How Does Green Search Promote Green Innovation? The Mediating Role of Green Control

The importance of a knowledge search for green innovation has been recognized, but our understanding of the influence of green search is still unclear. We used 198 Chinese manufacturing data to sort the influential mechanism of green search on green innovation based on resource-based theory, information processing theory, and transaction cost theory. We also explored the intermediate role of green control (i.e., output and behavior control) between the two dimensions of green search (i.e., search breadth and depth) and green innovation (i.e., exploratory and exploitative innovation). The results show that the diversified green information searched from outside must be controlled through the behavior process and results in improving the quality of existing green products and developing new green products. A continuous and deep search for green knowledge can achieve the results of green innovation by setting goals and monitoring processes. When Chinese manufacturing enterprises are searching for knowledge to produce green products, they must pay attention to the supervision and control of the knowledge integration process and results to ensure the effective utilization and transformation of knowledge.