Title: How Chinese firms employ open innovation to strengthen their innovative performance

Authors: Yuandi Wang; Nadine Roijakkers; Wim Vanhaverbeke; Jin Chen

Addresses: DTU Executive School of Business, Technical University of Denmark, Building 421, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby (Copenhagen), Denmark. ' Department of Strategy and Innovation, Faculty of Business Economics, Hasselt University, Agoralaan-Building D, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium. ' Department of Strategy and Innovation, Faculty of Business Economics, Hasselt University, Agoralaan-Building D, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium; Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School, Vlamingenstraat 83, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; ESADE Business School, Av. Pedralbes 60-62, 08034 Barcelona, Spain. ' College of Public Administration, Zhejiang University, 38 Zheda Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

Abstract: China became the second-largest economy behind the USA in 2010. While there is quite some macroeconomic research documenting the technological catching-up of China as a nation, there is only little research studying how individual Chinese firms are catching up. This paper draws on the open innovation perspective to explore how Chinese firms improve their innovative performance. Our empirical analysis is based on a sample of 91 native Chinese firms in high-tech industries. The results indicate that Chinese firms widely implement an open innovation approach to strengthen their innovative performance. These firms use: 1) technology in-licensing agreements to obtain access to technologies; 2) long-term alliances with foreign partners to access state-of-the-art technologies; 3) collaboration with local universities and R&D institutes to broaden their technological strengths; 4) collaboration with the local industrial community to deepen their technological skills.

Keywords: open innovation; innovative performance; technology in-licensing; China; performance improvement; high-tech industries; in-licensing agreements; technological access; long-term alliances; foreign partners; state-of-the-art technologies; collaboration; universities; higher education; R&D; research and development; technological strengths; local industry; industrial communities; technological skills; technology management.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.2012.047245

International Journal of Technology Management, 2012 Vol.59 No.3/4, pp.235 - 254

Received: 12 May 2011
Accepted: 18 Jan 2012

Published online: 06 Apr 2013 *

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