R&D역량, 생산역량, 시장지향성, 기업가지향성이 기술혁신에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구(반월,시화 국가산업단지 중소제조업을 중심으로)

Abstract

경영은 그 속성상 목적이나 목표를 설정한 후 일련의 행동을 통해 그것을 달성하는 과정이다. 이러한 과정에는 경제적 목표와 비경제적 목표의 끊임없는 긴장관계가 유지되고 있었으며, 경쟁적 환경이 강화될수록 변화경영은 절대적인 요소가 되어가고 있다. 심화되는 글로벌 경제 속에서 세계적으로 자국의 중소기업을 글로벌 공급사슬(global supply chain)에 진입시키려는 노력이 가속화 되고 있으며, 국내 중소기업은 기술혁신을 위한 인프라를 일정정도 구축한 반면 기존의 추격형 전략이 한계에 직면하였고, 재도약을 위해 선도형 패러다임으로의 전환이 요구되고 있는 상황이다. 본 연구에서는 중소 제조업체의 비율이 전국산업단지 통계 기준의 45.35%를 차지하고 있는 경기도 반월·시화 산업단지에 입주한 중소제조업을 대상으로 기술혁신(제품, 공정)에 영향을 미치는 변수를 도출하고자 하였다. 선행연구를 토대로 기술혁신을 제품혁신과 공정혁신으로 구분하였으며, 기술혁신의 영향요인으로는 R&D역량, 생산역량, 시장지향성, 기업가지향성으로 정리하였다. 그리고 중소제조업의 경험과 크기로 인해 조절적 효과가 있으리라 추정하며 이를 측정하고자 조절변수로 ‘기업년수’, ‘종업원 수’를 선정하여 연구모형을 설정하였다. 본 연구를 수행하기 위해 2014년 10월 22일부터 11월 11일까지 총 21일 동안 설문조사를 진행하였다. 연구자는 측정값의 신뢰성을 확보하고자 가급적 직접 방문을 통해 설문지를 배포하였고, 설문 내용을 임원진 또는 경영자가 직접 작성하도록 하였다. 그렇게 해서 회수된 260부 중 내용이 잘못 기입된 20부를 제외한 240부를 통계분석에 사용하였다.

회귀분석을 통해 도출된 가설 검증 결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, R&D역량은 제품혁신에 정(+)의 영향을 미치고, 공정혁신에는 영향을 미치지 못하는 것으로 확인되었다. 둘째, 생산역량은 제품혁신에 정(+)의 영향을 미치며, 공정혁신에도 정(+)의 영향을 미치고 있음이 증명되었다. 셋째, 시장지향성은 제품혁신에 영향을 미치지 못하고, 공정혁신에는 정(+)의 영향을 미치는 결과를 보여주고 있다. 넷째, 기업가지향성은 제품혁신에 정(+)의 영향을 미치고, 공정혁신에는 영향을 미치지 못하는 것으로 분석되었다. 다섯째, 기업년수의 경우, R&D역량, 생산역량, 시장지향성, 기업가지향성 모두 기술혁신(제품, 공정) 간의 관계에 조절효과가 없는 것으로 확인하였다. 하지만 기업규모(종업원 수)의 경우 R&D역량과 생산역량이 공정혁신과의 관계에 정(+)의 조절효과가 있었고, 기업가지향성이 공정혁신과의 관계에 부(-)의 효과를 가지는 것으로 확인되었다.

이상의 분석결과를 종합하면, 중소제조업의 경우 독립변수로 선정한 R&D역량, 생산역량, 기업가지향성은 기술혁신의 제품혁신에 정(+)의 영향을 미치며, 생산역량과 기업가지향성은 공정혁신에 정(+)의 영향을 미치는 것으로 확인되었다. 특히 중소제조업에서의 기술혁신 활동은 R&D투자 규모보다는 R&D담당자에게 권한과 책임을 부여하고, 부서 간의 공조를 통한 의사소통과 외부 정보의 흡수능력을 배양하기 위한 다양한 R&D역량을 확보하는 것이 매우 중요하다는 것이다. 실패와 위험을 감수하더라도 새로운 사업 기회를 위하여 자원을 적극적으로 투입하여야 하며, 끊임없이 도전하는 기업가지향성, 그리고 고객과의 약속을 이행하고, 고객가치, 고객만족을 높이기 위한 시장 지향적 자세를 갖추어야 한다는 것이다. 마지막으로 본원의 생산 활동과 관련하여 종업원의 숙련도를 활용, 아이디어를 수용·융합하여 새로운 가치를 창출하려는 생산역량이 필요하다는 것이다. 이러한 자세와 역량을 제고함으로써 기업은 스스로의 기술혁신 능력을 발휘하고 궁극적으로 기업의 경제적 경영 성과를 이룰 수 있는 것이다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 마지막으로 기업의 실무적 차원과 정책적 차원의 시사점을 언급하였고, 연구의 한계와 향후 과제를 제시하였다.

