*3.3. The Moderating Effect of TMT Technological Participation*

It is a common practice for senior executives to participate in technology R&D. By participating in technology R&D, senior executives can fully understand the problems and resources needed in the R&D process [66] and make their intellectual labor and creative activities play a leading role in the enterprise's technological innovation process. For a TMT with strong functional heterogeneity, senior executives who participate in R&D can better utilize their advantages in resource acquisition, select partners to better address R&D demands, and develop diversified cooperative relationships. At the same time, when TMTs participate in the process of technology R&D, they often have a risk aversion tendency to maintain their professional reputation [12]. As a result, the TMT is more ready to use its varied knowledge to mobilize resources in the social network, choose diversified partners, avoid R&D risks, and enhance the quality of innovation the higher its technological engagement [67]. Therefore, TMT technological participation enhances the promotion effect of TMT functional experience heterogeneity on partner diversity. Therefore, we propose the fifth hypothesis: Hypothesis 5.

**Hypothesis 5 (H5).** *TMT technological participation positively moderates the relationship between functional experience heterogeneity and partner diversity.*

When members of the TMT engage in technology R&D, they necessarily draw on their prior industry knowledge to inform their decision making because of the major disparities in innovation models and innovation elements, or in other words, across different industries. This can lead to divisions among TMT members over the choice of partners, causing conflicts, which is not conducive to the establishment and maintenance of diversified partnerships. Therefore, TMT technological participation enhances the inhibition effect of TMT industrial experience heterogeneity on partner diversity. Therefore, we propose the sixth hypothesis: Hypothesis 6.

**Hypothesis 6 (H6).** *TMT technological participation positively moderates the relationship between industrial experience heterogeneity and partner diversity.*

In summary, the conceptual model of this study is shown in Figure 1.

**Figure 1.** Conceptual model of the impact of TMT experience heterogeneity on innovation quality.
