The impact of network embeddedness on radical innovation performance - intermediators of innovation legitimacy and resource acquisition

Innovation resource is a key factor affecting the development of enterprise innovation, while embedded network is its important channel. Under the constraints of institutional environment, legitimacy is critical to the success of radical innovation. Following the above logic, this paper builds a conceptual model explaining how network embeddedness affects radical innovation performance, integrating theories of organisational network, RBV, institution theory, with two intermediators as innovation legitimacy and resource acquisition. A questionnaire survey of 196 high-tech firms in Zhejiang province is conducted, and structural equation model approach is applied to verify the hypotheses. Four main findings are discussed, and these findings contribute to radical innovation by highlighting the significant impact of innovation legitimacy on radical innovation and also provide pragmatic implications to Chinese enterprises' radical innovation practice under current institutional transition context.