Pathway analysis of enterprise green Technology innovation from the Perspective of dynamic capabilities

Abstract

In the context of current global climate change and sustainable development, green technology innovation has become a critical issue. Chinese enterprises play a key role in this process, not only because China is the largest developing country in the world, but also due to its significant position in the global economy. From the perspective of dynamic capabilities, this study combines theoretical analysis and empirical research to comprehensively reveal the current state of green technology innovation in Chinese enterprises. It explores the connotation and driving mechanisms of enterprise green technology innovation and systematically analyzes the role of dynamic capabilities in green technology innovation as well as their impact on the choice of green technology innovation pathways. The research initially clarifies the background and significance of the study, emphasizing the pivotal role of green technology innovation in promoting sustainable development. The first chapter precisely defines the concepts of green technology innovation and dynamic capabilities, systematically examining both internal and external driving factors. This lays a solid theoretical foundation for understanding how enterprises respond to complex environmental challenges. The chapter delves into the moderating role of environmental volatility, explores how dynamic capabilities influence enterprise green technology innovation mechanisms, and reviews the roles of various R&D modes (such as independent innovation, collaborative R&D, and technology trading) in the innovation process. Based on a review of the literature, the study articulates its research aims and objectives, determining the central question: How do dynamic capabilities affect the pathways of enterprise green technology innovation? It also considers whether there is a threshold effect in the impact of dynamic capabilities on green technology innovation. The second chapter elaborates on the research methodology, including the construction of a theoretical framework and research model. Chapter three begins by outlining the overall status of green technology innovation among Chinese enterprises, providing essential background support for the empirical research. The study then selects listed companies on the Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share markets from 2012 to 2022 as its sample. After filtering effective data, an empirical model is constructed to verify the positive impact of dynamic capabilities on green technology innovation. The research encompasses core dimensions such as knowledge learning, environmental adaptation, and knowledge integration capabilities, analyzing the mediating roles of different R&D modes (independent innovation, collaborative R&D, and technology trading) between dynamic capabilities and green innovation. The study indicates that an enterprise's dynamic capabilities significantly accelerate green innovation. Larger firms and those with higher xvii equity concentration are more conducive to green innovation, whereas environmental volatility weakens the positive impact of dynamic capabilities. Regarding the influence of dynamic capabilities on the pathways of enterprise green technology innovation, firms with high dynamic capabilities exhibit the highest resource utilization efficiency in independent R&D modes, those with moderate dynamic capabilities show the highest efficiency in collaborative R&D, and firms with low dynamic capabilities achieve the highest efficiency in technology trading.Further threshold effect analysis reveals the nonlinear characteristics of the influence of dynamic capabilities on green innovation. When dynamic capabilities are below 0.0645, enterprises mainly rely on technology transactions to compensate for a lack of innovation resources. At a moderate level (0.0645 to 0.1093), cooperative R&D is the most effective mode. When dynamic capabilities exceed 0.1093, enterprises tend to prefer independent innovation. The analysis of external factors indicates that various environmental regulations and other external factors promote green technology innovation, while regional heterogeneity analysis shows that the impact of environmental regulations and foreign investment on green innovation varies across regions. Based on these results, this study proposes a series of recommendations for enterprises and the government, including strengthening the cultivation of dynamic capabilities, promoting the coordinated development of independent and cooperative R&D, improving the efficiency of technology transactions and applications, and increasing government support for green technology innovation.