Research Article
An Empirical Study on the Type-Specific Characteristics of Korean Innovative Firms
Published: January 1996 · Vol. 25, No. 2 · pp. 31-60
Full Text
Abstract
This study divides corporate innovation activities into technological innovation, whose importance has long been emphasized, and management innovation, whose importance has recently been highlighted and is being actively adopted. Firms are classified into four innovation types based on the degree to which they focus on these two innovation activities: technological innovation firms, management innovation firms, ambidextrous innovation firms, and non-innovation firms. The study empirically tested whether there are differences among these innovation types in organizational climate, organizational commitment, inter-organizational interdependence, top management characteristics, and organizational performance, using Korean small and medium-sized enterprises as the sample. A summary of the characteristics by innovation type is as follows. Technological innovation firms exhibited high autonomy and innovativeness in organizational climate, extensive utilization of technological linkages among external linkage forms, high external communication and risk-taking orientation of top management, and high sales growth rates. In contrast, management innovation firms showed low innovativeness but high task orientation in organizational climate, extensive use of subcontracting in production among external linkages, frequent explicit expression of organizational commitment, low risk-taking orientation of top management, and low sales growth rates. Differently, ambidextrous innovation firms demonstrated high levels of autonomy, innovativeness, and task orientation in organizational climate, frequent explicit expression of organizational commitment, active utilization of technological linkages among external linkages, active external communication and high risk-taking orientation of top management, and high levels of both sales growth rates and profit margins.
