Microfoundations of SME open innovation : the role of help, knowledge sharing and hiding

Aleksić, Darija (author), Rangus, Kaja (author), Slavec Gomezel, Alenka (author)

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to better understand the human aspects of open innovation in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by exploring how intrinsic and extrinsic motivation influence enjoyment in helping others, knowledge sharing and knowledge hiding and consequently firms’ open innovation. Design/methodology/approach – We collected data with a survey among CEOs in 140 SMEs and performed confirmatory factor analysis applying structural equation modeling in IBM SPSS AMOS (v. 26). Findings – Results reveal that intrinsic motivation is positively associated with helping behavior and knowledge sharing and negatively associated with knowledge hiding. We also confirm the positive relationship between extrinsic motivation and knowledge sharing. Moreover, we find that knowledge sharing increases and knowledge hiding decreases the firm-level open innovation. Especially in high-tech industry, knowledge sharing is a vital determinant of open innovation. Originality/value – Responding to the calls for a deeper understanding of the individual-level factors that determine organization-level open innovation, in this research we focus on the human aspect of open innovation in SMEs. Open innovation is a widely recognized and implemented concept among large corporations and facilitates better understanding of new technological and market developments both within and outside of organizations. However, understanding of the microfoundations of open innovation in smaller firms is still limited, but this steam of research is growing rapidly.

• Language: English
• Keywords: enterprises, innovations, knowledge transfer, open innovation, helping behavior, knowledge sharing, knowledge hiding, motivation, SMEs
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: EF - School of Economics and Business
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2022
• Number of pages: Str. 178-203
• Numbering: Vol. 25, no. 6
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-127245
• UDC: 331.108
• ISSN on article: 1460-1060
• DOI: 10.1108/EJIM-10-2020-0411
• COBISS.SI-ID: 63435523
• Publication date in RUL: 28.05.2021

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: European journal of innovation management
• Publisher: Emerald
• ISSN: 1460-1060
• COBISS.SI-ID: 4004636

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: podjetje, inovacije, prenos znanja

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P5-0410
• Name: Digitalizacija kot gonilo trajnostnega razvoja posameznika, organizacij in družbe

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: J5-2555
• Name: Oblikovanje organizacije v digitalni dobi