Pub Date : 2026-01-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jengtecman.2026.101944
Zeyu Li, Peili Yu, Cengceng Wang
In the digital age, quality value creation is a critical challenge for manufacturing, requiring firms to shift their focus from internal quality control to quality innovation and collaboration in the ecosystem. This study investigates how, why, and under what conditions actors reconfigure ecosystems to create quality value. Utilizing qualitative comparative analysis, we explore collaborations among 40 manufacturers, identifying three successful ecosystem configurations: manufacturer-led, complementor and customer-supported, and new orchestrator-driven reconfigurations. Through an exploratory multiple case study, we reveal three key mechanisms for quality innovation: improving production efficiency, responding to customization demands, and building disruptive quality value. Additionally, we analyze the boundary conditions through which ecosystem reconfiguration influences quality value creation. We integrate these findings into a theoretical framework that contributes to research at the intersection of digital innovation management and quality management in manufacturing and provides important insights for practitioners.
{"title":"How firms reconfigure to create the quality value: An innovation ecosystems perspective","authors":"Zeyu Li, Peili Yu, Cengceng Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.jengtecman.2026.101944","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jengtecman.2026.101944","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the digital age, quality value creation is a critical challenge for manufacturing, requiring firms to shift their focus from internal quality control to quality innovation and collaboration in the ecosystem. This study investigates how, why, and under what conditions actors reconfigure ecosystems to create quality value. Utilizing qualitative comparative analysis, we explore collaborations among 40 manufacturers, identifying three successful ecosystem configurations: manufacturer-led, complementor and customer-supported, and new orchestrator-driven reconfigurations. Through an exploratory multiple case study, we reveal three key mechanisms for quality innovation: improving production efficiency, responding to customization demands, and building disruptive quality value. Additionally, we analyze the boundary conditions through which ecosystem reconfiguration influences quality value creation. We integrate these findings into a theoretical framework that contributes to research at the intersection of digital innovation management and quality management in manufacturing and provides important insights for practitioners.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50209,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Engineering and Technology Management","volume":"79 ","pages":"Article 101944"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146077439","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jengtecman.2026.101942
Matthew Ayamga , Ayalew Kassahun , Bedir Tekinerdogan
Startup-driven innovations aimed at addressing agricultural production challenges are on the rise. However, the success of these innovative startups often depends on the support provided by entrepreneurial support organizations such as accelerators. Accelerators help startups overcome inherent limitations such as small scale, low financial capacity, and difficulties in scaling up. Despite their significance, the role of accelerators in enhancing startup innovation success has not been extensively investigated, especially in the Agritech context, where innovation hubs often assume these roles. Our study addresses this gap through a mixed-method approach that comprises (a) a systematic literature review (SLR), and (b) a case study in Ghana, drawing on insights from the SLR. The literature review identified two primary dimensions of accelerators’ roles: a structural role, reflected in Ecosystem Bridging and Strategic Alignment (EBASA) and Resource Mobilization and Networking (RMAN), and a functional role, characterized by Mentorship and Knowledge Exchange (MAKE) as well as Rigorous Selection and Tailored Support (RSATS). Our subsequent case study in Ghana confirms these well-established roles of accelerators within the innovation hubs for the Agritech startups. Furthermore, our findings suggest that innovation hubs may also play a catalytic role in promoting cultural change and systemic transformation—an emerging dimension particularly pronounced in developing economic contexts. Drawing on these insights, we discuss the theoretical, managerial, and technical implications for future research, highlighting the need to explore the broader, mechanism-based activities of accelerators/innovation hubs in supporting both startups and established organizations.
