The Effect of Boundary-Spanning Search on Breakthrough Innovations of New Technology Ventures

This study expands the scope of research on knowledge search and innovation search by investigating the effect of boundary-spanning search behavior on breakthrough innovations of new ventures. Based on an environmental coalignment perspective, we argue that boundary-spanning search is a key activity for new ventures so that they can deal with different market forces to enhance their breakthrough innovations. Most of the hypotheses proposed are supported by the results of a survey of 227 ventures in the high-technology zone of Shenzhen. We found that boundary-spanning search is not only associated positively with breakthrough innovations of new ventures but also plays a significant role in influencing the effect of market forces on both types of innovations. This paper offers insight into the way in which new ventures can achieve both market innovations and technological innovations through different types of boundary-spanning search. Furthermore, this study argues that boundary-spanning search is an important tool that enables new ventures to create more innovative performance under competitive environments.