기업의 네트워크 구축 및 혜택이 기술개발성과에 미치는 영향

Abstract

Compared to large companies, small and medium-sized companies have disadvantages in raising funds, obtaining raw materials and human resources, and selling their products. In addition, the recent fast-changing business environment has aggravated these challenges. Their external environmental changes and internal resource shortage have necessitate network building with other companies. Networks between companies can help a firm to concentrate on its core capability while solving other minor issues through collaboration with other companies. However, the positive function of networks cannot be expected when companies avoid sharing important information or knowledge so as to gain or maintain competitiveness. In order to improve the relationships support organizations for companies establish networks between companies and provide services for them. The present study was conducted with extended variables, encompassing support organizations as participants of network among companies, and adding driving force for network participation as a variable to the network structure and benefit variables that have been studied in prior research. Specifically, the study focused on the external orientation of network and strategic dependency as two main variables, investigating their effects on the frequency of communication, which is the structural characteristics of network, and on the establishment of network, which is the relational characteristics of network. Furthermore, the study attempted to examine the effects of variables in networks on the assumptions that companies maximize technological knowledge acquirement and resource accessibility using the structural and relational characteristics of network and that the benefit factors of network affect technological development performance. The data of the study was collected with help of government-related institutes such as domestic Technoparks, KOTRA, and Small and Medium Business Administration, using questionnaires with CEOs, directors, and managers in technology development of small and medium-sized companies which were supported by government-related institutes. The survey was limited to one person per company in order to secure representativeness. A total of 220 questionnaires were distributed and 174 were returned. 168 questionnaires were used in the final analysis excluding incomplete 6 questionnaires. SPSS 17.0 and LISREL 8.80 were employed in the analyses of the data. The major findings of the study are as follows. First, support organizations' external orientation of network and strategic dependency were shown to be the factors of establishing network. Specifically, although the support organizations' external orientation of network did not significantly affect the frequency of communication, it affected network building. Strategic dependency showed a positive effect on the frequency of communication and network building, which reveals how the frequency of communication increases as the first phase of relationship building in accordance with the need for network firms perceive, and how the relationship further develops to network building with regional partners. When a firm expects various benefits and support by participating in network that connects a number of collaborative organizations, the company expects to exchange more useful information through expanding their communication partners to university research institutes in the region, technology research institutes, firms in the same industry, and other organizations, building trust with them, rather than activating communication with the support organizations of the industry. Therefore, it is probable that the support organizations' external orientation of network is not closely related to the frequency of communication. On the other hand, the results indicate that firms that recognize the importance of strategic dependency and collaboration in today's business environment build mutual trust through communication, actively involved in relationship activities such as seminars and other meetings and building academia-industry collaboration. Second, frequent communication with support organizations showed positive effect on network building. Frequent communication with the person in charge of the support organization can build mutual trust, help the support organization understand the firm better, and thereby contribute to effective network building as well as support organizations by introducing the best collaborative companies or supporting funds and/or policies to the relevant firms. Third, communication with support organizations did not show significant effects on technological knowledge acquirement or resource accessibility, whereas network building affected them significantly. The results imply that although the purpose of support organizations is to help companies to achieve management innovation, their activities should be based on trust among the network members, rather than simply increasing the frequency of contact through communication to acquire technological knowledge and raise accessibility to tangible/intangible resources. Fourth, firms that had acquired technological knowledge and had access to tangible/intangible resources were shown to generate technological development performance. The results suggest that firms that are confident of technological development success with accumulated fundamental and application knowledge that can be applied to technology development actually perform technology development such as quality improvement, productivity increase, etc. by forming internal learning groups. They also seem to yield visible results by sharing up-to-date information and recent industry trends through constant networking. Based on the research findings, the present study suggest the following implications. First, unlike the previous research that centered on the effect of network building among companies, the present study attempted to investigate the effects of support organizations for firms and network building, encompassing support organizations as part of network participants. The problem with the existing network for companies is that since the firms participate mainly to gain competitiveness and become a leading company, they fail to share management knowhow through network and to maintain collaborative operations, e.g., joint development of new technology. Therefore, the network can be terminated if it is against the firm's objectives. By including support groups that guard against this kind of negative potential for network in the investigation of the effects of network, the present study empirically researched the expected benefits from a mutually collaborative relationship and company performance while excluding the negative potential in network building. Second, the study has identified driving force of companies to build network. Previous studies focused on the structural characteristics of network based on the methodological point of view. Many studies attempted to explore the effects of the structural/relational characteristics of network on network benefits. However, the objectives of the present study were to identify the driving force of firms to build network and its effects on the structural/relational characteristics of network. The study found that as for the support organizations' external orientation of network, the relational characteristics of network had greater effects than its structural characteristics whereas as to strategic dependency, both characteristics showed significant effects. The study contributes to building more in-depth research basis for future research on industry network. Fourth, the study found that strategic dependency had a greater effect on the frequency of communication with support organizations than support organizations' external orientation of network, which indicates that the capability of support organizations plays a role in overcoming small and medium-sized companies' limitations in resources through increasing communication. The results also suggest that although it is important for support organizations to actively set up policies for industry support programs, it is first and foremost important to secure the capabilities of the organizations that supervise support organizations. Support organizations were founded by the central government, which acknowledged the importance of technology in the changing global economic environment. Their main purposes are to activate research and development and to implement support policies for small and medium-sized companies in order to boost their competitiveness. Of the support organizations, Technopark reinforces the structural system of regional industry, providing support and services to develop technology industry so that the region can perform its role as the core organization for technological innovation, yielding adequate human resources, preparing business resources, e.g, manufacturing facilities, and creating an environment where each firm can utilize the business resources. Without a mediator, such as support organizations, the benefits of network would be limited. Therefore, it is required for small and medium-sized companies, with lack of accessibility of information, to actively deal with business environment by increasing communication opportunities with support organizations using various service support or the systems that are appropriate for the firm's business stage. Fifth, it was found that although the frequency of communication between support organizations and small and medium-sized companies increased network building, thereby facilitating technological knowledge acquirement and resource accessibility, the effect of the frequency of communication itself on technological knowledge acquirement or resource accessibility was not significant, which indicates the possibility of obtaining business resources that contribute to company capability increases when the relational characteristics of network is established. Granting the importance of structural network building that provides more communication with support organizations, firms should come up with ways to build trust among network members, to pursue common interests, and to value the common goals of the entire members for effective use of resources and easy accessibility. Such factors as technology, human resources, capital, systems, manufacturing facilities, etc., directly affect business activities. These factors are hard to share unless the spirit of camaraderie has been formed. As a mediator, supporting organizations should continue to provide ways to activate networking between related organizations, e.g., holding seminars on recent technology trend, hosting official and unofficial functions for regional entities, or distributing contact information while internally reinforcing superior human and organizational capabilities to be equipped with capability that can synthesize and connect organizations with similar functions. Sixth, technological knowledge acquirement and resource accessibility were shown to enhance technological development performance, showing the effective aspects of the government policies to support small and medium-sized companies. The results indicate that although short-term success through company support is important, its related effects are also shown in various aspects. Therefore, it is necessary to develop comprehensive and continued support programs for small and medium-sized companies, having the companies that have acquired technology competitiveness through network enhance business performance, and extending technology support functions that are currently pursued by supporting organizations to synthesized platform building for expanded technology/business support.