国上市企业在2009—2018年的面板数据进行多元回归分析，探讨了知识距离和企业知识基础的交互匹配对企业绿色创新的影响机制，以及网络密度在其中的调节作用。研究发现，拥有多样化知识基础的企业，嵌入到低知识距离联盟中更有利于企业绿色创新；而拥有专业化知识基础的企业，嵌入到高知识距离联盟中更有利于企业绿色创新。松散网络抑制了专业化知识基础和高知识距离的组合对企业绿色创新的正向效应，但改善了专业化知识基础和低知识距离的组合对企业绿色创新的影响，其调节效应在一段时间后可持续；紧密网络强化了专业化知识基础和高知识距离的组合对企业绿色创新的影响，以及多样化知识基础和低知识距离的组合对企业绿色创新的正向效应，其调节效应随着时间推移而减弱。本文有助于识别企业绿色创新的最优内外部知识配置和网络结构，为提升我国企业绿色创新效果提供理论参考。

本文的研究结论如下：（1）研究发现企业自身知识基础、企业所处联盟的知识距离以及联盟的网络密度这三个因素的交互作用能够对企业绿色创新产生差异化影响，其合适的多维组合匹配是企业获得理想绿色创新效果的关键。（2）当企业拥有多样化知识基础时，嵌入到低知识距离联盟是较好的选择，能发挥低知识距离在转移和利用同质性和专业化知识上的优势，避免知识过度嵌入的风险；而当企业拥有专业化知识基础时，嵌入到高知识距离联盟网络则更优，能发挥高知识距离在转移和传播多样化异质性知识上的优势，避免知识过载的风险。（3）网络密度能够调节知识距离与知识基础对企业绿色创新的交互作用，且调节效应存在时效差异。松散网络改善了专业化知识基础和低知识距离这类原本非最优匹配组合对企业绿色创新的效果，抑制了专业化知识基础和高知识距离的最优匹配对企业绿色创新的正向效应，其调节作用在较长一段时间内维持。紧密网络能够同时强化专业化知识基础和高知识距离的组合，以及多样化知识基础和低知识距离的组合对绿色创新的正向效应，但其调节作用会随时间推移而减弱。该结论从实证角度拓展了Xiao等关于紧密网络对创新的影响效应难以持续的观点。
研究的理论贡献如下：（1）本文从组织内外两个层次揭示了知识距离与知识基础的交互组合对企业绿色创新的影响。通过采用权变组合策略形成了支撑绿色创新的四种知识基础和联盟网络的组合配置，识别出了“专业化知识基础和高知识距离联盟”“多样化知识基础和低知识距离联盟”这两种最优配置。这一发现跳出了现有知识管理理论研究中知识基础的多样化和专业化，知识距离大小与创新关系的研究结论无法统一的争论，以悖论整合的权变思想为相关研究提供了新思路。同时，研究结论也从知识视角拓展了企业绿色创新的内部知识支撑条件及其外部联盟网络的选择偏好，为破解企业绿色创新过程中的黑箱提供了重要的理论依据。（2）本文响应了Quintana等对于网络密度动态变化研究的呼吁，将网络密度松散和紧密的动态变化纳入到企业绿色创新的研究框架中，厘清了网络密度在知识距离和知识基础的交互作用与企业绿色创新之间的调节作用以及转化机制；识别出了网络密度调节作用的共性、差异和时效特征，确认了网络密度在知识距离和知识基础对绿色创新协同演化过程中的作用，丰富了网络密度的研究，从网络视角诠释了企业绿色创新的情景依赖性。补充了Xiao等和Burt提出的“关系网络的价值蕴含在网络结构及网络成员所掌握的资源中，但现有文献缺乏对于网络成员资源异质性和网络结构情境性下企业混合响应差异的研究”的研究缺口。（3）由于企业主动进行绿色创新的意愿较弱，因此在较长一段时间里，学者们都将焦点放在绿色创新的驱动因素上。近期有部分学者指出，驱动因素只是解决了企业绿色创新的意愿，而如何在企业绿色创新过程中发挥知识要素的作用，帮助企业提高绿色创新的效果也同样重要。因此本文响应这一呼吁，将在一般创新研究中被广泛运用且极具解释力的社会网络理论和知识管理理论引入到企业绿色创新研究中，一方面，跳出了现有绿色创新研究中过于关注驱动因素的局限，拓展了企业绿色创新的研究思路；另一方面，也推动了社会网络和知识管理等成熟理论成果从一般创新向绿色创新研究领域繁衍。
管理启示：（1）在企业绿色创新过程中，企业决策者应评估自身知识基础情况，选择知识距离合适的创新联盟，通过权变组合策略有针对性地从联盟中获取绿色创新相关知识。当企业拥有多样化知识基础时，企业应该嵌入低知识距离联盟，通过获取绿色环保领域中某几个特定环节上的精深知识来突破绿色创新中的关键技术。当企业拥有专业化知识基础时，企业应该嵌入高知识距离联盟，并根据自身的制造工艺、产品特点从多个技术领域选择合适的异质性绿色环保知识来开展绿色创新。（2）对于政策制定部门而言，可根据不同企业的知识结构和特点来制定政策引导绿色创新联盟的构建。针对知识多样化的企业，通过制订和完善各种环境标准、产品禁令、环保奖惩等强制性环境规制政策来提高技术准入门槛，限制联盟扩张，鼓励企业深化现有的合作关系，构建紧密的封闭式绿色创新联盟网络。针对知识专业化的企业，利用市场竞争和经济激励代替环境规制，引导企业在绿色环保领域展开广泛的合作，打造松散的开放式绿色联盟网络。

