Knowledge Management for Technological, Product and Industry Collaboration in China

Abstract

This study aims to empirically validate a link between the three aspects of knowledge management (KM) to three aspects of innovation capability. Knowledge production, transformation, and knowledge diffusion are the three components of knowledge management. Product innovation, technological innovation, and industry chain cooperation are the three types of innovations which apply to the innovation ecosystem. Using social media and e-mail channels WeChat and QQ, the study collected data from 404 samples. They represent a range of the industry characteristics in the innovative ecosystems of China: leadership role, job title, career age, business establishment years, number of staff engaged in technology and R&D, current stage of business development, industry location, and type of business. Structural equation modeling (SEM) produced support for the proposed theoretical concepts which link KM to innovation. It is believed that this study is the first to investigate how KM supports innovation within the innovation ecosystems in China.