Does Information Technology Improve Open Innovation Performance? An Examination of Manufacturers in Spain

AbstractOur objective in this paper is to explore the impact of information technology IT on the performance of open innovation models. We study the effect of IT on the production of patents and product innovations. Our analysis of a large panel of Spanish manufacturing firms confirms that the effect of the proportion of external research and development R&D investments on the production of patents and new products has an inverted U-shape. The results also reveal that investments in IT positively moderate the consequences of open innovation on innovation performance by reducing identification, assimilation, and utilization costs. Our results provide evidence of the viability and benefit of a new strategic alternative to innovation that is different than the traditional process of vertically integrated R&D.The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2017.0705.