International Journal of Innovation Management

Given that few studies have focused on the relationship between social capital, open innovation and firm performance, particularly in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), we decided to extend this line of research. Thus, we tried to focus on social capital as a key element of informal cultural norms and to study its impact on open innovation in these firms and consequently on their performance. Through a review of the literature, we were able to develop the existing relationships between these three concepts and design our theoretical model. In accordance with a positivist posture, we adopted a hypothetical-deductive approach and a quantitative empirical validation method. In order to test our conceptual model and to analyse the results of the study carried out with 67 Tunisian SMEs of the mechanical and metallurgical industries, we used the Structural Equations Method and the Neural Networks Method. The results of this research indicate that social capital significantly influences open innovation which in turn positively influences the performance of SMEs. Specifically, this study contributes to resource theory and social capital theory by first confirming that intangible resources and capabilities, associated with social capital and open innovation are valuable to SME performance. In addition to the theoretical implications, the results of this study also provide important guidance to practitioners regarding strategic direction, in that SMEs should deliberately use their limited administrative capabilities and intangible resources to support business performance. As SMEs play an important role in building, maintaining, and evolving innovation ecosystems and contribute significantly to a country’s economic growth, our research can offer significant policy implications for Tunisian SMEs to improve their innovation performance through OI strategies.

Disruptive innovation (DI) refers to a mode of low cost high ancillary performance innovation that starts at the lower end of the market and gradually moves up to eventually displace its incumbent counterparts. The concept of DI has become more and more popular in the healthcare sector. The paper studies how healthcare research has embraced the concept of DI in various areas within the healthcare sector. Areas of healthcare, where DI has been adopted as a management strategy, were identified in the last two decades, through initially shortlisting 157 papers and the final reviewed set of 117 papers. Through a multi-method approach comprising of co-word analysis, identification of themes, mapping of research work across these themes and geography, the study found that, although from a management perspective there are 13 major themes, the majority of the focus is on four major themes–healthcare delivery and services, healthcare administration, technology and equipment, and nursing and palliative care. Furthermore, the majority of the geography-specific research was conducted in developed countries, especially the USA. It was also observed that organisational strategies for successfully implementing DI in the healthcare sector are still in the nascent stage and the focus is mostly in the area of healthcare delivery and administration from the management perspective. Future research studies could aim at looking at the role that DI plays in the healthcare sector of the developing countries, as well as using DI in other areas of healthcare, rather than a few concentrated areas.

Although psychological safety has been long recognised as critical in the context of information sharing, risk-taking, collaboration, and the process of organisational learning, its effects on absorptive capacity (ACAP) have not yet been theorised and empirically tested. Consequently, the present study’s objective is to fill this important research gap by explaining the role of psychological safety in the context of two dimensions of ACAP–potential ACAP (PACAP) and realised ACAP (RACAP). To empirically test the hypothesised model, this study uses survey data that were collected in the healthcare industry. The study’s results confirm some of the main assumptions. Consequently, the paper’s findings advance past research on innovation management by expanding our understanding of how business organisations could better utilise their internal resources to support the development of innovative capabilities.

The main objective of this study consists of investigating the impact of innovation strategies on corporate financial and social performance. Our study is based on French listed firms (SBF 120) from 2015 to 2019. Two models are employed to test our hypotheses: in the first model we opt for linear regressions to investigate the relation between innovation strategies (process, product and open) on firm’s financial performance. In the second model, logit regression model is employed to explore the impact of innovation strategies on corporate social responsibility (CSR). Findings reveal that product and open innovation are valuable to firm’s performance measured by return on asset (ROA). Second, we find evidence that open and technological innovation (process and product) have a positive effect on CSR strategies.

In today’s ever-changing market, startups that can effectively respond to environmental changes and can manage unpredictable events will face intense competition. Human resources play a special role in promoting the competitiveness of startups. This study investigated the effect of high-performance work systems (HPWSs) on the competitiveness of startups through the mediating role of innovation capability maturity. The statistical population of the study consisted of Iranian startups based in Isfahan Province. Data were collected using a standard questionnaire, and the structural equation method was used to data analysis. The results showed that high-performance work systems have a positive and significant impact on the competitiveness of the studied startups through the mediating role of innovation capability maturity and about 47% of the total effect of the high-performance work system on competitiveness of them is explained indirectly by the mediating variable of innovation capability maturity.

