Impact of networking on explorative innovation in emerging media technology markets: the case of German XR firms

ABSTRACT

Firms utilising emerging media technologies need explorative innovation activities to keep up with market- and technology-driven dynamics. We develop and empirically test a PLS-SEM structural equation model that explains explorative innovation orientation (EIO) and its networking-based antecedents, based on a survey of 132 German XR firms. Absorptive capacity, organisational learning and the extent of networking ties to a) suppliers and buyers and b) competitors and marketing firms have a significant, positive influence on EIO. Networking with c) firms in the same digital business ecosystem (DBE) has a negative influence on EIO, which may limit EIO in highly fragmented technology markets. We also examine interaction effects of local and cross-cluster networking, thus developing our understanding of antecedent networking and the effects of its spatial nature on EIO.

KEYWORDS:

• XR
• networking
• explorative innovation
• virtual reality
• digital business ecosystem
• emerging technology
• media technology

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW.

Notes on contributors

Christian Zabel

Christian Zabel is Full Professor for Innovation and Corporate Management at TH Köln – University of Applied Sciences. His research focuses on production and distribution in digital media, digital ecosystems, emergent media technologies, and the digital transformation of (media) companies. He previously headed the product management of t-online.de, Germany’s largest online publisher and was executive assistant to Deutsche Telekom’s CEO René Obermann, overseeing strategic cooperations with the media industry. Christian Zabel studied journalism in Dortmund and Brussels and political science at Sciences-Po Paris (IEP).

Verena Telkmann

Verena Telkmann is a research assistant in the field of production structures for digital media and a Ph.D. candidate at Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz and TH Köln – University of Applied Sciences. In her research, she focuses on digital media production and media economics. Her Ph.D. focuses on the determinants, challenges, and processes of the multi-channel-programming of television broadcasters. She completed her bachelor’s degree in business administration with a focus on marketing in 2014 at the institute for dual study programs at Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences and her master’s degree in communication, multimedia, and market management in 2017 at Dusseldorf University of Applied Sciences. She acquired practical experience in online marketing at CHECK24 Mobilfunk GmbH.