Yapu Zhao, Wenhong Zhang, Depeng Liu, Fenghua Bao and Longwei Tian
Given the importance of frontline employees in implementing the service strategy, the purpose of this paper is to examine whether service-orientated human resource management…
Abstract
Purpose
Given the importance of frontline employees in implementing the service strategy, the purpose of this paper is to examine whether service-orientated human resource management (SHRM) practices are important organizational antecedents to help manufacturing firms gain the benefit of the service strategy. Furthermore, the paper also explores whether SHRM practices promote manufacturing firms’ performance through demand-side search.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employs survey methodology to examine a research model that explores whether and how SHRM practices influence manufacturing firms’ performance through demand-side search. Data from 151 high-tech manufacturing firms in a science park of China are analyzed to test the research model.
Findings
This study finds that SHRM practices can enhance manufacturing firms’ performance, and demand-side search plays a mediating role in this relationship.
Research limitations/implications
Depending on a single science park in China to provide cross-sectional subjective data for the core variables and the choice of firms limits the capacity to generalize the findings.
Practical implications
These findings suggest that during transition to service business model, manufacturing firms should design supported organizational systems, especially SHRM practices, and commit to demand-side search as an efficient means to gain the benefit of the service strategy.
Originality/value
The study highlights the crucial role of SHRM practices in the implementation of the service strategy, as well as the mediating role of demand-side search. These results provide some new insights to explain the inconsistent findings in the servitization literature.
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Wenhong Zhang, Yapu Zhao, Longwei Tian and Dong Liu
The purpose of this paper is to explore how boundary-spanning demand-side search (BSDSS) fuels radical technological innovations as well as how innovation appropriability…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore how boundary-spanning demand-side search (BSDSS) fuels radical technological innovations as well as how innovation appropriability moderates this relationship. In particular, based on Teece’s (1986) argument regarding the appropriability of innovation, the authors divide factors to influence innovation appropriability into two types: external institution related and internal capability related.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employs a survey methodology. Specifically, the authors collected a sample composed of 150 high-tech manufacturing Chinese firms.
Findings
Results show that BSDSS has a positive effect on radical technological innovations. Further, the authors find that dysfunctional competition and political ties negatively moderate the main effect, whereas firms’ legal and IPRs protection capabilities positively moderate the main effect.
Research limitations/implications
One major limitation is that the findings are based on data derived from Chinese firms, which may limit the generalization of the findings.
Practical implications
The findings suggest that firms competing Chinese market, both Chinese and foreign firms, should actively leverage BSDSS to boost radical technological innovations. Chinese firms should pay attention to the negative roles of appropriability hazards originating from external institutional environment. Foreign firms in Chinese market should be cautious on potential dysfunctional competition from local competitors, such as imitation and intelligence property violation, and enhance appropriability through building internal capabilities, such as legal and IPRs capabilities.
Originality/value
The study highlights the crucial roles of BSDSS in radical technological innovations, as well as the moderating roles of innovation appropriability. These results provide new insights into the drivers of radical technological innovations.
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Longwei Tian, Yucheng Ma, Wei Hu and Yuan Li
This paper aims to, from a Taoism perspective, one of Chinese inveterate cultures and mindsets, add knowledge into how Chinese indigenous cultures and mindsets will affect the way…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to, from a Taoism perspective, one of Chinese inveterate cultures and mindsets, add knowledge into how Chinese indigenous cultures and mindsets will affect the way of Chinese people perceive and process guanxi. Specifically, this paper outlines the mechanism of guanxi from a culture perspective. Cultures significantly affect local people behavior.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed-methods survey (Study 1) – analyzed with one-way ANOVA – and interview (Study 2) – analyzed with grounded theory – were used to answer the research questions. In total, 248 surveys were collected for Study 1, and 34 interviews for Study 2 that were transcribed into a word file, which consists of 609 pages with 327,463 Chinese characters, were processed.
Findings
The findings show that guanxi is determined by positive and negative forces between instrumental and affective components. Further, two essential conditions – fitness of personality and clear contract, which would determine when a positive or negative force would emerge in a guanxi – were identified.
Originality/value
The main contribution is that this paper clarifies the guanxi mechanism based upon one of the most significant Chinese cultures and mindsets. Or guanxi is viewed from a new perspective – how Taoism affects Chinese people’s perception and evaluation of guanxi. This paper also finds evidence for the main arguments based upon the two studies.
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Xi Zhang, Xuyan Wang, Fangqing Tian, Dongming Xu and Longwei Fan
Feedback-seeking behavior is an important way for individuals to actively seek information feedback to achieve individuals' goals. In the environment driven by contactless digital…
Abstract
Purpose
Feedback-seeking behavior is an important way for individuals to actively seek information feedback to achieve individuals' goals. In the environment driven by contactless digital technologies, the way of individual feedback-seeking behavior through monitoring indirectly becomes obvious, especially for people who complete the work online in digital collaboration. However, previous empirical research on feedback-seeking behavior mainly focused on direct inquiry. The purpose of this paper is to verify the impact of individual learning goal orientation and the digital feedback environment on individuals' feedback-seeking behaviors through inquiry and monitoring approaches. And the moderating effect of time pressure on these relationships was also investigated.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on socio-technical system theory, this study proposes a model to describe the formation of the two approaches of feedback-seeking behaviors (inquiry and monitoring). The hypotheses were examined with the structural equation model method and data were collected from 152 graduate students who completed online surveys.
Findings
The results show that both the digital feedback environment and learning goal orientation can promote individual inquiry and monitoring approaches of feedback-seeking. Furthermore, time pressure moderates the relationship between the digital feedback environment and feedback monitoring negatively.
Originality/value
This study establishes an antecedent model that influences the choice of feedback-seeking approaches in digital environments from the perspective of a socio-technical system. The empirical results supplement the explanation of the influence of both technical and social factors on individual feedback-seeking behavior in digital environments.
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Meige Song, Longwei Wang, Li Wang and Wan Chen
Drawing on a sensemaking perspective, this study aims to theoretically and empirically investigate the effects of participative corporate political activity (PCPA) on radical…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on a sensemaking perspective, this study aims to theoretically and empirically investigate the effects of participative corporate political activity (PCPA) on radical innovation and how regulatory uncertainty and technological uncertainty affect firms’ choice of PCPA as well as its effectiveness on radical innovation.
Design/methodology/approach
Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to test the research model based on survey data collected from 227 Chinese manufacturing firms.
Findings
The results indicate that PCPA has a significantly positive effect on radical innovation. Both regulatory and technological uncertainty are positively related to PCPA. In addition, regulatory uncertainty strengthens the positive relationship between PCPA and radical innovation, whereas technological uncertainty weakens this relationship.
Practical implications
This study reveals that firm managers should be mindful that PCPA is beneficial to firms’ radical innovation activities in China. Additionally, although regulatory uncertainty and technological uncertainty can drive firms to engage in PCPA to cope with the ambiguity they experienced, managers should also be alert to the complicated role of environment forces in enlarging or discounting the positive effect of PCPA on radical innovation.
Originality/value
The findings offer fresh insights into the use of PCPA to manage the uncertain external environment when pursuing radical innovation activities in China.
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Younghoon Chang, One-Ki Daniel Lee, Jaehyun Park and Juyeon Ham