Vossen(1998)은 대기업과 중소기업은 혁신에 유리한 서로 다른 조건을 갖추고 있고, 대기업 중심의 연구결과를 중소기업으로 확장하는 일은 매우 신중하고 조심스럽게 이루어져야 한다고 주장한다. 그 동안 벤처, Inno-Biz, 혁신형 기업의 일부 연구를 제외하면 중소 제조기업을 중심으로 이루어진 연구는 상당히 부족하며, 특히 중소 제조기업의 기술혁신이나 역량과 관련된 연구는 더더욱 찾아보기 힘들다. 그러한 가운데 중소 제조업체 비율이 전국 산업단지의 45% 이상을 차지하고 있는 경기도 반월·시화 산업단지에 입주한 중소제조업을 대상으로 조사를 실시하여 중소제조업의 기술혁신에 영향을 미치는 요인을 도출하고, 기업의 업력과 규모(기업년수, 종업원 수)에 따른 영향을 실증분석 했다는 데에 본 연구의 의의가 있다고 하겠다. R&D 활동을 통한 기술혁신 성과는 장기적 시차를 두고 나타나기 때문에 정부는 중소기업의 기술혁신을 장기적 관점에서 지속적으로 지원·육성하고, 기업의 현실적 상황과 산업적 특성에 맞는 맞춤형 R&D 육성정책을 마련해야 할 것이다. 이러한 노력의 결과로 중소 제조기업의 경쟁력 향상은 물론, 국가경제의 새로운 성장 동력을 창출할 수 있을 것으로 기대한다.|Given the attributes of Business, it can be argued that business is a process of achieving goals and objectives set up by firms. In a part of this process, there is always a tension between economic and non-economic objectives and they need to be balanced appropriately. When competitiveness increases gradually in a market, change management turns out to be a crucial part in business. In this era of intensifying global competition, there is a global trend that many countries have strived to put their small-medium sized firms (the SMEs) into the global supply chain. In this regard, the SMEs in Korea have constructed the infrastructure for technology innovation, but the strategy, which many Korean SMEs have deployed frequently to catch up with advanced technologies, called `Follower-type strategy` has been encountered its limitation. Thus, in order for the SMEs in Korea to take off again, there is a need for a paradigm shift to an advanced one. This paper focuses on factors that may influence technology innovation in the Korean SMEs located in Banwol and Shihwa Industrial Complex where the SMEs accounts for 45.35% of the whole industrial complex according to the Standard of National Industrial Complex Statistics. Based on preceding research, this paper splits up technology innovation into two parts: product innovation and process innovation. R&D capability, Manufacturing capability, Market orientation, and Entrepreneurial orientation are identified as factors that may influence technology innovation. Moreover, it can be assumed that the sizes the small-medium manufacturing firms have and the experiences they have gained can be a moderating effect on technology innovation, therefore, this research designs the research model encompassing `Corporate life` and `numbers of employees` as moderating variables, to measure the moderating effect. The survey was conducted for this research from 22 October 2014 to 11 November 2014 during 21 days. 260 questionnaires were recovered. Of the recovered questionnaires, 20 were excluded as being invalid, so 240 valid questionnaires were used for analysis. Questionnaires were collected by visiting firms to ensure that CEO or executives of each firm completed the questionnaire by themselves to increase the reliability of this survey. The analysis results are as follows: First, whereas R&D capability has a positive impact on product innovation, it does not have an impact on process innovation. Second, Manufacturing capability enhances product innovation and also has a positive impact on process innovation as well. Third, although market-orientation does not influence product innovation, it is positively related to process innovation. Fourth, entrepreneurial orientation is positively related to product innovation, it does not have an impact on process innovation. Fifth, corporate life does not have the moderating effect on R&D capability, manufacturing capability, market orientation and entrepreneurial orientation with technology innovation. However, numbers of employees have the positive moderating effect on the relations between R&D capability and process innovation and between manufacturing capability and process innovation. On the other hands, it was found that numbers of employees have a negative moderating effect on the relation between entrepreneurial orientation and process innovation. To sum up these analysis results, R&D capability, manufacturing capability, entrepreneurial orientation are all vital factors that influences product innovation, and manufacturing capability and entrepreneurial orientation have a positive impact on process innovation. In particular, for SMEs' technology innovation it is much more efficient to empower employees who are responsible for R&D, to establish a work environment where cooperation is common among departments and to develop a capability of adopting external information rather than just invest in R&D hugely. Besides, the SMEs need to have the entrepreneurial orientation that they should not be afraid of failure when they deploy their resources to invest, and need to keep exploring. The Market orientation is also required; The SMEs need to keep promises made with their customers, and need to put their upmost effort into improving customer satisfaction and value. Finally, the SMEs should develop manufacturing capability which deploys and combine employees' know-how and ideas effectively to create new value which will influence production activities. In the end, remarkable economic and managerial performance can be achieved by strengthening all these posture and capabilities. In addition, this paper provides with the implications of the results at working-level and policy level. Followed by this, the limitations of this research and future research areas to be studied are presented. According