Linking R&D inventors’ social skills and bricolage to R&D performance in resource constrained environments in emerging markets

Abstract

High-tech organizations increasingly rely on innovative contributions of their R&D employees, or the inventors, who often work within resource-constrained environments of emerging markets to deliver innovative outcomes. Integrating social exchange theory and bricolage theory, we conceptualize R&D activity as a process that involves salient tensions as inventors work effectively with others using their social skills while pursuing competing goals, with limited capital, and resource constraints. This article extends prior research on the relationship between R&D inventors’ bricolage activities, their social skills and R&D performance. Survey data was collected from 211 R&D inventors working in R&D divisions at six multinational high technology organizations in India. Results indicate that R&D inventor bricolage activities enhanced R&D performance (outcomes and efficiency). We also find inventors’ social skills (social astuteness, networking ability, interpersonal influence, and apparent sincerity) significantly relate to R&D inventor bricolage and positively relate to R&D project outcomes. This article provides empirical evidence toward uncovering the behavioral foundations of R&D inventor activities in resource-constrained R&D settings. We identify social skills and bricolage activities of R&D employees as being important for shaping positive R&D outcomes in organizations. Overall, we contribute to R&D management in better understanding how micro-level variables influence macrolevel RDOs in firms.