Science Research Management ›› 2024, Vol. 45 ›› Issue (2): 137-144.DOI: 10.19571/j.cnki.1000-2995.2024.02.014

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Impact of knowledge structure attributes on the breakthrough innovation performance of enterprises

Liu Na1, Du Yanting1, Mao Jianqi2,1, Wang Chongmei1   

  1. 1. School of Business Administration, Shandong Technology and Business University, Yantai 264005, Shandong, China; 
    2. Shandong Vocational University of Foreign Affairs, Rushan 264504, Shandong, China
  • Received:2022-06-29 Revised:2023-07-18 Online:2024-02-20 Published:2024-01-23

Abstract:     Technology innovation is the primary subject of firms and it has a big part to play in China′s efforts to build an innovative society. It is the main factor influencing social development. In addition, distinctive and ground-breaking breakthrough innovation, as opposed to progressive innovation, is crucial for businesses to achieve high-quality development in the context of the ongoing upheavals both domestically and internationally. For China to innovate and develop, firms must be clear about the procedures they follow before acquiring breakthrough innovation. Enterprise knowledge, as a substantial source of innovative activities, can be a crucial source of inspiration for firms striving to attain breakthrough innovation. Knowledge is the driving force behind innovation.A firm′s knowledge base is where its innovation starts. Exploring the mechanism of dispersion and dependence of knowledge base in structure on enterprises′ breakthrough innovation is helpful to reveal the effective path of knowledge base to improve the enterprises′ breakthrough innovation. The enterprise knowledge theory and the knowledge base idea are the foundations of the study. This study used the patent data and financial information from listed companies in China′s pharmaceutical manufacturing sector to analyze the moderating effects of enterprise knowledge integration ability on the impact of enterprise knowledge infrastructure attributes, specifically knowledge base diversity and knowledge base complexity, on the breakthrough innovation performance of enterprises. The zero-inflated negative binomial regression method was used to verify the relevant hypothesis and perform robustness analysis. The finding showed that : (1) A diverse enterprise knowledge base can aid in new knowledge exploration and boost the level of breakthrough innovation, but a diverse enterprise knowledge base in excess can have detrimental effects such as scale diseconomy and enterprise knowledge information overload, which hinder the promotion of breakthrough innovation. (2) The more existing portfolios there are, the fewer prospects there are for new portfolios, and organizations are more likely to look into fresh information in order to advance breakthrough innovation. (3) The efficacy of integrating existing knowledge pieces will raise the opportunity cost of seeking out new information and will lessen the beneficial effects of knowledge base diversity on breakthrough innovation when firms have strong knowledge integration skills. At the same time, knowledge integration skills may aid businesses in utilizing knowledge components, increasing the usage of knowledge components, and reducing the detrimental effects of knowledge base diversity on ground-breaking innovation. High knowledge integration skills can also lower coordination and integration costs for combining fresh and accumulated information, increasing the effectiveness of breakthrough innovation.According to the research conclusions, the contributions of this paper are as follows: (1) By focusing on the knowledge infrastructure attributes and taking into account the significance of enterprise knowledge infrastructure, this study broadened the research perspective on breakthrough innovation by empirically demonstrating the influence of knowledge infrastructure attributes on breakthrough innovation as well as the moderating role of contextual factors. (2) This paper unified the diversity and complexity of knowledge bases into a single framework, which aids in a better understanding of how enterprise knowledge infrastructure attributes affect breakthrough innovation and advances the study of its causes.The management insight from this study is also based on the research findings, and it is as follows: (1) Enterprise managers should carefully consider investigating the allocation of resources for new knowledge elements, maintain an appropriate level of knowledge base diversity, and avoid the negative effects of resource dispersion. (2) Businesses should consider how interdependent their knowledge bases are and look at any potential chances for innovation they may hold. (3) Organizations should take into account their own knowledge integration capabilities when deciding on their innovation strategy in order to better leverage the value of their knowledge management in innovation, create more logical innovation solutions, and increase the effectiveness of breakthrough innovation.

Key words:  knowledge base diversity, knowledge base complexity, knowledge integration capability, breakthrough innovation