The Effect of Data Empowerment on Channel Resilience: The Roles of Ambidextrous Learning，Guanxi Inertia and Enterprise Openness

ABSTRACT

Data empowerment is a critical component of enterprises’ digital transformations and plays a pivotal role in the creation of enterprise channel resilience. This paper investigates the process mechanism of how data empowerment affects enterprises’ channel resilience by utilizing the theoretical perspectives of ambidextrous learning and resource conservation. To test the hypothesized relationships and conceptual model, survey data was collected from 263 manufacturing enterprises in China, and SPSS PROCESS macro was used for analysis. The empirical findings revealed that data empowerment has both a direct positive impact on channel resilience and an indirect effect through the mediating role of ambidextrous learning. The relationship between ambidextrous learning and channel resilience was moderated by guanxi inertia and enterprise openness. This study contributes to understanding the process mechanism and contextual boundary of the relationship between data empowerment and channel resilience. The findings also offer practical guidance for enterprises to improve channel resilience and foster win-win cooperation among channel members.

KEYWORDS:

• Data empowerment
• channel resilience
• ambidextrous learning
• guanxi inertia
• enterprise openness

Acknowledgements

The first author acknowledges the financial support provided by the National Social Science Fund of China (Grant No. 71602119).

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Author contributions

Wei-wei Dong contributed to the conception and design of the study and revised the first draft. Miao-miao DONG conducted statistical analysis and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. Jian Qin contributed to the analysis and interpretation of the data, and further revised the contents of the manuscript.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 71602119; Wei-wei Dong; Grant Title: The relational inertia dilemma of trust over development in marketing channels and its governance strategies) and by Humanities and Social Sciences Project of Ministry of Education in China (No.23YJC630033; Wei-wei Dong; Grant Title: Research on the driving mechanism of digital empowerment on enterprise omni channel collaboration in the digital background).