How does digital trust boost open innovation? Evidence from a mixed approach

Abstract

As new digital technologies continue to emerge, the trust mechanisms in open innovation are increasingly being discussed. Although previous research has explored the positive moderating effect of technology on digital trust in open innovation, limited attention has been given to the roles of inter-firm knowledge sharing and digital orientation. This study proposes a moderated mediation model based on open innovation and knowledge-based theory to advance research on this topic. Results from a survey dataset of 157 companies indicate that digital trust significantly influences open innovation, with knowledge sharing mediating such relationship. Moreover, a strong digital orientation significantly enhances the effect of digital trust on open innovation. A following fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis reveals a configuration perspective, showing that combining digital trust, sharing resources, sharing intensity, and digital orientation will affect open innovation. These results complement and refine previous regressions by identifying the conditions and paths through which digital trust affects the level of open innovation. Finally, a post hoc interview study involving 26 companies was conducted to confirm the complex relationships and reveal dynamic changes. This process also provided implementable strategies for enhancing digital trust and knowledge sharing. The mixed-method approach used in this study provides a deep understanding of the role mechanism of digital trust in open innovation from the theoretical and practical perspectives.