Cooperative research and development behavior in technology-based small enterprises: The formation mechanism

Technology-based small enterprises are an important component of regional economic development and scientific and technological innovation; their cooperative research and development (R&D) behavior of employees of these enterprises plays a significant role in promoting their innovation efficiency. With 351 valid samples collected from administrative staff members of enterprises in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Jiangsu, we conducted an empirical test, based on the theory of planned behavior. We performed correlation analysis and structural equation modeling and found a positive effect of behavioral attitude, subjective norm, self-efficacy, and perception of controllability of cooperative R&D on the cooperative R&D behavior in technology-based small enterprises. We concluded that cooperative R&D intention serves as an important mediating variable for these factors in generating enterprise behavior. The impact of perception of controllability on cooperative R&D behavior of the employees in technology-based small enterprises was nonsignificant, and self-efficacy directly engendered cooperative R&D behavior.