Strategic Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Supply Chain Innovation from the Perspective of Collaborative Advantage

Benlu Xin, Wentao Zhang (), Wei Zhang, Catherine Xiaocui Lou and Himanshu Kumar Shee
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Benlu Xin: School of Business and Management, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
Wentao Zhang: School of Business and Management, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
Wei Zhang: Australian Maritime College, University of Tasmania, Newnham, TAS 7248, Australia
Catherine Xiaocui Lou: Institute for Sustainable Industries and Liveable Cities, Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Himanshu Kumar Shee: Business School, Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 17, 1-21

Abstract: This study aims to investigate the mechanisms by which firms’ strategic entrepreneurship (SE) impacts the achievement of their collaborative advantage (CA) for sustainable supply chain innovation. It includes a comprehensive analysis of the direct effect of SE on CA, the contingent effects of organizational structure and collaborative networks on this impact and the interaction effect of exploration and exploitation strategies under SE. An integrated conceptual model is proposed and the hypotheses are tested by structural equation modeling (SEM) using survey data from 432 manufacturing firms in China. The results confirm the positive impact of SE on CA, which is moderated differently by decentralized, formalized and specialized organizational structures. Meanwhile, vertical and horizontal collaborations lead to different types of advantages, and firms need to balance exploration and exploitation strategies across functional domains to achieve strategic ambidexterity, which further improves CA and facilitates sustainable supply chain innovation. Theoretically, this study is original in applying SE to the collaborative advantage in a supply chain context, while taking into account the high complexity of supply chain collaboration with a contingency approach. Practically, this study provides important managerial implications and specific recommendations for different firms to achieve sustainability in supply chain collaboration and innovation.

Keywords: strategic entrepreneurship; collaborative advantage; organizational structure; collaborative networks; exploration and exploitation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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