The Investigation of Knowledge Exploration and Exploitation in Innovation Dimension's Development: Evidences from Agricultural Research Institutes at ALBORZ Province

In hitherto empirical researches, the role of organizational learning in innovation has been considered, but its impact mechanism is not so clear. Therefore, this research, with emphasis on the exploration and exploitation of knowledge as two central components of learning, has examined their role in organizational innovation capabilities. The statistical population of the research was consisted of researchers in agricultural research centers of Alborz province which of them 98 participants were randomly selected with different specialties. The research instrument was a questionnaire whose validity was confirmed by its face and discriminant validity and its reliability was confirmed composite reliability. The dominant statistical method was the structural equation modeling partial least squares method that was conducted using Smart PLS software. The result of the research showed that the development of organizational innovation at the Agricultural Research Institute is dependent on the ability to knowledge exploration and exploitation. It was found that knowledge exploration has the greatest impact on the development of innovation culture in the organization, while the exploitation of knowledge has the most impact on innovation and the administrative dimension of the process. This suggests that the management of agricultural research units would focus on the exploration and exploitation of knowledge in the long run, which could result in the development of organizational innovation