to Vossen (1998), conglomerates and the SMEs have different conditions regarding innovation, thus, he argues that applying research findings gained from analyzing conglomerates to the SMEs needs to be carefully conducted. Until now, with the exceptions of venture business, Inno-Biz and innovative firms there has been a shortage of studies on small-medium manufacturing firms, not to mention studies specifically on technology innovation and capabilities by small-medium manufacturing firms. Given this fact, the value of this research can be gained; this paper analysed the SMEs located in Banwol and Shihwa Industrial Complex where 45% of the whole SMEs in Korea is located, and found and demonstrated empirically the factors influencing technology innovation with consideration of moderating effects: corporate life and numbers of employees. Technology innovation is generally achieved in a long-term period, thus there is a need for supporting basic science at the policy level and a need for R&D development policies considering the characteristics of industries and the actual situations the SMEs are facing. Through this support, the competitiveness of the Small-Medium manufacturing firms will be increased and simultaneously a new national growth engine will be created.; Given the attributes of Business, it can be argued that business is a process of achieving goals and objectives set up by firms. In a part of this process, there is always a tension between economic and non-economic objectives and they need to be balanced appropriately. When competitiveness increases gradually in a market, change management turns out to be a crucial part in business. In this era of intensifying global competition, there is a global trend that many countries have strived to put their small-medium sized firms (the SMEs) into the global supply chain. In this regard, the SMEs in Korea have constructed the infrastructure for technology innovation, but the strategy, which many Korean SMEs have deployed frequently to catch up with advanced technologies, called `Follower-type strategy` has been encountered its limitation. Thus, in order for the SMEs in Korea to take off again, there is a need for a paradigm shift to an advanced one. This paper focuses on factors that may influence technology innovation in the Korean SMEs located in Banwol and Shihwa Industrial Complex where the SMEs accounts for 45.35% of the whole industrial complex according to the Standard of National Industrial Complex Statistics. Based on preceding research, this paper splits up technology innovation into two parts: product innovation and process innovation. R&D capability, Manufacturing capability, Market orientation, and Entrepreneurial orientation are identified as factors that may influence technology innovation. Moreover, it can be assumed that the sizes the small-medium manufacturing firms have and the experiences they have gained can be a moderating effect on technology innovation, therefore, this research designs the research model encompassing `Corporate life` and `numbers of employees` as moderating variables, to measure the moderating effect. The survey was conducted for this research from 22 October 2014 to 11 November 2014 during 21 days. 260 questionnaires were recovered. Of the recovered questionnaires, 20 were excluded as being invalid, so 240 valid questionnaires were used for analysis. Questionnaires were collected by visiting firms to ensure that CEO or executives of each firm completed the questionnaire by themselves to increase the reliability of this survey. The analysis results are as follows: First, whereas R&D capability has a positive impact on product innovation, it does not have an impact on process innovation. Second, Manufacturing capability enhances product innovation and also has a positive impact on process innovation as well. Third, although market-orientation does not influence product innovation, it is positively related to process innovation. Fourth, entrepreneurial orientation is positively related to product innovation, it does not have an impact on process innovation. Fifth, corporate life does not have the moderating effect on R&D capability, manufacturing capability, market orientation and entrepreneurial orientation with technology innovation. However, numbers of employees have the positive moderating effect on the relations between R&D capability and process innovation and between manufacturing capability and process innovation. On the other hands, it was found that numbers of employees have a negative moderating effect on the relation between entrepreneurial orientation and process innovation. To sum up these analysis results, R&D capability, manufacturing capability, entrepreneurial orientation are all vital factors that influences product innovation, and manufacturing capability and entrepreneurial orientation have a positive impact on process innovation. In particular, for SMEs' technology innovation it is much more efficient to empower employees who are responsible for R&D, to establish a work environment where cooperation is common among departments and to develop a capability of adopting external information rather than just invest in R&D hugely. Besides, the SMEs need to have the entrepreneurial orientation that they should not be afraid of failure when they deploy their resources to invest, and need to keep exploring. The Market orientation is also required