|
|
|
| Knowledge Diversity and Its Influence on Technical Team Innovation Performance |
| Shi Jing1, Sun Jianjun1,2 |
1.School of Information Management, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023
2.Laboratory for Data Intelligence and Cross-Innovation of Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023 |
|
|
|
|
Abstract Team innovation is a distinctive feature of the “Big Tech Era.” Numerous studies have examined the innovation process of scientific teams, but technical teams have received insufficient attention. Particularly, the knowledge diversity of technical teams and its impact on innovation performance remains unclear. Considering the features of technical teams, we propose a new method to identify teams, then construct team knowledge networks, measure knowledge diversity, and explore its impact on team innovation performance. The impact is analyzed from three dimensions: innovation quantity, innovation quality, and innovation breadth. The results reveal that knowledge diversity can significantly improve the innovation performance in all three dimensions. Specifically, when aiming at innovation productivity, larger teams can better exert a positive effect of knowledge diversity. However, when focusing on innovation novelty and originality, knowledge diversity can improve innovation performance more obviously in a smaller team. This study can be considered with the relevant research on scientific teams to help understand the different characteristics and mechanisms in scientific and technical teams. It can also assist R&D departments and managers to allocate resources for different innovation goals.
|
|
Received: 06 September 2022
|
|
|
|
1 Hunter L, Leahey E. Collaborative research in sociology: trends and contributing factors[J]. The American Sociologist, 2008, 39(4): 290-306.
2 Wuchty S, Jones B F, Uzzi B. The increasing dominance of teams in production of knowledge[J]. Science, 2007, 316(5827): 1036-1039.
3 Leahey E. From sole investigator to team scientist: trends in the practice and study of research collaboration[J]. Annual Review of Sociology, 2016, 42(1): 81-100.
4 Guimerà R, Uzzi B, Spiro J, et al. Team assembly mechanisms determine collaboration network structure and team performance[J]. Science, 2005, 308(5722): 697-702.
5 张华夏, 张志林. 从科学与技术的划界来看技术哲学的研究纲领[J]. 自然辩证法研究, 2001, 17(2): 31-36.
6 de Solla Price D J. Is technology historically independent of science? A study in statistical historiography[J]. Technology and Culture, 1965, 6(4): 553-568.
7 Salas E, Dickinson T L, Converse S, et al. Toward an understanding of team performance and training[M]// Teams: Their Training and Performance. Norwood: Ablex Publishing, 1992: 3-29.
8 Lovelace K, Shapiro D L, Weingart L R. Maximizing cross-functional new product teams’ innovativeness and constraint adherence: a conflict communications perspective[J]. Academy of Management Journal, 2001, 44(4): 779-793.
9 郑小勇, 楼鞅. 科研团队创新绩效的影响因素及其作用机理研究[J]. 科学学研究, 2009, 27(9): 1428-1438.
10 D?biaggio L, Nasiriyar M, Nesta L. The organization of the knowledge base and inventive performance[M]// Innovation and IT in an International Context. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014: 47-64.
11 Stirling A. A general framework for analysing diversity in science, technology and society[J]. Journal of the Royal Society, Interface, 2007, 4(15): 707-719.
12 Bell S T, Villado A J, Lukasik M A, et al. Getting specific about demographic diversity variable and team performance relationships: a meta-analysis[J]. Journal of Management, 2011, 37(3): 709-743.
13 Moreira S, Markus A, Laursen K. Knowledge diversity and coordination: the effect of intrafirm inventor task networks on absorption speed[J]. Strategic Management Journal, 2018, 39(9): 2517-2546.
14 Shin S J, Zhou J. When is educational specialization heterogeneity related to creativity in research and development teams? Transformational leadership as a moderator[J]. Journal of Applied Psychology, 2007, 92(6): 1709-1721.
15 Reagans R, Zuckerman E W. Networks, diversity, and productivity: the social capital of corporate R&D teams[J]. Organization Science, 2001, 12(4): 502-517.
16 张景焕, 刘欣, 任菲菲, 等. 团队多样性与组织支持对团队创造力的影响[J]. 心理学报, 2016, 48(12): 1551-1560.
17 邓今朝, 王重鸣. 团队多样性对知识共享的反向作用机制研究[J]. 科学管理研究, 2008, 26(6): 25-27, 53.
18 Martínez-Plumed F, Barredo P, Héigeartaigh S ó, et al. Research community dynamics behind popular AI benchmarks[J]. Nature Machine Intelligence, 2021, 3(7): 581-589.
19 石静, 孙建军. 科技创新团队的知识网络构建与知识测度研究[J]. 情报学报, 2022, 41(9): 900-914.
20 Wu L F, Wang D S, Evans J A. Large teams develop and small teams disrupt science and technology[J]. Nature, 2019, 566(7744): 378-382.
21 Harrison D A, Klein K J. What’s the difference? Diversity constructs as separation, variety, or disparity in organizations[J]. Academy of Management Review, 2007, 32(4): 1199-1228.
22 Scherer F M. Using linked patent data and R&D data to measure Interindustry technology flows[M]// R&D, Patents and Productivity. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1984: 417-464.
23 Quatraro F. Knowledge coherence, variety and economic growth: manufacturing evidence from Italian regions[J]. Research Policy, 2010, 39(10): 1289-1302.
24 乔舒亚·安格里斯特, 约恩-斯特芬·皮施克. 基本无害的计量经济学: 实证研究者指南[M]. 郎金焕, 李井奎, 译. 上海: 上海人民出版社, 2021: 59-60.
25 Hsiehchen D, Espinoza M, Hsieh A. Multinational teams and diseconomies of scale in collaborative research[J]. Science Advances, 2015, 1(8): e1500211.
26 Bruns S B, Kalthaus M. Flexibility in the selection of patent counts: implications for p-hacking and evidence-based policymaking[J]. Research Policy, 2020, 49(1): 103877. |
|
|
|
