THE PIVOTAL ROLE OF TOP MANAGEMENT IN FOSTERING INBOUND OPEN INNOVATION IN SMEs: THE MEDIATION EFFECT OF ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the pivotal role of top management and organizational change in explaining the degree of openness of SMEs to inbound open innovation practices. To do this, a conceptual model has been proposed and tested from a sample of 186 SMEs operating in Tunisian manufacturing industry. The examination of this model based on the Structural Equation Modeling confirms that entrepreneurial strategic vision of the top management favorably influences the degree of openness in SMEs. Moreover, the results obtained showed that organizational change associated with cultural aspects is an important determinant in the introduction of inbound openness practices, while that related to the organizational structure seems to be insignificant. Based on these findings, this research paper contributes to the enrichment of knowledge on inbound open innovation in SMEs and produces some managerial implications that can be suggested to stimulate the success of the openness approach according to the Open innovation paradigm.