Does culture diversity affect innovation? Evidence from Chinese business group affiliated firms

Abstract

We analyze how intra-group culture diversity affect group affiliated firm’s innovation. Our findings suggest that the more inconsistency on risk preference among affiliated firms in one group, the less impact of affiliated firm’s own risk culture on innovation. Specifically, we document that intra-group culture diversity impedes individual affiliated firm’s innovation through managerial and controlling agency problems. The heterogeneity test shows that size, executives, headquarter connected, location, state ownership and information quality of affiliated firms can affect intra-group culture diversity on innovation. We prove that intra-group culture diversity impedes innovation on group affiliated firms, which means a dark side of business group affiliation.