How R&D originality affects open innovation under knowledge spillovers?

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate how R&D originality functions in an open innovation process after the introduction of knowledge spillovers (KSs). Design/methodology/approach - To examine the research framework, the authors use hierarchical regression based on questionnaire data from 211 emerging enterprises in China. Findings - Consistent with the proposed framework, the authors find that the KS effect mediates the positive relationship between openness and innovation performance. In addition, R&D originality weakens the impact of the KS effect on innovation performance. Research limitations/implications - One limitation is that the questionnaire survey the authors choose for data collection has some natural defects; furthermore, the testing method and research framework need to be improved. Practical implications - Several implications of the findings for managerial practices are discussed. Originality/value - First, the research expands the existing theoretical construct by introducing the KS effect into the open innovation process; second, the authors reveal the negative impact of R&D originality on the open innovation process.