The impact of exploration and exploitation learning on organisational innovativeness among hospitals: an open innovation view

ABSTRACT

This study tries to explore the impact of exploration and exploitation learning on organisational innovativeness among health service organisations from an open innovation view. We developed several constructs including realised absorptive capacity (RACAP), breadth and depth of external knowledge acquisition and tried to explore the roles of these constructs in the influence process of organisational learning on organisational innovativeness. The mail survey was used to collect research data from top hospital managers in Taiwan. The overall valid response rate was 44.23%. We applied a structural equation model to test the research hypothesis. Results indicated the breadth and depth of external knowledge acquisition would affect organisational innovativeness through RACAP. Exploration learning had a directly positive influence on RACAP and also had an indirect impact through the mediation of breadth and depth of external knowledge acquisition among health service organisations.

KEYWORDS:

• Health-care
• innovation studies
• organisational learning
• Taiwan

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the editors and the anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments and recommendations.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Rhay-Hung Weng is a professor of National Quemoy University. His research areas include service innovation, organisational innovation, knowledge management, relationship marketing, and service marketing in the health service industry. His research papers have been published/accepted at Health Care Management Review, Journal of Nursing Management, Evaluation & the Health Professions, Journal of Clinical Nursing, Service Business, Journal of Management & Organization, BMC Health Services Research, Taiwan Journal of Management, Sun Yat-sen Management Review, Journal of the Formosan Medical Association, Psychology & Health, Taiwan Journal of Public Health, Taiwan Journal of Healthcare Management, and Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Science.

Ching-Yuan Huang is an associate professor of Shu-Te University. Her research interests include knowledge management, relationship marketing, organizational behaviour, and human resource development. Her research papers have been published at Health Care Management Review, Journal of Nursing Management, Journal of Clinical Nursing, Journal of Management & Organization, BMC Health Services Research, Taiwan Journal of Management, Sun Yat-sen Management Review, Taiwan Journal of Public Health, and Taiwan Journal of Healthcare Management.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by a grant from the Ministry of Science and Technology in Taiwan [NSC96-2416-H-041-003-SSS].