{"title":"Exploring the role of innovation hubs on agritech startups’ innovation and success","authors":"Matthew Ayamga , Ayalew Kassahun , Bedir Tekinerdogan","doi":"10.1016/j.jengtecman.2026.101942","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jengtecman.2026.101942","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Startup-driven innovations aimed at addressing agricultural production challenges are on the rise. However, the success of these innovative startups often depends on the support provided by entrepreneurial support organizations such as accelerators. Accelerators help startups overcome inherent limitations such as small scale, low financial capacity, and difficulties in scaling up. Despite their significance, the role of accelerators in enhancing startup innovation success has not been extensively investigated, especially in the Agritech context, where innovation hubs often assume these roles. Our study addresses this gap through a mixed-method approach that comprises (a) a systematic literature review (SLR), and (b) a case study in Ghana, drawing on insights from the SLR. The literature review identified two primary dimensions of accelerators’ roles: a structural role, reflected in Ecosystem Bridging and Strategic Alignment (EBASA) and Resource Mobilization and Networking (RMAN), and a functional role, characterized by Mentorship and Knowledge Exchange (MAKE) as well as Rigorous Selection and Tailored Support (RSATS). Our subsequent case study in Ghana confirms these well-established roles of accelerators within the innovation hubs for the Agritech startups. Furthermore, our findings suggest that innovation hubs may also play a catalytic role in promoting cultural change and systemic transformation—an emerging dimension particularly pronounced in developing economic contexts. Drawing on these insights, we discuss the theoretical, managerial, and technical implications for future research, highlighting the need to explore the broader, mechanism-based activities of accelerators/innovation hubs in supporting both startups and established organizations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50209,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Engineering and Technology Management","volume":"79 ","pages":"Article 101942"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146022738","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Appropriate forms of relational governance are essential in helping manufacturers acquire ideas for achieving service innovation. To do so, manufacturers must build an appropriate alliance characterized by ambidextrous relational governance, which includes bridging, closeness, high interaction quality, and a dynamic capabilities perspective, including supply chain agility, to enhance service innovation. This model was tested using structural equation modelling on data collected from 360 top manufacturing firms in Taiwan. The findings highlighted that bridging and closeness can be managed to enhance interaction quality and supply chain agility, thereby improving service innovation. Moreover, the multigroup analysis illustrated that small firms should consider managing closeness and bridging in order of their importance, whereas large firms should emphasize closeness only.
{"title":"Influence of alliance ambidextrous relational governance and dynamic capabilities on service innovation in supply chains: The mediating effect of interaction quality and supply chain agility","authors":"Jao-Hong Cheng, Chun-Chieh Chang, Jie-Feng Wu, Li-Ming Wang, Chien-Hua Tseng","doi":"10.1016/j.jengtecman.2026.101940","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jengtecman.2026.101940","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Appropriate forms of relational governance are essential in helping manufacturers acquire ideas for achieving service innovation. To do so, manufacturers must build an appropriate alliance characterized by ambidextrous relational governance, which includes bridging, closeness, high interaction quality, and a dynamic capabilities perspective, including supply chain agility, to enhance service innovation. This model was tested using structural equation modelling on data collected from 360 top manufacturing firms in Taiwan. The findings highlighted that bridging and closeness can be managed to enhance interaction quality and supply chain agility, thereby improving service innovation. Moreover, the multigroup analysis illustrated that small firms should consider managing closeness and bridging in order of their importance, whereas large firms should emphasize closeness only.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50209,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Engineering and Technology Management","volume":"79 ","pages":"Article 101940"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146077438","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jengtecman.2026.101939
Muhammad Ismail , Alejandro Bello-Pintado , Teresa García-Marco
Many organizations rely on external knowledge sources to remain innovative and competitive. However, despite employing similar strategies, some firms demonstrate higher levels of innovation than others – a difference in performance that scholars associate with absorptive capacity. The construct is built upon two dimensions, Potential Absorptive Capacity (PAC) and Realized Absorptive Capacity (RAC). This study thus seeks to explore the impact of empowering leadership and organizational learning culture as antecedents of PAC and RAC. Further, it aims to test the mediating role of PAC in these relationships. To achieve this objective, a data sample collected from 97 Spanish manufacturing firms is tested through structural equation modelling using the partial least squares (PLS) approach. The results confirm the significance of segregating potential and realized knowledge to understand the impact of empowering leadership and organizational learning culture to enhance a firm’s dynamic capability for achieving innovation, leading to theoretical and practical implications.
