Exploring the impact of managerial perception of social anomie on the innovation orientation and innovation performance of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in China

Zhao, Jinbang (2025) Exploring the impact of managerial perception of social anomie on the innovation orientation and innovation performance of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in China. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

The construct of anomie is critical for understanding the broader implications of institutions for firm innovation, particularly in the context of emerging economies (EEs), where institutional development is often fragmented across subnational regions. Despite its significance, there is a paucity of research examining how firm-related actors, such as owner managers, internalise and interpret the state of social anomie, and how such interpretations influence firm-level innovative outcomes. To bridge this knowledge gap, this study integrates the insights from institution-based view (IBV) and institutional anomie theory (IAT) to investigate how firm-level innovation orientation and performance––conceptualised as a form of positive deviance––are shaped by the interplay between managerial perception of social anomie (MPSA), competitive dynamics, and subnation-level institutional contexts. This study draws on both primary and secondary data to derive findings. The primary data were collected from 1,054 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across various regions in China, while the secondary data were obtained from the compiled subnational datasets and indices specific to the Chinese context. The results illustrate that SME innovation orientation mediates the negative relationship between MPSA and SME innovation performance in China. Furthermore, the subnation-level institutional development of product markets and competitive dynamics serve as buffering mechanisms, mitigating the adverse effect of MPSA. Conversely, the subnation-level cultural prevalence of uncertainty avoidance amplifies the adverse impact of MPSA on SME innovation performance.

This study enriches the literature on firm innovation by unravelling the impact of MPSA—an underexplored socio-behavioural consequence of China’s rapid yet uneven marketisation—on firm-level innovation. It also sheds light on the boundary conditions for the anomie–innovation nexus, contributing to the theoretical development of IBV and IAT. Lastly, the findings provide practical insights for SME owner-managers and policymakers to enhance institutional support and foster resilience within innovation ecosystems to combat the anomie-induced challenges.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Subjects: H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management; H Social Sciences > HF Commerce
• Colleges/Schools: College of Social Sciences > Adam Smith Business School > Management
• Supervisor's Name: Tang, Dr. Yee Kwan and Ji, Dr. Junzhe
• Date of Award: 2025
• Depositing User: Theses Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2025-85302
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 04 Jul 2025 14:49
• Last Modified: 04 Jul 2025 14:51
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.85302
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/85302