The internationalization of technological activity and R&D performance in multinational enterprises.

摘要

Increasingly, multinational enterprises (MNEs) in science-based industries are locating their research and development activities abroad. This trend has been paralleled by a growing interest in overseas R&D on the part of scholars from several disciplines. Unfortunately, most studies neglect the performance implications of cross-border research and development. This gap in the literature leaves several important research questions unanswered: How does organizational structure affect innovative performance in overseas R&D units? Does the structure-performance relationship depend on the role assigned to an overseas R&D unit? How is MNE-level innovativeness affected by R&D internationalization?;Two questionnaire-based studies were conducted to investigate these questions. In Study 1, primary data was obtained from the directors of 79 overseas R&D units operated by large North American, European, and Japanese multinationals in the pharmaceutical, chemical, electronics, computer, and telecommunications industries. Moderated hierarchical regression analysis was used to test hypotheses concerning the impact on innovative performance of five structural variables (centralization, formalization, intra-organizational knowledge sharing, socialization, and specialization) and the potential interactions of these variables with overseas R&D unit mission (foreign-market-targeting versus foreign-technology-sourcing). Formalization had a negative effect (p .10) and knowledge sharing a strong positive effect (p .01) on innovative performance. No significant interactions with R&D unit mission were found. It was concluded from these results that innovative performance is enhanced by lateral and hierarchical information exchange but suppressed by bureaucratic coordination and control mechanisms.;In Study 2, hypotheses concerning the impact of R&D internationalization on MNE-level innovativeness were tested using a sample of 53 chief technology officers in large global firms. Hierarchical regression models were estimated for both perception-based and objective (patent-based) measures of innovative performance. A significant positive relationship was found between an MNE's level of investment in overseas R&D and the perception-based dependent variable. A weak curvilinear (inverted U-shaped) relationship was found between R&D internationalization levels and the objective performance measure. The main conclusion of this study is that innovative performance improves initially as technological activity is internationalized but then decelerates and eventually declines as the costs and complexities of managing a global research and development system escalate.