The impact of network coupling on invention: A perspective of complex network

IF 4.3 3区管理学 Q2 BUSINESS

Journal of Engineering and Technology Management Pub Date : 2026-10-01 Epub Date: 2026-10-16 DOI:10.1016/j.jengtecman.2026.102022

Haiping Fu, Xin Gao, Hongquan Chen, Saixing Zeng

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Construction projects generate failures, interface problems, operating constraints, and feasible remedies, yet only part of this experience becomes durable technological invention. This study argues that such conversion depends on network coupling between the construction project network and the technological collaboration network, and examines how this coupling shapes the composition of patented inventions. Using 14,458 Chinese shield-tunneling machinery patents filed from 1985 to 2023, we reconstruct dynamic multilayer networks linking project co-participation ties with patent co-application ties. Network coupling is associated with higher invention impact and lower invention novelty and generality. This pattern indicates a translation-exploration tradeoff: overlapping project and invention relationships help firms codify field experience into inventions that attract follow-on attention within related technological trajectories, while anchoring search in familiar project frames and concentrating technological scope. Emerging technology weakens the negative association between coupling and novelty, and technological diversity weakens the negative associations with novelty and generality. The study identifies network coupling as a relational mechanism through which construction project experience enters technological invention, explaining how cross-arena alignment supports impactful invention while constraining recombinational novelty and technological reach.

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网络耦合对发明的影响：一个复杂网络的视角

建设项目会产生失败、界面问题、操作限制和可行的补救措施，但只有一部分经验成为持久的技术发明。本研究认为，这种转化取决于建设项目网络与技术合作网络之间的网络耦合，并考察了这种耦合如何影响专利发明的构成。利用1985年至2023年中国盾构机械申请的14458项专利，重构了项目共同参与与专利共同申请之间的动态多层网络。网络耦合与较高的发明影响力和较低的发明新颖性和通用性有关。这种模式表明了一种翻译-探索的权衡：重叠的项目和发明关系帮助公司将领域经验编纂成发明，吸引相关技术轨迹内的后续关注，同时将搜索锚定在熟悉的项目框架中并集中技术范围。新兴技术减弱了耦合与新颖性的负相关关系，技术多样性减弱了新颖性和普遍性的负相关关系。本研究认为网络耦合是建筑项目经验进入技术发明的一种关系机制，解释了跨领域结盟如何在限制重组新颖性和技术范围的同时支持有影响力的发明。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Engineering and Technology Management 管理科学-工程：工业

CiteScore

8.00

自引率

6.20%

发文量

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： The Journal of Engineering and Technology Management (JET-M) is an international scholarly refereed research journal which aims to promote the theory and practice of technology, innovation, and engineering management. The journal links engineering, science, and management disciplines. It addresses the issues involved in the planning, development, and implementation of technological capabilities to shape and accomplish the strategic and operational objectives of an organization. It covers not only R&D management, but also the entire spectrum of managerial concerns in technology-based organizations. This includes issues relating to new product development, human resource management, innovation process management, project management, technological fusion, marketing, technological forecasting and strategic planning. The journal provides an interface between technology and other corporate functions, such as R&D, marketing, manufacturing and administration. Its ultimate goal is to make a profound contribution to theory development, research and practice by serving as a leading forum for the publication of scholarly research on all aspects of technology, innovation, and engineering management.