{"title":"Managing absorptive capacity: The role of leadership and organizational culture","authors":"Muhammad Ismail , Alejandro Bello-Pintado , Teresa García-Marco","doi":"10.1016/j.jengtecman.2026.101939","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jengtecman.2026.101939","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Many organizations rely on external knowledge sources to remain innovative and competitive. However, despite employing similar strategies, some firms demonstrate higher levels of innovation than others – a difference in performance that scholars associate with absorptive capacity. The construct is built upon two dimensions, Potential Absorptive Capacity (PAC) and Realized Absorptive Capacity (RAC). This study thus seeks to explore the impact of empowering leadership and organizational learning culture as antecedents of PAC and RAC. Further, it aims to test the mediating role of PAC in these relationships. To achieve this objective, a data sample collected from 97 Spanish manufacturing firms is tested through structural equation modelling using the partial least squares (PLS) approach. The results confirm the significance of segregating potential and realized knowledge to understand the impact of empowering leadership and organizational learning culture to enhance a firm’s dynamic capability for achieving innovation, leading to theoretical and practical implications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50209,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Engineering and Technology Management","volume":"79 ","pages":"Article 101939"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146022737","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jengtecman.2026.101943
Hsin-Lun Chiang, Hsin-Ning Su
This study explores how the composition of multinational R&D teams influences knowledge spillovers across countries and industries, focusing on spatial and cultural determinants. By examining patent data from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the research investigates whether inventions developed by geographically and culturally diverse teams sustain cross-country and cross-industry characteristics in subsequent innovations. This inquiry delves into an underexplored area, focusing on the continuity of collaborative efforts beyond initial invention stages. The findings reveal that greater spatial and cultural distances between inventors significantly enhance the cross-country knowledge spillovers, facilitating broader international dissemination of knowledge. However, these same distances hinder cross-industry spillovers. Cross-industry knowledge transfer is more dependent on geographical proximity and cultural cohesion to effectively integrate and apply diverse technological insights. The study contributes to theory by distinguishing the divergent mechanisms through which team diversity affects knowledge spillover in different contexts and by introducing a unified framework of spatial and cultural distance to explain mechanisms in spillover pathways. Practically, the study also offers practical guidance for organizing global R&D teams to optimize innovation reach while managing complexity in international and interdisciplinary collaboration.
{"title":"The impact of team composition on international and inter-industry innovation: An analysis of spatial and cultural determinants","authors":"Hsin-Lun Chiang, Hsin-Ning Su","doi":"10.1016/j.jengtecman.2026.101943","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jengtecman.2026.101943","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study explores how the composition of multinational R&D teams influences knowledge spillovers across countries and industries, focusing on spatial and cultural determinants. By examining patent data from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the research investigates whether inventions developed by geographically and culturally diverse teams sustain cross-country and cross-industry characteristics in subsequent innovations. This inquiry delves into an underexplored area, focusing on the continuity of collaborative efforts beyond initial invention stages. The findings reveal that greater spatial and cultural distances between inventors significantly enhance the cross-country knowledge spillovers, facilitating broader international dissemination of knowledge. However, these same distances hinder cross-industry spillovers. Cross-industry knowledge transfer is more dependent on geographical proximity and cultural cohesion to effectively integrate and apply diverse technological insights. The study contributes to theory by distinguishing the divergent mechanisms through which team diversity affects knowledge spillover in different contexts and by introducing a unified framework of spatial and cultural distance to explain mechanisms in spillover pathways. Practically, the study also offers practical guidance for organizing global R&D teams to optimize innovation reach while managing complexity in international and interdisciplinary collaboration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50209,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Engineering and Technology Management","volume":"79 ","pages":"Article 101943"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146022657","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-26DOI: 10.1016/j.jengtecman.2025.101937
Yuwen Chen , Cherng G. Ding
As a core enabler of artificial intelligence (AI), the semiconductor manufacturing sector plays a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of AI development. The rapid advancement of AI has driven technology-intensive firms to pursue continuous innovation and sustain competitive advantages. This study examines the dynamic relationship between the change in R&D expenditure and the change in AI innovation intensity, and investigates how this relationship is moderated by the change in technological competence and the change in AI technological diversification. Using a longitudinal dataset of major global semiconductor manufacturing firms, we find that the change in R&D expenditure does not directly affect the change in AI innovation intensity. However, an increase in technological competence strengthens the positive effect of R&D expenditure change on AI innovation intensity change, whereas an increase in AI technological diversification weakens—and may even reverse—this effect. By integrating the resource-based view, dynamic capabilities lens, and transaction cost theory, this study provides new insights into how capability configuration and strategic alignment shape AI innovation outcomes. The managerial implications of these findings are also discussed.
