RAPID COMMERCIALIZATION OF ACQUIRED INNOVATIONS — A COLLABORATIVE MODEL BASED ON CASE STUDIES IN CHINESE COMPANIES

Abstract

Many Chinese companies rely on externally acquired innovations rather than developing their own. The best way to rapidly commercialize externally acquired innovations in a Chinese company, however, is still a rather new research topic. This paper reports research towards development of an integrated model for commercialization of acquired innovations. Development of the preliminary model was based upon a review of the literature. The preliminary model covers four main factors, namely, technological collaboration, organizational collaboration, customer collaboration and resource collaboration. Managers from four entrepreneurial Chinese companies evaluated the model. Each of the four case companies had acquired innovations from external sources. Our empirical results indicate that the factors of partner matches/relationships, product champions, pioneer users and financial alliances tend to be more important than other factors. The managers also added two more factors, namely, government regulations and university support. This paper provides initial empirical evidence that demonstrates the multifaceted determinants of rapid commercialization of acquired innovations in the context of Chinese manufacturing. Our findings suggest that the innovative firms operating in China integrate technological collaboration, government policies and university research activities in order to facilitate commercialization of their acquired innovations. In summary, collaborations both inside and outside of companies are critical for successful commercialization.