TY - JOUR
T1 - Standardization efforts: The relationship between knowledge dimensions, search processes and innovation outcomes
AU - Xie, Zongjie
AU - Hall, Jeremy
AU - McCarthy, Ian P.
AU - Skitmore, Martin
AU - Shen, Liyin
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was partly supported by the Humanity and Social Science Youth foundation of Chinese Ministry Education ( 13YJC630189 ) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities ( 2015CDJXY ). The authors are grateful to people who helped in undertaking the research and making improvements to this article. We would also like to thank the editors and reviewers of Technovation for their insightful comments and feedback on this research.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 The Authors.
Copyright:
Copyright 2016 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2016/2/1
Y1 - 2016/2/1
N2 - We explore how a standardization effort (i.e., when a firm pursues standards to further innovation) involves different search processes for knowledge and innovation outcomes. Using an inductive case study of Vanke, a leading Chinese property developer, we show how varying degrees of knowledge complexity and codification combine to produce a typology of four types of search process: active, integrative, decentralized and passive, resulting in four types of innovation outcome: modular, radical, incremental and architectural. We argue that when the standardization effort in a firm involves highly codified knowledge, incremental and architectural innovation outcomes are fostered, while modular and radical innovations are hindered. We discuss how standardization efforts can result in a second-order innovation capability, and conclude by calling for comparative research in other settings to understand how standardization efforts can be suited to different types of search process in different industry contexts.
AB - We explore how a standardization effort (i.e., when a firm pursues standards to further innovation) involves different search processes for knowledge and innovation outcomes. Using an inductive case study of Vanke, a leading Chinese property developer, we show how varying degrees of knowledge complexity and codification combine to produce a typology of four types of search process: active, integrative, decentralized and passive, resulting in four types of innovation outcome: modular, radical, incremental and architectural. We argue that when the standardization effort in a firm involves highly codified knowledge, incremental and architectural innovation outcomes are fostered, while modular and radical innovations are hindered. We discuss how standardization efforts can result in a second-order innovation capability, and conclude by calling for comparative research in other settings to understand how standardization efforts can be suited to different types of search process in different industry contexts.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84959091963&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.technovation.2015.12.002
DO - 10.1016/j.technovation.2015.12.002
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84959091963
SN - 0166-4972
VL - 48-49
SP - 69
EP - 78
JO - Technovation
JF - Technovation
ER -