From imitation to innovation: examining the technology-related change process in a transitioning Chinese economy

Abstract

This article examines a technology-related change process in a transitioning Chinese economy by identifying the pressures for deinstitutionalization and the moderating factors that affect a practical example of its implementation. The analysis is underpinned by the Cunningham (2002) model of organizational change, and the study focuses on the case of ANTA Sports Products Ltd., a Chinese sporting goods manufacturer undergoing an organizational change from imitation to innovation. Data were gathered from official and semiofficial documents and four semistructured interviews. The main findings are as follows: (1) a glut of low-end products, Chinese consumers’ positive technology readiness and growing sense of Chinese patriotism, and internal political pressures were particular stressors for ANTA; (2) tax preferences provided ANTA with a strong motive to promote its change process, while weak intellectual property rights and institutional protections had the opposite effect; and (3) ANTA’s access to affordable resources, the CEO’s determination, the elimination of the alternative, and the dependence upon consumers for resources ensured its successful implementation of organizational change.