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Understanding the Impact of Social Capital on the Innovation Performance of Construction Enterprises: Based on the Mediating Effect of Knowledge Transfer

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  • Qing’e Wang

    (School of Civil Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410075, China)

  • Luwei Zhao

    (School of Civil Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410075, China)

  • Alice Chang-Richards

    (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand)

  • Yuanyuan Zhang

    (School of Civil Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410075, China
    Henan Central China City Development Co. Ltd., Zhengzhou 450000, China)

  • Hujun Li

    (School of Civil Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410075, China)

Abstract

In knowledge economy era, enterprise needs to innovate to maintain its advantages and competitiveness. Construction enterprises, being pillars of China’s economy and confronting the challenge brought by the strategy of “going out”, the call for their technology or management innovation was broadly pronounced across practical and academic fields. Social capital (SC), as a resource in a social network, is the basis for creating sustainable competitiveness and advantage for enterprises. The innovative achievements and innovation performance (IP) of enterprises are largely determined by their SC. To achieve competitiveness in the market, enterprises must carry out knowledge transfer (KT) with the other members of their networks. However, few scholars have examined weather SC has any effect on IP in construction enterprises. Using a KT perspective, this paper explored how SC affects the IP of construction enterprises. Based on the literature review and analysis, a conceptual model was constructed and validated using structural equation modeling (SEM). Through empirical analysis, the following conclusions were drawn: (1) SC has a positive impact on the IP of construction enterprises. Among them, the structural dimension (SD) and cognitive dimension (CD) have a significant positive impact on the IP of construction enterprises, while the relational dimension (RD) does not. (2) The SD, CD, and RD of construction enterprises’ SC have a positive influence on KT. (3) There are mediating effects of KT between SC and IP of construction firms, and they are partial. KT plays a partial mediating effect between SD, CD, and IP of construction firms. The research results can not only improve an understanding of effects of SC on IP of construction enterprises, but also validate the importance of KT in stimulating IP.

Suggested Citation

  • Qing’e Wang & Luwei Zhao & Alice Chang-Richards & Yuanyuan Zhang & Hujun Li, 2021. "Understanding the Impact of Social Capital on the Innovation Performance of Construction Enterprises: Based on the Mediating Effect of Knowledge Transfer," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-21, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:9:p:5099-:d:547818
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    6. Evelina Maria Oliveira Coutinho & Manuel Au-Yong-Oliveira, 2024. "Innovation’s Performance: A Transnational Analysis Based on the Global Innovation Index," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-16, February.

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