Relationship, Resource and Performance of Makerspace in China: From the Perspective of Business Ties and Political Ties

The organizational relationships that makerspaces cultivate with their business partners and government agencies exert a significant influence on their resource allocation strategies and subsequent performance outcomes. This study examines the impact of both business ties and political ties, conceptualized as facets of organizational relationships, on makerspaces’ competitive performance, with a particular focus on the mediating roles of resource bricolage and resource slack. Furthermore, environmental turbulence is recognized as a crucial boundary condition influencing the relationship between these ties and performance outcomes. Utilizing an empirical research design, data was collected through 216 valid questionnaires from makerspaces spanning diverse regions and industries. Systematic data analysis was conducted using AMOS 21.0 and SPSS 20.0. The findings indicate a positive correlation between both business ties and political ties, and competitive performance. Notably, both resource bricolage and resource slack mediate these relationships. However, environmental turbulence amplifies only the relationship between political ties and competitive performance. This research underscores the significance of organizational ties in enhancing the effectiveness of makerspaces’ incubation role in fostering innovation and entrepreneurship. By integrating external organizational relationships with the management and utilization of resources, this study offers valuable insights for the construction and optimization of makerspaces. It emphasizes that strengthening business and political ties with relevant entrepreneurial entities can effectively improve resource allocation efficiency, provide superior incubation services for innovation and entrepreneurship, and ultimately attain a heightened competitive advantage.