How does IT capability affect open innovation performance? The mediating effect of absorptive capacity

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suming Wu ◽  
Xiuhao Ding ◽  
Ruihong Liu ◽  
Hui Gao

Purpose Open innovation and information systems have been key topics in the theoretical domain, but little empirical research thoroughly examines how information technology (IT) capability affects open innovation performance. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between IT capability and open innovation performance and to expose the inner mechanism at the firm level. Design/methodology/approach This paper collected firm-level data in China; 232 usable questionnaires from different firms were collected. Then, the study used a structural equation model by AMOS for hypothesis testing. Findings The results indicate that both internal IT capability and external IT capability have positive impacts on open innovation performance; potential absorptive capacity and realized absorptive capacity mediate the relationship between external IT capability and open innovation performance. Additionally, realized absorptive capacity plays a mediating role in the relationship between internal IT capability and open innovation performance. Practical implications These findings indicate that practitioners should pay attention to the important relationship between absorptive capacity and IT capability and open innovation performance in Chinese businesses. Originality/value Existing research has emphasized the influence of IT on open innovation, but empirical studies have not thoroughly focused on the inner mechanisms of the effect of IT capability on open innovation performance. Drawing on firm capability theory, this paper classifies IT capability as internal and external IT capability and absorptive capacity as potential and realized absorptive capacity. Then, this paper confirms the mediating role of absorptive capacity between IT capability and open innovation performance.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thammanoon Charmjuree ◽  
Yuosre F. Badir ◽  
Umar Safdar

PurposeThis study is among the very few to examine the firm's simultaneous use of both dimensions of open innovation and its influences on the firm's process innovation performance (PIP). Specifically, the authors consider the relationship between firm's external technology acquisition (ETA) and external technology exploitation (ETE) and examine their direct, indirect and mediating effect on the firm's PIP. The authors also examine the moderating effect of the organizations' unabsorbed slack (UASL) on the relationship between ETA and ETE.Design/methodology/approachAnalyzing data collected from 311 small- and medium-sized software development firms in emerging market; Thailand, we show that both ETA and ETE have a positive effect on PIP and that ETE fully mediates the relationship between ETA and PIP.FindingsThe authors show that both ETA and ETE have a positive effect on PIP and that ETE fully mediates the relationship between ETA and PIP. Moreover, the relationship between ETA and ETE is positively moderated by the firms' unabsorbed slack (UASL) and that the influence of ETA on PIP through ETE is stronger under higher unabsorbed slack.Originality/valueThe authors extend the “traditional” performance outcome of outbound dimension of open innovation concept, which focuses exclusively on commercialization and market (Chesbrough, 2003b), by showing that ETE positively influences the firm's PIP. Moreover, the study explains the mechanism through which ETA influence the firm's PIP by proposing that ETE fully mediates the relationship between ETA and PIP.


2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Syed Saad Ahmed ◽  
Jia Guozhu ◽  
Shujaat Mubarik ◽  
Mumtaz Khan ◽  
Essa Khan

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the mediating role of potential and realized absorptive capacity in intellectual capital (IC) and business performance. It also investigates the direct impact of the components of IC on business performance. Design/methodology/approach Partial least square-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to assess the effect of IC dimensions on performance and to analyze the mediating role of absorptive capacity in this relationship. Data were collected from 192 managers using a survey questionnaire with Likert scale items. Findings The findings of the study show that potential absorptive capacity does not intervene in the relationship between the components of IC and those of business performance. However, realized absorptive capacity, measured as the transformation and exploitation of knowledge, played a positive mediating role in the relationship between the dimensions of IC and those of business performance. Social capital was also noted as a weak predictor of business performance, while human capital and organizational capital had a profound positive influence. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature on IC by examining the role of realized and potential absorptive capacity in the relationship between IC components and firm performance. This research also helps practitioners recognize the importance of transformation and the exploitation of knowledge for business performance.


2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (9) ◽  
pp. 2256-2276 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Muzamil Naqshbandi

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop and test an integrated model to examine the relationship between managerial ties and two types of open innovation (OI). It takes into account the mediating role of realized absorptive capacity and explains how a firm’s ability to recognize the value of new information, assimilate it and apply it to commercial ends can facilitate OI. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 259 middle and top managers working across different sectors in the United Arab Emirates. Findings Results obtained using structural equation modeling show that managerial ties facilitate both in-bound and out-bound OI. Results also establish the mediating role of realized absorptive capacity in these relationships. Research limitations/implications Use of cross-sectional data as was done in this study has been criticized for being inappropriate to test causal models. Besides the findings may not be generalizable to different industries/cultures/regions. Practical implications This study suggests that managerial ties act to support OI in firms thus giving the insight that managers should be appreciated to build ties with managers of other firms, universities and government officials. Doing so can help firms achieve better OI outcomes. Firms should arrange means of interaction of their managers with these external knowledge sources such as events and occasions where managers of different firms can interact with each other to foster strong ties among them. Originality/value The above findings contribute theoretically to OI and managerial ties literature while providing insights for practitioners on how to succeed or avoid failure in their OI initiatives. These insights are novel and are new to the OI and managerial ties theory.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 1789-1805 ◽  
Author(s):  
Su-Ming Wu ◽  
Xiu-Hao Ding

