Abstract Based on the perspective of ambidexterity of exploration and exploitation, we take ICT industry as an example to analyze different strategies for using science and technical knowledge by the firms in the US and China, and then analyze the effect of such differences on innovation performance. Using patent citation database, the findings showed that the US ICT enterprises’ technological knowledge has significant positive effect on innovation performance, while both the exploration and exploitation of Ambidexterity in Knowledge Sourcing from Chinese ICT enterprises have significant positive effect on innovation performance. We further test the moderating effect of absorptive abilities. The US firms’ absorptive abilities significantly positively moderate the effect of technical knowledge on innovation performance. While Chinese firms’ absorptive abilities moderate the effect of science knowledge on innovation performance.
2016, Vol. 13 
