Triggering Open Innovation Processes Through Organizational Emotional Capability and Rival's Absorptive Capacity Orientation

Abstract

ABSTRACT: In this article, we analyze the direct effects of the open innovation (OI) processes of acquisition and exploitation on innovation performance (IP), as well as the effects of two antecedents of OI: organizational emotional capability (EC) and rival´s absorptive capacity orientation (RACO). RACO implies processing external information in an analytical manner, whereas an intuitive approach is implicit in EC. The research model is tested in a sample of medium-low-technology Colombian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) using structural equations by the consistent partial least squares method. Our results provide evidence on a significant effect of the OI acquisition process on IP, as well as the determining role of RACO for firm-level innovation, in that it functions not only as an informal mechanism for intellectual property rights protection, but also as a knowledge process nourishing the OI exploitation process. This article contributes to the incipient research field of OI in low- and medium-technology SMEs, offering new evidence on the results on the OI-IP relationship in contrast with previous studies conducted in other technological contexts. Furthermore, EC, which has traditionally proven its incidence on internal innovation activities, can have a more powerful and determining role in innovation processes that imply collaborative work with third parties.