Abstract:
Managers employed in the dual gatekeeper-shepherd roles in open innovation contexts
need to combine external knowledge inflows with existing internal knowledge to drive
innovative work behaviour. This study explores how such managers leverage knowledge
sources at the firm boundary, to drive innovation activities, by using their individual-level
capabilities of absorptive capacity and ambidexterity. To collect data for the study, 121
technology managers employed in four large automotive equipment manufacturing
firms in India were surveyed using an online questionnaire. Structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to examine the direct, moderation and mediation relationships
hypothesised in the study. The results demonstrate the synergistic roles played by individual absorptive capacity and individual ambidexterity in enhancing the innovative
behaviour of managers operating in an open innovation context. This study contributes to
the theory related to the understudied individual-level analyses of open innovation and
offers recommendations for managers looking to increase their innovativeness at work.