关键词: 知识基础, 知识距离, 网络密度, 绿色创新

Abstract: In the process of firm development in China, the problem of environmental damage has become increasingly serious. Under this background, "Made in China 2025" takes firms green innovation as the key to solve environmental problems. Therefore, how can firms better achieve green innovation has become a hot topic of academic research.
This paper studies the impact of the interaction effects between knowledge base and knowledge distance on firms′ green innovation, and the moderating effect of network density on the relationship between them, by using a panel data of 106 listed Chinese manufacturing firms during the period of 2009 to 2018 and employing multivariate regression model. It supposes that the diversified knowledge base has positive effects on firms′ green innovation in alliance networks with a short knowledge distance. The specialized knowledge base has positive effects on firms′ green innovation in alliance networks with a long knowledge distance. Low-density networks have an inhibitory effect on the interaction effects of the specialized knowledge base and the long knowledge distance, yet enhance the interaction effects of the specialized knowledge base and the short knowledge distance. High-density networks enhance the interaction effects of the specialized knowledge base and the long knowledge distance, and the interaction effects of the diversified knowledge and the short knowledge distance. The moderating effect of low-density networks can persist yet the moderating effect of high-density networks will evade over time.
Our findings reveal that firms′ knowledge base, knowledge distance in alliances and network density of alliances can have a differential impact on firms′ green innovation. The multi-dimensional combination of the above three factors is the key to achieve the ideal green innovation effect. Compared with embedding in alliances with a long knowledge distance, firms with diversified knowledge base are more conducive to green innovation when they embedded in alliances with a short knowledge distance. For the interaction effects of knowledge base and knowledge distance on firms′ green innovation, network density have a moderating effect on them. There is time difference in moderating effect.
The theoretical contributions of this paper are as follows: (1) By adopting the contingency combination strategy, two kinds of best combination configurations are formed to support green innovation, and reveal the impact of the interaction effects between knowledge base and knowledge distance on firms′ green innovation from both inside and outside the organization. (2) The loose and close dynamic change of network density is brought into the research framework of firms′ green innovation, and the moderating effect of network density on the interaction effects of knowledge base and knowledge distance on firms′ green innovation is clarified. (3) By introducing social network theory and knowledge management theory that are widely used in general innovation research into firms′ green innovation research, this paper expands the research thinking of the firms′ green innovation, and promotes the proliferation of mature theoretical achievements about social network and knowledge management from general innovation to green innovation research.
This paper can reveal the mechanism of firms′ green innovation and the best knowledge and network configuration with different situation, and provide a theoretical reference for improving the effect of firms′ green innovation.

Key words: knowledge base, knowledge distance, network density, green innovation

于飞袁胜军胡泽民. 知识基础、知识距离对企业绿色创新影响研究[J]. 科研管理, 2021, 42(1): 100-112.

Yu Fei, Yuan Shengjun, Hu Zemin. Impact of knowledge base and knowledge distance on firm′s green innovation[J]. Science Research Management, 2021, 42(1): 100-112.

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