Absorptive/Desorptive Capacity In Open Innovation And Boundary-spanning Search

When people have received the ideas of knowledge economy deeply, heterogeneous knowledge as one of the valuable assets, which enterprises could use them to obtain competitive advantage, receives widespread concern from enterprises in contemporary and competitive surroundings. Boundary-spanning search is an act which enterprises search heterogeneous knowledge from unknown areas across technical or organizational boundaries, and more and more enterprises use it to search heterogeneous knowledge, and then re-combine the knowledge creatively to shape competitive advantage and accelerate corporate innovation.Many studies have shown that boundary-spanning search have both theoretical significance and practical significance in open innovation contexts, but most of these studies, which mainly show the relationship of boundary-spanning search and performance in the context of open innovation, is from the perspective of the consequences. From the perspective of antecedents, there is few studies which study boundary-spanning search in open innovation contexts, and especially there is few targeted studies which is about the topic which capacities effect boundary-spanning search. This article uses the knowledge to make certain concepts and dimensions of open innovation capacity and boundary-spanning search, and then discusses and analyzes the relationship of open innovation capacity and boundary-spanning search.In this paper, we use qualitative method and quantitative research method, and we use literature analysis and large sample data to do empirical research. We make speculative and qualitative analysis based on digestion and absorption of literatures both at home and abroad, then we treat open innovation capability as a macro variable; according the two basic processes of open innovation, we divided open innovation capability into the two operable variables (absorptive capacity and desorptive ability) at the operational level. At the same time, we divided boundary-spanning search into cognitive dimension and the geographic dimension. Based on the mode of relationship between concepts, this article comes up with10 hypotheses, then through large sample survey and using the SPSS statistical analysis software to analyze returned samples, we made quantitative verification of the model. The empirical results show that the three sub-capacity of absorptive capacity (the capacity of identifying, digesting and applying) have significant positive impact on the cognitive dimension and the geographic dimension of boundary-spanning search; the two sub-ability of desorptive capability (the ability to identify and transfer capacity) have significant positive impact on the cognitive dimension and the geographical dimension of the boundary-spanning search, and10hypotheses are through empirical testing. These proved assumptions show that open innovation capability has a positive impact on the boundary-spanning search.This paper has three innovative parts. First, this article think open innovation capability is a macro variable, and we give its full definition. At the same time to make empirical analysis we according the two basic processes of open innovation divided open innovation capability into the two operable variables (absorptive capacity and desorptive capacity) Second, this paper gives a clear description of every part of the definition of boundary-spanning and make the differences and connections with "explore". Third, through the perspective of the knowledge, this article discuss the mechanism which open innovation capacity affects boundary-spanning search, revealing a "black box" between open innovation capacity and boundary-spanning search. The study helps us make the study of concepts mechanism of open innovation capacity deeply, and expand the study of boundary-spanning search in open innovation context, and to some extent we can clarify the shortcomings and crux of our corporate about open innovation practice. Besides, we provide useful inspiration and ideas for the enterprise innovation improvement, and help enterprise shape the open innovation capacity and use boundary-spanning search.