PurposeInformation technology plays a critical role in the open innovation process. The purpose of this study is to explore the inner mechanism of external information technology (IT) capability that affects open innovation performance.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, responses to 232 questionnaires from different firms were collected in China. Then, the proposed hypotheses were tested using regression analysis by statistical product and service solutions (SPSS).FindingsThe results indicate that external knowledge integration plays a mediating role in the relationship between external IT capability and open innovation performance, openness breadth positively moderates the influence of external IT capability on external knowledge integration and openness depth negatively moderates the relationship between external IT capability and external knowledge integration.Practical implicationsThe results, which are based on Chinese responses, provide useful suggestions for firms in China. To use external IT capability to improve open innovation performance, firms should not only stress the role of external knowledge integration but also consider their search strategy.Originality/valueBoth researchers and practitioners are interested in the relationship between information technology and open innovation. However, the way in which the inner mechanism of external IT capability affects open innovation performance has not been thoroughly researched. Based on knowledge integration theory, the authors construct a model that includes external IT capability, external knowledge integration, search strategy and open innovation performance. The results of this paper confirm the mediating and moderating roles of external knowledge integration and search strategy, respectively.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang Lu ◽  
Bo Yu ◽  
Jing Zhang ◽  
Dan Xu

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships between two types of open innovation (OI) strategies (OI breadth and depth) and innovation performance of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in China. The study examines how firms’ absorptive capacity and government institutional support affect these relationships. Design/methodology/approach Survey data from 236 manufacturing SMEs in China were used to test the proposed model using hierarchical regression analysis. Findings The results show that both OI breadth and depth are positively related to innovation performance of SMEs. Moreover, this study finds that realized absorptive capacity serves as a mediator in the relationships between OI breadth and depth and innovation performance. The potential absorptive capacity and government institutional support moderate the relationship between OI breadth and innovation performance. Originality/value The effectiveness of OI strategies is significantly different among SMEs. One possible explanation is that SMEs adopt different types of OI strategies. Another is that a firm’s absorptive capacity and government institutional support may influence the effectiveness of OI. This study integrates these two possible reasons by investigating the effect of the interplay between different OI strategies, absorptive capacity and government institutional support on SMEs’ innovation performance. This study enriches the research on the relationships between OI strategies and innovation performance of SMEs in the Chinese context.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
María Isabel Roldán Bravo ◽  
Antonia Ruiz Moreno ◽  
Alejandro Garcia Garcia ◽  
Irene Huertas-Valdivia

Purpose This paper aims to investigate whether and under what conditions open innovation (OI) drives innovation performance (IP) in the financial sector. To this end, the paper first analyzes in-depth the indirect effect of overcoming two attitudinal mediators, namely, not-invented-here syndrome (NIHS) and not-sold-here syndrome (NSHS). It then uses dynamic capabilities theory to hypothesize that the indirect effects are moderated by absorptive and desorptive capabilities, respectively. Design/methodology/approach The authors perform an empirical study of major Spanish financial entities. Data are collected from 288 questionnaires from employees at branches of 13 bank entities. Regression analysis tests the mediating role of overcoming syndromes and the moderated-mediating role of dynamic capabilities in the OI–IP relationship. Findings Results confirm the indirect effect of overcoming NIHS on the relationship between outside-in OI and IP, and the indirect effect of overcoming NSHS on the relationship between inside-out OI and IP. Further, absorptive capacity moderates the indirect effect between outside-in OI practices and IP by overcoming NIHS, and desorptive capacity moderates the indirect effect between inside-out OI practices and IP by overcoming NSHS. Originality/value This paper advances knowledge by explaining discrepancies in the sign of the OI–IP relationship. By introducing comprehensive absorptive and desorptive capacity models to explain OI, it advocates an integrative framework to understand OI activities and their outcomes. Managers should develop these capacities using human talent training and cultural values development to mitigate NIHS and NSHS and optimize firms’ OI efforts and the improved IP benefits derived from them.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 551-570
Author(s):  
Sampson Ato Sarsah ◽  
Hongyun Tian ◽  
Courage Simon Kofi Dogbe ◽  
Bylon Abeeku Bamfo ◽  
Wisdom Wise Kwabla Pomegbe

PurposeThe study explored the mediating role of potential and realized absorptive capacities in the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and radical innovation performance among manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).Design/methodology/approachEmpirical analysis was based on 357 manufacturing SMEs in Ghana. Various validity and reliability checks were conducted before the presentation of the actual analysis, which was conducted using ordinary least squares approach, run using SPSS (v. 20).FindingsFindings revealed that potential and realized absorptive capacities significantly mediated the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and radical innovation performance among manufacturing SMEs. Further, it was identified that ambidexterity in absorptive capacity also had a greater effect on radical innovation performance among manufacturing SMEs.Research limitations/implicationsSince the data used were cross-sectional, the relationships measured represent only a snapshot of time. Longitudinal studies could therefore be adopted in the future to complement the cross-sectional conducted.Practical implicationsWhile managers of manufacturing SMEs seek to achieve higher radical innovation performance through entrepreneurial orientation, it should also be noted that both potential and realized absorptive capacities have a significant role to play in this relationship. Managers must therefore also seek to invest time to build both potential and realized absorptive capacities, as they define greater innovation success.Originality/valueSome past studies have considered absorptive capacity as composite variable, therefore added both potential and realized absorptive capacities to form a single variable. Others also presented potential and realized absorptive capacities individually. This current study extends the body of knowledge by presenting an ambidexterity position between potential and realized absorptive capacities.


