Technology Spillover Perception and Knowledge Network Trap in Cross-Industry Innovation: An Empirical Examination from Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)

Cross-industry technology spillover perception (CTSP) refers to the degree to which the enterprise absorbs the technology spilling from outside industries. How does the enterprise’s CTSP impact its cross-industry innovation performance? To answer this question, we distinguished CTSP into CTSP-Width and CTSP-Depth and investigate their dynamical impacts on the cross-industry innovation performance from the perspective of industry development process. Furthermore, we also explored the impact of the enterprise’s knowledge flow in the innovation knowledge network on the above relationships. We conducted the hierarchical regression analysis based on patent data in UAV industry from 2006 to 2020. The results showed that (1) in the flat period of industry development, only CTSP-Width has a direct positive impact on cross-industry innovation performance. (2) In the low-speed climbing period and the high-speed growing period, the impact of CTSP-Width disappears, and the direct positive impact of CTSP-Depth appears. (3) In the flat period, both the moderator roles of knowledge contribution and knowledge profitability are not significant. In the low-speed climbing period, only knowledge profitability plays the negative moderator role, while in the high-speed growing period, both the knowledge contribution and knowledge profitability play significant negative moderator roles. This suggests that, when the industry develops into maturity, the negative moderation effect of knowledge network gradually appears, which indicates that there is a knowledge network trap.