科研管理 ›› 2022, Vol. 43 ›› Issue (7): 61-68.

• 论文 • 上一篇    下一篇

供应商为制造商带来更多的研发创新还是非研发创新?——社会资本视角

祝明伟,李随成   

  1. 西安理工大学 经济与管理学院,陕西 西安710054
  • 收稿日期:2021-09-08 修回日期:2022-01-07 出版日期:2022-07-20 发布日期:2022-07-19
  • 通讯作者: 祝明伟
  • 基金资助:
    国家自然科学基金项目:“供应商参与新产品开发中知识整合过程与实现机制研究”(71872148,2019.01—2023.01)。


Do suppliers bring more R&D innovation or non-R&D innovation to manufacturers?——A study from the perspective of social capital

Zhu Mingwei, Li Suicheng   

  1. School of Economics and Management, Xi′an University of Technology, Xi′an 710054, Shaanxi, China
  • Received:2021-09-08 Revised:2022-01-07 Online:2022-07-20 Published:2022-07-19

摘要: 已有研究侧重于探索供应商如何为制造企业提升研发创新,但忽视了非研发创新的内在价值。事实上,非研发创新同样是提升企业创新绩效的重要途径,鲜有研究探明供应链情境下非研发创新的结构与前因。基于社会资本理论,破解如何提升研发创新与非研发创新,并探明供应商为制造商带来更多的研发创新还是非研发创新。选取538份有效问卷,采用结构方程模型验证,实证结果表明:(1)制造商——供应商社会资本各维度均正向影响研发创新与非研发创新;(2)相对于研发创新,结构资本与认知资本更能提升制造企业非研发创新;而相对于非研发创新,关系资本更能提升制造企业研发创新;(3)社会资本各维度对非研发创新的各维度(产品或工艺改进、模仿创新、技术引进与市场创新)均产生正向影响。研究结论厘清了制造企业制造商——供应商社会资本不同维度提升研发创新/非研发创新的差异性影响,为制造企业提升研发创新/非研发创新提供理论解释与实践启示。

关键词: 制造商-供应商社会资本, 非研发创新, 研发创新, 社会资本理论

Abstract:    Under the background of open innovation, making use of suppliers′ innovation ability or strengthening the depth of cooperation has become an important means to improve the innovation performance of manufacturing enterprises, but the cooperation with suppliers will not significantly promote the R&D innovation of manufacturing enterprises. Due to the complexity and uncertainty of R&D tasks, the weak absorptive capacity of enterprises and the limited depth of cooperation, the R&D capacity promoted by manufacturing enterprises is limited.
    Although manufacturers′ ability to improve R&D innovation by suppliers is limited, the process technology information, technological transformation plan and market dynamic information acquired in cooperation will improve the non-R&D innovation level of manufacturing enterprises. Non-R&D innovation is different from traditional R&D innovation, it mainly includes technical or non-technical innovation activities such as imitation, improvement and improvement of new products or technologies, organizational learning and user innovation. Non-R&D innovation has gradually attracted the attention of enterprises: On the one hand, compared with R&D innovation, non-R&D innovation has shorter time cycle, lower cost and strong selectivity. On the other hand, the output of non-R&D innovation is relatively high and the profits are relatively fast, while the short-term profits of enterprises are applied to long-term R&D activities, which is more conducive to give full play to the utilization rate of innovation resources, ensure the long-term investment in R&D, and then improve the innovation performance of enterprises. Therefore, an in-depth study on the path mechanism of manufacturing enterprises to promote non-R&D innovation in the context of supply chain provides beneficial ideas for the improvement of innovation capability. Therefore, non-R&D innovation is an important way to improve the innovation performance of manufacturing enterprise, but few studies have proved the structure of non-R&D innovation and the relationship between R&D innovation and non-R&D innovation in the context of supply chain.
   Based on all above, the main contents of this paper are as follows: Firstly, the conceptual model of manufacturer supplier social capital and R&D or non-R&D innovation is constructed, and nine hypotheses are put forward. Specifically, the structural capital, cognitive capital and relational capital of manufacturer-supplier has a positive impact on manufacturer′s R&D and non-R&D innovation. Compared with R&D innovation, the structural capital of manufacturer-supplier has a stronger impact on non-R&D innovation, but the cognitive capital and relational capital of manufacturer-supplier has a stronger impact on R&D innovation than non-R&D innovation.
   Secondly, the measurement scale is designed. A large-scale questionnaire survey was conducted by issuing questionnaires, and 538 questionnaires were collected from 206 enterprises. AMOS21.0 and SPSS24.0 were used to verify the reliability and validity of the scale. (1) All dimensions of manufacturer-supplier social capital positively affect R&D innovation and non-R&D innovation; (2) Compared with R&D innovation, structural capital and cognitive capital has a stronger impact on non-R&D innovation in manufacturing companies; but relational capital of manufacturer-supplier has a stronger impact on R&D innovation than non-R&D innovation; (3) structural capital, cognitive capital and relational capital have an positive impact on each dimension of non-R&D innovation (product or process improvement, imitation innovation, technology introduction and market innovation).
    Finally, based on the empirical results, the research conclusion clarifies the differential impact of different dimensions of manufacturer-supplier social capital on R&D or non-R&D innovation, providing a theoretical explanation for manufacturing enterprises to improve R&D innovation/non-R&D innovation. In addition, there are three aspects of practical significance in this research, to help enterprises better improve innovation ability.

Key words: manufacturer-supplier social capital, non-R&D innovation, R&D innovation, social capital theory