To acquire needed resources, companies often build relationships with various types of partners in ‘open innovation’ (OI) relationships. However, such relationships have considerable downsides related to the risk of partners’ opportunistic behaviour, and managers need to know how to manage such behaviours if they are to profit from the external resources that OI relationships offer. Drawing on resource dependency theory, this study investigates how firms can manage their OI relationships effectively to deal with their upsides and downsides in terms of resource acquisition and opportunistic behaviour. Furthermore, this study examines an open organisational context in the form of open strategy as well as open structures and processes as contingency factors. The multisource data for the empirical analyses stem from survey data from managers in 181 companies and secondary data from a financial database. The results reveal that an open strategy facilitates the transformation of acquired resources into OI product performance and market success. However, an open strategy also increases the risk of partners’ opportunistic behaviour and its effect on OI product performance, contrary to the hypotheses. The results indicate that when firms seek to counter the negative impact of opportunistic behaviour, they should implement open structures and processes. Overall, the findings provide guidance for managers about how to ensure that their OI relationships thrive.

Digital technology continues to extend the co-creative role of users and user communities as sources of innovation-conducive knowledge. While the potential of user communities in this context is well established, little is known about the capabilities needed to successfully manage the interface with virtual user communities. The paper investigates User Community Sensing (UCS) capability as a measure of firms’ ability to anticipate changes and opportunities for innovation by interfacing with relevant user communities. Based on existing research and data from 173 product innovation projects, the study employs structural equation modelling to test the hypothesised effects of this capability on product innovation performance and product innovation speed. The results indicate that UCS capability affects performance positively and indirectly by increasing knowledge about users but has no significant effect on speed. As well as contributing to the literature on innovation management, the study has a number of implications for practitioners.

COVID-19 pandemic has drawn great attention to environmental uncertainty. The current paper attempts to conceptually develop and empirically validate a research framework that explains how the firms’ environmental uncertainty influences their innovation capability and stakeholder value. Drawing on contingency theory, resource dependence theory, and stakeholder theory, this study develops a conceptual framework for the related constructs and employs a partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to test the suggested framework. The empirical results validate both measurement (outer) and structural (inner) models. They indicate that environmental uncertainty is negatively associated with the innovation capability and stakeholder value while innovation capability is positively related to both internal and external stakeholder value. The results also show that internal stakeholder value positively affects external stakeholder value. Providing valuable insights into logistics and supply chain management, our study contributes to research in environmental uncertainty and innovation management based on the stakeholder theory.

Innovative behaviour and its antecedents have become very important for higher education institutions (HEIs) and attracted research interest recently. To address this need, the researcher draws on Human relation theory (HRT) and equity theory to examine the impacts of employee well-being (EW) and employee absorptive capacity (EAC) on innovative employee behaviour. The researchers examined the mediating variable of EAC in this study and the moderation effect of organisational justices and innovative leaders. Data were collected and analysed from 239 full-time academic members working within the HEIs in Jordan. The smart partial least square SmartPLS analysis outputs reveal that EW affects EAC, consequently affecting innovative employee behaviour. Surprisingly, innovative leadership behaviour plays a moderating role in the relationship between EAC and IB. Also, organisational justice affects EAC. These findings provide administrators in HEIs about enhancing innovative academic behaviours by assuring well-being through fairness and leader innovative support.

Driven by technological progress, new market trends, and deregulation, business model innovations (BMI) are becoming increasingly important for entrepreneurs, established companies, and corresponding researchers. Against the background of the vast number of current studies and research reviews and a resulting lack of oversight, this study aims to systematically analyse previous literature studies on BMI to find out which and to what extent specific BMI research topics are considered. This novel meta-literature study provides a systematic analysis of 34 selected review studies by comparing their research approach, focus and findings, citation success, and open research questions. In this context, 12 key areas could be derived, which can be grouped under the following headings: BMI definitions and terminology, BMI determinants, BMI configurations and processes, and BMI outcomes and impacts. The systematic and detailed analysis of the studies allows conclusions to be drawn about identified research gaps and helps to derive recommendations for future research and practical developments in the field of BMI.

The purpose of this study is to clarify the effects of entrepreneurial leadership (EL) on innovative work behaviour (IWB). It also heightens the perception of the pathways to improve innovative work behaviour by evaluating the mediating role of knowledge sharing (KS) and of person–job fit. The findings indicate that KS mediates the effects of EL on innovative work behaviour. In addition, the influences of KS on aspects of innovative work behaviour are different and depend on the extent of person–job fit. This paper highlights the important role of person–job fit in enhancing the effects of KS activities and innovative work behaviour. The study provides evidence that EL is the main driving force of KS and innovative work behaviour performance. Thus, organisations should prioritise implementing leadership development programs to stimulate KS activities and foster the firm’s innovative work behaviour. This study conducts a questionnaire survey and applies Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to test hypotheses in the proposed research model based on data collected from 355 participants in Jordanian firms Securities Commission list of approximately 235 enterprises. Originality/value. The study significantly fills the gaps in the literature that emphasises how KS mediates the influence of EL on innovative work behaviour. By exploring the moderator of a person–job fit, this paper significantly contributes to advancing the deeper insight of the specific conditions to strengthen the relationship between KS and innovative work behaviour.