Research on the Driving Paths and Evolution of Digital Innovation in Intelligent Connected Vehicle Enterprises—A Configurational Analysis Based on Dynamic fsQCA

Guiju Zhu, Yuxing Peng, Changfa Shi (), Sha Liu and Haiyun Liu
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Guiju Zhu: School of Management, Hunan University of Technology and Business, Changsha 410205, China
Yuxing Peng: School of Management, Hunan University of Technology and Business, Changsha 410205, China
Changfa Shi: School of Intelligent Engineering and Intelligent Manufacturing, Hunan University of Technology and Business, Changsha 410205, China
Sha Liu: School of International Business, Hunan University of Information Technology, Changsha 410151, China
Haiyun Liu: School of Management, Hunan University of Technology and Business, Changsha 410205, China

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 23, 1-23

Abstract: Intelligent connected vehicles (ICVs) are increasingly emerging as a pivotal driving force for promoting sustainable development in global transportation due to their outstanding performance in mitigating carbon emissions, alleviating traffic congestion, and enhancing travel efficiency. Enhancing the digital innovation capability of ICV enterprises is an imperative path to explore high-quality industry development and effectively respond to the latest technological revolution and industrial transformation. Based on the panel data from 20 listed companies in the ICV industry in China from 2019 to 2022, this study utilizes a fixed-base index and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) method within the framework of technology–organization–environment (TOE) theory to investigate the influencing factors, driving paths, and temporal trends of digital innovation in ICV enterprises in China. The results show the following: (1) No single factor can constitute a sufficient condition for achieving a high level of digital innovation. (2) The level of digital innovation of ICV enterprises in China showed a fluctuating growth trend during 2019–2022. Digital infrastructure and market competition are the two critical factors for digital innovation, while technology and organizational conditions have become bottlenecks. (3) There are five driving paths of digital innovation in ICV enterprises in China, including the Entrepreneurial Navigation + Technology Accumulation Driving Path, R&D Advantage + Environment Driving Path, Application Oriented + Environment Driving Path, Knowledge Absorption Driving Path, and Total Factor Driving Path. (4) From 2019 to 2022, the digital innovation of ICV enterprises in China underwent two stages of evolution, namely “Knowledge Absorption + Government Promotion” to “Technology Embedded + Market Driven”. (5) A substitutive relationship exists between digital resource acquisition capabilities and digital infrastructure, which promotes digital innovation through different paths leading to the same goal. The findings of this study have important theoretical and practical implications for ICV enterprises in making scientific and reasonable digital innovation decisions, thereby fostering the sustainable development of the automotive industry.

Keywords: intelligent connected vehicle (ICV); digital innovation; driving path; sustainable development; dynamic fsQCA (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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