Existing Knowledge Assets and Disruptive Innovation: The Role of Knowledge Embeddedness and Specificity

Chunpei Lin, Baixun Li and Yenchun Jim Wu
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Chunpei Lin: Business Management Research Center, School of Business Administration, Huaqiao University, Quanzhou 362021, China
Baixun Li: School of Business Administration, Guangdong University of Finance and Economics, Guangzhou 510320, China
Yenchun Jim Wu: Graduate Institute of Global Business and Strategy, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei 10645, Taiwan

Sustainability, 2018, vol. 10, issue 2, 1-15

Abstract: Disruptive innovation has created a significant impact on management practices and academia. This study investigated the impact of existing knowledge assets on disruptive innovation by analyzing the role of knowledge embeddedness and specificity. We conducted a hierarchical regression analysis by using survey data from 173 Chinese industrial firms to test the direct and indirect effects of knowledge embeddedness and specificity on disruptive innovation, which can be divided into outward-oriented and internal-oriented disruptive innovation. The results indicated that knowledge embeddedness not only played a positive role in knowledge specificity, but also had a positive effect on outward-oriented disruptive innovation. Furthermore, knowledge specificity exhibited opposite functions in outward-oriented and internal-oriented disruptive innovation. In addition, knowledge specificity mediated the relationship between knowledge embeddedness and outward-oriented (internal-oriented) disruptive innovation.

Keywords: knowledge assets; knowledge embeddedness; knowledge specificity; disruptive innovation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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