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Although most of the literature supports the existence of a substitutive relationship between exploration and exploitation, some authors suggest that this relationship is complementary (ambidexterity), and others argue that there is no relationship. This paper aims to introduce organizational innovation into the analysis and discusses which of these three relationships prevails.

Analyses were performed using data from Spanish Technological Innovation Panel for the period 2008-2013. It should be emphasized that the use of panel data is essential in the analysis of the interaction of exploration and exploitation, as exploration only makes sense in the long run. Econometric strategy uses a two-stage selection model, estimated using the Wooldridge’s (1995) consistent estimator for panel data with sample selection. To perform the test, the hypothesis uses the approach of complementarity.

The results show that the relationships exploration-organizational innovation and exploitation-organizational innovation are complementary, provided that the analysis is performed on companies that simultaneously carry out exploration and exploitation activities, respectively. This indicates that the achievement of ambidexterity is strongly conditioned by the simultaneous realization of organizational innovations.

Managers and policymakers should be aware that the simultaneous implementation of exploration and exploitation yields better results when the corresponding organizational innovations are also implemented.

This paper extends the empirical investigation of the relationship between exploration and exploitation, seen in conjunction with organizational innovation, and using the complementarity approach as a research tool.

This research aims to study the impact that the interaction between internal R&D and R&D cooperation has on the technical efficiency of firms, as well as to analyse whether firms belonging to a group achieve any additional level of technical efficiency.

We employ the stochastic frontier version of a knowledge production function, particularly the inefficiency model, and we combine the stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) and the complementarity approach.

The interaction between internal R&D and R&D cooperation has a positive and significant impact on technical efficiency when the complementarity test is applied between companies belonging to a group, and there is no interaction when they do not belong to a group.

Knowing this type of information in advance is critical for managers and policymakers, as it allows them to avoid undesirable combinations of innovation strategies or contexts not favourable for their implementation, as well as the formulation of policies leading to an efficient allocation of public resources.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper contributes an original approach in evaluating the complementarity of internal R&D and R&D cooperation from the perspective of technical efficiency and group membership, combining the SFA and the complementarity approach.

本研究擬探討內部研發與研發合作之間的相互作用會如何影響公司的技術效率;研究亦擬分析屬於集團的公司會否達致更高一級的技術效率。

研究人員採用一個知識生產函數的隨機前沿方法,尤其是低效模型,研究人員並且把隨機前沿分析和互補法結合起來進行探討。

研究結果顯示,若互補法在屬於集團的公司之間應用,內部研發與研發合作之間的相互作用會對技術效率產生積極和重大的影響;但是,如果公司不屬於任何集團的話,則沒有任何相互作用。

預先了解這方面的資料和信息對管理人員和政策制定者至關重要,這是因為這可讓他們避開不良的創新策略組合,以及那些不利於推行創新策略的環境;而且,能否制定可為公共資源高效分配的政策,也有賴於了解這方面的信息和資料。

據我們所知,本研究從技術效率和組成員身份的角度去評定內部研發與研發合作的互補性,在這方面提供了新穎的研究方法;而且,本研究結合了隨機前沿分析和互補法,這也是創新的做法。