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In Search of Optimal Distinctiveness: Balancing Conformity and Differentiation via Organizational Learning

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 September 2021

Yimei Hu Open the ORCID record for Yimei Hu [Opens in a new window] ,
Huanren Zhang Open the ORCID record for Huanren Zhang [Opens in a new window]  and
Yuchen Gao Open the ORCID record for Yuchen Gao [Opens in a new window]
Yimei Hu
Affiliation:
Aalborg University, Denmark
Huanren Zhang
Affiliation:
University of Southern Denmark, Denmark
Yuchen Gao*
Affiliation:
Tsinghua University, China
*
Corresponding author: Yuchen Gao (gaoych@tsinghua.edu.cn)
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Abstract

Firms in a nascent industry need to search across various technological trajectories and market opportunities with limited prior knowledge. While inter-firm learning (e.g., imitation) helps the focal firm adapt in the process of conformity, intra-firm learning (e.g., independent experimentation) helps a firm stand out from rivals in the process of differentiation, both of which can gain competitive advantages. This study investigates how the conformity-differentiation balance can be achieved from the cross-level learning perspective. Adopting a mixed-method design, we first conduct a case study on the Chinese photovoltaic industry. The case suggests that firms are inclined to conform in upstream and bottleneck technological domains but differentiate in the downstream market applications. We then extend the case findings through a computational simulation based on March's learning model. When experimentation and imitation are possible, the balance between conformity and differentiation can be reframed as the classical balance between exploitation and exploration across the firm and industry levels: while experimentation is often exploitative at the firm level but exploratory at the industry level, imitation is often exploratory at the firm level but exploitative at the industry level. The study makes a new attempt to bridge the optimal distinctiveness literature with the organizational learning literature.

处于新兴行业的企业需要在有限的先验知识下，对各种技术轨迹和市场机会进行搜索。企业间学习（例如模仿）有助于焦点企业适应一致性过程，而企业内学习（例如独立实验）则有助于企业在差异化过程中脱颖而出。二者均可使企业获得竞争优势。本研究从跨层次学习的角度考察了企业如何实现一致性与差异化的平衡。我们采用了混合研究方法的设计，首先对中国的光伏产业进行案例研究。该案例表明，企业倾向于在上游和瓶颈技术领域寻求一致性，但在下游市场应用领域追求差异化。然后，我们基于詹姆斯⋅马奇教授的学习模型，通过仿真来扩展案例研究的发现。当企业既可以实验也可以模仿时，一致性和差异化之间的平衡可以重新构建为一种经典的利用和探索之间的平衡，该平衡跨越企业和行业两个层面：虽然实验在企业层面往往是利用性的，但在行业层面上是探索性的；模仿在企业层面往往是探索性的，但在行业层面却是利用性的。本研究为将最优差别文献与组织学习视角联系起来做出了新的尝试。

Аннотация

Компании в зарождающейся отрасли должны искать различные технологические решения и рыночные возможности в условиях дефицита предварительных знаний. В то время как приобретение знаний внутри компаний (например, имитация) помогает целевой компании адаптироваться в процессе соответствия, приобретение знаний за пределами компаний (например, независимое экспериментирование) помогает компании выделиться среди конкурентов в процессе дифференциации, -- и то, и другое способствует приобретению конкурентных преимуществ. В этой работе изучается, как можно достичь баланса подобия и различий с точки зрения межуровневого обучения. На основании комбинации различных методов сбора материала, мы сначала проводим тематическое исследование на примере китайской фотоэлектрической промышленности. Этот пример свидетельствует о том, что компании стремятся быть подобными в начальных и технологически важных звеньях производственной цепи, но различаются в конечных прикладных «рыночных» звеньях. Далее мы расширяем полученные данные с помощью компьютерного моделирования, которое основано на модели обучения Марча. Когда экспериментирование и имитация возможны, баланс между соответствием и дифференциацией может быть переформулирован как классический баланс между эксплуатацией и исследованиями на уровне компании и отрасли: в то время как экспериментирование часто являются эксплуатационным на уровне компании, но исследовательским на уровне отрасли, имитация часто является исследовательской на уровне компании, но эксплуатационной на отраслевом уровне. В данной работе предпринимается новая попытка связать научную литературу об оптимальном своеобразии с литературой по организационному обучению.

Resumen

Las empresas de una industria naciente tienen que buscar entre varias trayectorias tecnológicas y oportunidades de mercado con un conocimiento previo limitado. Mientras que el aprendizaje entre empresas (por ejemplo, la imitación) ayuda a la empresa focal a adaptarse en el proceso de conformidad, el aprendizaje intraempresarial (por ejemplo, la experimentación independiente) ayuda a una empresa a destacarse de sus rivales en el proceso de diferenciación, y ambos pueden obtener ventajas competitivas. Este estudio investiga cómo se puede conseguir el equilibrio entre conformidad y diferenciación desde la perspectiva del aprendizaje entre niveles. Adoptando un diseño de métodos mixtos, primero realizamos un estudio de caso sobre la industria fotovoltaica china. El caso sugiere que las empresas tienden a conformarse en los ámbitos tecnológicos previos y de cuello de botella, pero se diferencian en las aplicaciones del mercado posterior. Después, ampliamos los hallazgos del caso mediante una simulación computacional basada en el modelo de aprendizaje de March. Cuando la experimentación y la imitación son posibles, el equilibrio entre la conformidad y la diferenciación puede replantearse como el equilibrio clásico entre la explotación y la exploración en los niveles de la empresa y la industria: mientras que la experimentación suele ser explotadora en el nivel de la empresa pero exploratoria en el nivel de la industria, la imitación suele ser exploratoria en el nivel de la empresa pero explotadora en el nivel de la industria. El estudio hace un nuevo intento de tender un puente entre la literatura sobre la diferenciación óptima y la literatura sobre el aprendizaje organizacional.

Keywords

conformitydifferentiationexploitationexplorationoptimal distinctivenessparadoxical balance一致性差异化探索利用最优差别悖论平衡подобиедифференциацияэксплуатацияисследованияоптимальное своеобразиепарадоксальный балансconformidaddiferenciaciónexplotaciónexploracióndiferenciación óptimaequilibrio paradójico
Type
Special Issue Article
Information
Management and Organization Review , Volume 17 , Special Issue 4: Remembering James G. March , October 2021 , pp. 690 - 725
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The International Association for Chinese Management Research

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Footnotes

The first two authors contributed equally to this research.

This paper has been updated since its initial publication. For details see DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/mor.2021.66

ACCEPTED BY Deputy Editor Peter Ping Li

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