{"title":"A new model of dynamic relationships involving AI innovation intensity based on patents: Evidence from the semiconductor manufacturing industry","authors":"Yuwen Chen , Cherng G. Ding","doi":"10.1016/j.jengtecman.2025.101937","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jengtecman.2025.101937","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As a core enabler of artificial intelligence (AI), the semiconductor manufacturing sector plays a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of AI development. The rapid advancement of AI has driven technology-intensive firms to pursue continuous innovation and sustain competitive advantages. This study examines the dynamic relationship between the change in R&D expenditure and the change in AI innovation intensity, and investigates how this relationship is moderated by the change in technological competence and the change in AI technological diversification. Using a longitudinal dataset of major global semiconductor manufacturing firms, we find that the change in R&D expenditure does not directly affect the change in AI innovation intensity. However, an increase in technological competence strengthens the positive effect of R&D expenditure change on AI innovation intensity change, whereas an increase in AI technological diversification weakens—and may even reverse—this effect. By integrating the resource-based view, dynamic capabilities lens, and transaction cost theory, this study provides new insights into how capability configuration and strategic alignment shape AI innovation outcomes. The managerial implications of these findings are also discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50209,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Engineering and Technology Management","volume":"79 ","pages":"Article 101937"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145841125","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-26DOI: 10.1016/j.jengtecman.2025.101938
Qinghui Sun , Wenjing Wang
Digital innovation is of vital importance for manufacturing firms to achieve transformation and obtain competitive advantages. However, little is known about the peer effects in digital innovation and their operational channels through learning. Drawing on social learning theory, this study investigates the peer effect of digital innovation in the manufacturing industry in China and identifies the learning mechanisms through which this peer effect is enacted. In particular, this study examines whether the digital innovation peer effect operates through learning by imitation, by communication, and by collaboration. In assessing the learning mechanisms, the follower-leader imitation, technological connection, and social relationships of senior executives, as well as collaborative innovation behavior, are distinguished. The results suggest that significant peer effects of digital innovation exist among manufacturing firms. Manufacturing firms learn from their peers through imitation of leading firms, strengthening of technological connections and senior executives’ social relationships, and conducting collaborative innovation. Moreover, these learning mechanisms exhibit differential performance under different competitive environments and the technological convergence capabilities of firms. Further understanding is provided by this study for governments in developing digital innovation ecosystems and supporting firms in effectively managing digital innovation.
