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 study 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..