Research on the Relationship between Strong/Weak Ties and Radical Innovation: The Mediating Effect of Absorptive Capacity and Moderating Effect of Environmental Dynamism

Abstract

Abstract:

Strong ties and weak ties are both important social capital of enterprises. The significance of weak ties to radical innovation has been widely recognized, but the significance of strong ties to radical innovation remains controversial. Taking absorptive capacity as the mediating variable and environmental dynamism as the moderating variable, this paper studies the relationship between strong/weak ties and radical innovation based on the sample data from 130 enterprises of strategic emerging industries in Guangdong Province. The results show that:strong ties and weak ties both have a significant positive effect on radical innovation, and further analysis finds that the impact of weak ties on radical innovation is more significant than strong ties. Strong ties and weak ties both have a significant positive effect on the absorptive capacity, and strong ties has a full mediating impact on radical innovation through absorptive capacity and weak ties has a partial mediating impact on radical innovation through absorptive capacity. Environmental dynamism has no moderating effect on the relationship between strong ties and radical innovation, but has a positive moderating effect on the relationship between weak ties and radical innovation.

Key words: strong ties, weak ties, absorptive capacity, environmental dynamism, radical innovation

Wang Yongjian, Xie Weihong, Wang Tianhui, Cheng Minghui. Research on the Relationship between Strong/Weak Ties and Radical Innovation: The Mediating Effect of Absorptive Capacity and Moderating Effect of Environmental Dynamism[J]. , 2016, 28(10): 111-122.

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