{"title":"Peer effects and learning mechanisms of digital innovation: Evidence from manufacturing industry in China","authors":"Qinghui Sun , Wenjing Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.jengtecman.2025.101938","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jengtecman.2025.101938","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Digital innovation is of vital importance for manufacturing firms to achieve transformation and obtain competitive advantages. However, little is known about the peer effects in digital innovation and their operational channels through learning. Drawing on social learning theory, this study investigates the peer effect of digital innovation in the manufacturing industry in China and identifies the learning mechanisms through which this peer effect is enacted. In particular, this study examines whether the digital innovation peer effect operates through learning by imitation, by communication, and by collaboration. In assessing the learning mechanisms, the follower-leader imitation, technological connection, and social relationships of senior executives, as well as collaborative innovation behavior, are distinguished. The results suggest that significant peer effects of digital innovation exist among manufacturing firms. Manufacturing firms learn from their peers through imitation of leading firms, strengthening of technological connections and senior executives’ social relationships, and conducting collaborative innovation. Moreover, these learning mechanisms exhibit differential performance under different competitive environments and the technological convergence capabilities of firms. Further understanding is provided by this study for governments in developing digital innovation ecosystems and supporting firms in effectively managing digital innovation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50209,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Engineering and Technology Management","volume":"79 ","pages":"Article 101938"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145841218","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-22DOI: 10.1016/j.jengtecman.2025.101936
Mingjun Chen , Jianya Zhou
The application of digital finance in green technology innovation in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) has not been leveraged to the fullest extent. Based on innovation ecosystem, digital empowerment, and long-tail effect theories, this study constructs a model of digital finance driving SMEs’ green technology innovation using data from county-level units in China. The findings reveal that digital finance partially drives SMEs’ green technology innovation. Besides revealing digital finance’s role as a key driver of green technology innovation in SMEs, this study provides practical insights into combining digital finance with green technology innovation.
{"title":"Digital finance-driven green technology innovation: Evidence from Chinese SMEs","authors":"Mingjun Chen , Jianya Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.jengtecman.2025.101936","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jengtecman.2025.101936","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The application of digital finance in green technology innovation in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) has not been leveraged to the fullest extent. Based on innovation ecosystem, digital empowerment, and long-tail effect theories, this study constructs a model of digital finance driving SMEs’ green technology innovation using data from county-level units in China. The findings reveal that digital finance partially drives SMEs’ green technology innovation. Besides revealing digital finance’s role as a key driver of green technology innovation in SMEs, this study provides practical insights into combining digital finance with green technology innovation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50209,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Engineering and Technology Management","volume":"79 ","pages":"Article 101936"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145841068","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Latecomer firms often face persistent disadvantages relative to frontier firms, giving rise to a neglected but critical phenomenon we term technological backlog—the accumulated potential for catch-up created by long-term lag. Prior research largely overlooks how this backlog can be released and transformed into productivity growth, especially in the digital era. This study addresses this gap by examining whether, how, and under what conditions digital transformation enables latecomers to release their technological backlog. Using panel data on Chinese listed manufacturing firms (2004–2022), we find that digital transformation does not directly promote productivity growth; rather, it functions as a contingent catalyst that unlocks technological backlog and indirectly enhances productivity. The mechanism operates through strengthened absorptive capacity, with intangible assets serving as a vital complement. Heterogeneity analyses further reveal that the effect is stronger for state-owned, older, and larger firms, as well as those in high-tech, digitally advanced, and technology-intensive industries. By introducing technological backlog as a new lens for catch-up theory and reframing digital transformation as a conditional catalyst rather than a universal driver, this study advances theoretical debates on catch-up and digital transformation while offering practical guidance for managers and policymakers on designing effective digital catch-up strategies.