2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 475-494 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xueyuan Liu ◽  
Muzhen Shen ◽  
Wenjing Ding ◽  
Xiande Zhao

Purpose In innovation networks, firm innovation performance is affected by external tie strength and internal knowledge absorptive capacity. This study aims to empirically examine the path relationship between tie strength, absorptive capacity and firm innovation performance in Chinese manufacturing industries, thus enhance our understanding on the mechanism between innovation network and innovation performance. Design/methodology/approach The authors have conducted a survey among Chinese manufacturers in four industries (textile and garment, household appliance, IT and electronics and motor vehicle assemblers) that are located in North, East, Central and South China, respectively, with a valid response from 278 manufacturers. Structural equation model is used to analyze the results. Findings This study demonstrates that in Chinese Manufacturing industry, tie strength is positively related to innovation performance. The authors also find that absorptive capacity has a positive impact on innovation performance and it mediates the relationship between tie strength and innovation performance. Then, the authors analyze the effect of ownership, industry and sub-region, and the results show that in private firms and traditional manufacturers, and the firms located in North and Eastern China, tie strength has no direct effect on innovation outcomes, but it can influence innovation indirectly through absorptive capacity. Originality/value This study further supports that in Chinese guanxi culture, strong ties with other innovation partners can improve the firm’s absorptive capacity and thus improve innovation performance. The results also suggest that a firm’s absorptive capacity has a significant mediating effect on the relationship between tie strength and innovation performance.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaofeng Su ◽  
Weipeng Zeng ◽  
Manhua Zheng ◽  
Xiaoli Jiang ◽  
Wenhe Lin ◽  
...  

PurposeFollowing the rapid expansion of data volume, velocity and variety, techniques and technologies, big data analytics have achieved substantial development and a surge of companies make investments in big data. Academics and practitioners have been considering the mechanism through which big data analytics capabilities can transform into their improved organizational performance. This paper aims to examine how big data analytics capabilities influence organizational performance through the mediating role of dual innovations.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on the resource-based view and recent literature on big data analytics, this paper aims to examine the direct effects of big data analytics capabilities (BDAC) on organizational performance, as well as the mediating role of dual innovations on the relationship between (BDAC) and organizational performance. The study extends existing research by making a distinction of BDACs' effect on their outcomes and proposing that BDACs help organizations to generate insights that can help strengthen their dual innovations, which in turn have a positive impact on organizational performance. To test our proposed research model, this study conducts empirical analysis based on questionnaire-base survey data collected from 309 respondents working in Chinese manufacturing firms.FindingsThe results support the proposed hypotheses regarding the direct and indirect effect that BDACs have on organizational performance. Specifically, this paper finds that dual innovations positively mediate BDACs' effect on organizational performance.Originality/valueThe conclusions on the relationship between big data analytics capabilities and organizational performance in previous research are controversial due to lack of theoretical foundation and empirical testing. This study resolves the issue by provides empirical analysis, which makes the research conclusions more scientific and credible. In addition, previous literature mainly focused on BDACs' direct impact on organizational performance without making a distinction of BDAC's three dimensions. This study contributes to the literature by thoroughly introducing the notions of BDAC's three core constituents and fully analyzing their relationships with organizational performance. What's more, empirical research on the mechanism of big data analytics' influence on organizational performance is still at a rudimentary stage. The authors address this critical gap by exploring the mediation of dual innovations in the relationship through survey-based research. The research conclusions of this paper provide new perspective for understanding the impact of big data analytics capabilities on organizational performance, and enrich the theoretical research connotation of big data analysis capabilities and dual innovation behavior.


2021 ◽  
Vol 124 ◽  
pp. 08010
Author(s):  
Rabiah Eladwiah Abdul Rahim ◽  
Nor’ashikin Ali ◽  
Juraifa Jais

This study aims to investigate the factors influencing research community participation and open innovation through the mediating role of absorptive capacity from the lens of Resource Based View and Dynamic Capability perspectives. Based on a survey of 115 senior engineering faculties from three research universities in Malaysia, this study applies the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to investigate the research model. The findings demonstrate that top management support has a major impact on research community participation. The findings also suggest that absorptive capacity mediates the association between research community participation and open innovation capability. This study provides a theoretical basis on the resources and capability that are pertinent for open innovation. From a practical perspective, the relationships among research community participation, absorptive capacity, and open innovation suggest how universities can promote research community participation and assess their absorptive capacity to achieve open innovation.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document