随着数字经济时代来临，越来越多的企业将开展数字化转型视为驱动创新的重要因素并加大投入力度，关于数字化转型对企业创新的影响成为业界和学界关注的热点。然而，在数字化转型对企业创新的影响这一关键议题上，现有研究尚无法达成共识，甚至可能与企业数字化转型的实际情况相去甚远。上述现象反映出当前对数字化转型影响企业创新的机制探索不够深入，也缺乏对数字化转型和创新的细致分类，因此亟待从一个整合性的理论视角出发讨论这一问题。

本研究以最优区分理论为基础，区分企业开展数字化转型的合法性动机和差异化动机，分为范围一致性和重点差异性维度。同时，针对创新分类问题，本文将聚焦于企业的双元创新进行研究，即探索式创新和利用式创新。在最优区分理论框架下，本研究讨论数字化转型的范围一致性和重点差异性对探索式创新和利用式创新的异质性影响。同时，本研究还探讨了企业层面和行业层面的情境因素对上述关系的影响，关注企业高科技性质和行业数字化投入的调节作用。

本研究使用2013-2020年中国上市企业的统计数据作为样本进行实证检验。结果表明，企业数字化转型范围一致性正向促进利用式创新，对探索式创新产生负向影响。相反，数字化转型重点差异性负向影响利用式创新，但对探索式创新产生积极影响。与高科技企业相比，非高科技企业数字化转型范围一致性对利用式创新的正向影响更强，且对探索式创新的负向影响更强。相比于非高科技企业，高科技企业数字化转型重点差异性对利用式创新的负向影响更强，且对探索式创新的正向影响更强。行业数字化投入同时削弱数字化转型范围一致性与企业利用式创新的正相关关系以及与企业探索式创新的负相关关系。相反，行业数字化投入同时强化数字化转型重点差异性与企业利用式创新的负相关关系以及与企业探索式创新的正相关关系。研究结果通过内生性检验和稳健性检验仍然成立，研究结论具有稳健性。

从理论层面上讲，本研究有助于调和关于数字化转型对企业创新影响的矛盾结论，对上述关系进行深入探索。同时，通过将最优区分理论与数字化转型和双元创新相联系，丰富了最优区分理论的应用情境。从现实层面上而言，本研究有助于企业在一致性和差异化需求之间实现动态平衡，指导企业数字化转型实践。

With the advent of the digital economy, more and more firms view digital transformation as an important factor in driving innovation and are investing more in it. The impact of digital transformation on firm innovation has attracted the attention of practice and academia. However, the existing research does not yet reach a consensus on the impact of digital transformation on firm innovation, and may even be far from the reality in firms. The above phenomenon reflects a lack of in-depth exploration of the mechanisms by which digital transformation affects firm innovation, as well as a lack of detailed classification of digital transformation and innovation. There is therefore an urgent requirement to discuss this issue from an integrated theoretical perspective.

Based on optimal distinctiveness theory, this study distinguishes between legitimacy and differentiation motives for firms to undertake digital transformation, divided into scope conformity and emphasis differentiation dimensions. Meanwhile, to address the issue of innovation classification, this paper will focus on the ambidextrous innovation of firms, i.e., exploratory and exploitative innovation. Under the framework of optimal distinctiveness theory, this study discusses the heterogeneous impact of scope conformity and emphasis differentiation of digital transformation on the exploratory beds and exploitative innovations. Also, this study explores the impact of firm-level and industry-level contextual contingency on the above relationships, focusing on the moderating role of firm’s high-tech nature and industry digital investment.

This study uses statistics on Chinese listed firms from 2013 to 2020 as a sample for empirical test. The results show that scope conformity of digital transformation has a positive impact on exploitative innovation and a negative impact on exploratory innovation. Conversely, the emphasis differentiation of digital transformation negatively affects exploitative innovation, but positively affects exploratory innovation. The scope conformity of digital transformation in non-high-tech firms has a stronger positive impact on exploitative innovation and a stronger negative impact on exploratory innovation than in high-tech firms. The emphasis differentiation of digital transformation has a stronger negative impact on exploitative innovation and a stronger positive influence on exploratory innovation for high-tech firms than for non-high-tech firms. Industry digital investment weaken the positive correlation of the scope conformity of digital transformation with exploitative innovation and the negative correlation with exploratory innovation. Conversely, industry digital investment strengthens the negative correlation of the emphasis differentiation digital transformation with exploitative innovation and the positive correlation with exploratory innovation. The findings still hold up through endogeneity test and robustness test and the study findings are robust.

Theoretically, this study helps to reconcile the contradictory findings in the existing literature on the relationship between digital transformation and firm innovation by providing an in-depth exploration of the relationship. Meanwhile, it enriches the application context of optimal distinctiveness theory by connecting it to digital transformation and ambidexterity innovation. Practically speaking, this study helps firms to achieve a dynamic balance between the need for conformity and differentiation to guide their digital transformation practices.