School of Management, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu.
School of Business, Hohai University, Nanjing, Jiangsu.
PLoS One. 2023 Nov 29;18(11):e0291652. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0291652. eCollection 2023.
The new product development (NPD) activities of enterprises serve as a critical source of competitiveness. To effectively harness the opportunities presented by digital transformation and enhance the performance of NPD in organizations amidst the digital revolution is an area of concern that warrants attention. In this context, we conducted research using data from the annual reports of 35 listed mainboard enterprises in 2021. This research used the resource arrangement theory and the resource-structure-capability research framework. In addition, we utilized the quantitative comparative analysis (QCA) method to investigate how digital transformation capability, R&D investment capability, and heterogeneity synergies impact the performance of NPD. The findings indicate that: (1) Four distinct paths (i.e., digital innovation-driven, large-scale multi-talent, mature and robust, and digital start-up) drive improvements in NPD performance. Notably, there exists an asymmetric causal relationship between these four paths and the performance; (2) Digital transformation capability, firm R&D investment, and firm heterogeneity all contribute to enhancing NPD performance. However, they do not individually guarantee high performance. A synergistic effect of at least two factors is required to yield notable NPD performance; (3) Enterprise heterogeneity plays a pivotal role. Companies with different characteristics must opt for distinct digital transformation paths to improve their NPD performance; (4) In the initial stage of digital transformation, enterprises can enhance NPD performance by augmenting their investment in R&D personnel.
企业新产品开发（NPD）活动是企业竞争力的重要来源。有效利用数字化转型带来的机遇，提高组织中 NPD 的绩效，是数字革命中值得关注的领域。在这种情况下，我们使用了 2021 年 35 家主板上市公司年度报告中的数据进行研究。本研究基于资源配置理论和资源-结构-能力研究框架，采用定量比较分析（QCA）方法，探讨了数字转型能力、研发投资能力和异质性协同效应对 NPD 绩效的影响。研究结果表明：（1）有四种不同的路径（即数字创新驱动、大规模多人才、成熟稳健、数字创业）可以提高 NPD 绩效。值得注意的是，这四种路径与绩效之间存在着非对称的因果关系；（2）数字转型能力、企业研发投资和企业异质性都有助于提高 NPD 绩效，但它们并不能单独保证高绩效，至少需要两个因素的协同作用才能产生显著的 NPD 绩效；（3）企业异质性起着关键作用。具有不同特点的公司必须选择不同的数字化转型路径来提高其 NPD 绩效；（4）在数字化转型的初始阶段，企业可以通过增加研发人员的投入来提高 NPD 绩效。