{"title":"Releasing the technological backlog: The role of digital transformation","authors":"Hao Gao, Rongjie Lv, Xinkai Wu, Yiming Zhang, Chenyu Guo","doi":"10.1016/j.jengtecman.2025.101935","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jengtecman.2025.101935","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Latecomer firms often face persistent disadvantages relative to frontier firms, giving rise to a neglected but critical phenomenon we term technological backlog—the accumulated potential for catch-up created by long-term lag. Prior research largely overlooks how this backlog can be released and transformed into productivity growth, especially in the digital era. This study addresses this gap by examining whether, how, and under what conditions digital transformation enables latecomers to release their technological backlog. Using panel data on Chinese listed manufacturing firms (2004–2022), we find that digital transformation does not directly promote productivity growth; rather, it functions as a contingent catalyst that unlocks technological backlog and indirectly enhances productivity. The mechanism operates through strengthened absorptive capacity, with intangible assets serving as a vital complement. Heterogeneity analyses further reveal that the effect is stronger for state-owned, older, and larger firms, as well as those in high-tech, digitally advanced, and technology-intensive industries. By introducing technological backlog as a new lens for catch-up theory and reframing digital transformation as a conditional catalyst rather than a universal driver, this study advances theoretical debates on catch-up and digital transformation while offering practical guidance for managers and policymakers on designing effective digital catch-up strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50209,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Engineering and Technology Management","volume":"79 ","pages":"Article 101935"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145697780","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jengtecman.2025.101921
Ariful Islam , Md Asadul Islam , Francesca Dal Mas , Justyna Fijałkowska , Mahfuzur Rahman , Maurizio Massaro
Researchers have been exploring an effective framework for achieving competitive advantage for many years, specifically tailored to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to ensure their long-term survival. The recent surge in advanced technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), has made their debates more challenging. Thus, the study proposes a conceptual framework specifically designed to leverage AI for long-term competitive advantage in SMEs, examining their business models through this lens. This study conducts a systematic literature review (SLR) to cover a broad range of relevant literature within a final sample of 69 articles. The SLR method was chosen to integrate research in a systematic, transparent, and reproducible way. For qualitative analysis and framework derivation, the study draws on a thematic ontological analysis. The study identifies multiple research streams at the intersection of advanced technology and entrepreneurship aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of SMEs. The primary outcome of this study is the development of a comprehensive business model framework, encompassing both external antecedents (namely, market and industry dynamics, technological infrastructure, government policies and support, strategic alliances, socio-cultural factors) and internal antecedents (digital leadership, dynamic capabilities/adaptability, entrepreneurial mindset, data strategy, growth/resilience), ultimately contributing to sustainable performance. Practically, the study provides a comprehensive avenue for SME owners and managers to adopt and use AI in business strategies and operations. Based on the results, SMEs can implement automation and machine learning to streamline business processes, minimize manual labor, and boost overall operational efficiency. More theoretical and practical implications, along with limitations and future directions, are also discussed, revealing multiple theoretical gateways and an agenda for subsequent empirical work.
{"title":"Configuring AI-guided sustainable competitive advantage for SMEs through business model innovation: A systematic literature review approach","authors":"Ariful Islam , Md Asadul Islam , Francesca Dal Mas , Justyna Fijałkowska , Mahfuzur Rahman , Maurizio Massaro","doi":"10.1016/j.jengtecman.2025.101921","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jengtecman.2025.101921","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Researchers have been exploring an effective framework for achieving competitive advantage for many years, specifically tailored to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to ensure their long-term survival. The recent surge in advanced technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), has made their debates more challenging. Thus, the study proposes a conceptual framework specifically designed to leverage AI for long-term competitive advantage in SMEs, examining their business models through this lens. This study conducts a systematic literature review (SLR) to cover a broad range of relevant literature within a final sample of 69 articles. The SLR method was chosen to integrate research in a systematic, transparent, and reproducible way. For qualitative analysis and framework derivation, the study draws on a thematic ontological analysis. The study identifies multiple research streams at the intersection of advanced technology and entrepreneurship aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of SMEs. The primary outcome of this study is the development of a comprehensive business model framework, encompassing both external antecedents (namely, market and industry dynamics, technological infrastructure, government policies and support, strategic alliances, socio-cultural factors) and internal antecedents (digital leadership, dynamic capabilities/adaptability, entrepreneurial mindset, data strategy, growth/resilience), ultimately contributing to sustainable performance. Practically, the study provides a comprehensive avenue for SME owners and managers to adopt and use AI in business strategies and operations. Based on the results, SMEs can implement automation and machine learning to streamline business processes, minimize manual labor, and boost overall operational efficiency. More theoretical and practical implications, along with limitations and future directions, are also discussed, revealing multiple theoretical gateways and an agenda for subsequent empirical work.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50209,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Engineering and Technology Management","volume":"78 ","pages":"Article 101921"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145269147","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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