The impact of open innovation on innovation performance: the chain mediating effect of knowledge field activity and knowledge transfer

In the era of innovation, the application of open innovation is gradually becoming the main source of innovation. This paper investigates how degrees of variation in the depth and breadth of open innovation affect firms’ innovation performance, in addition to the mechanism of the activity in the knowledge field and the chain mediating role of knowledge transfer in this process. This paper collects data from 283 Chinese firms using a questionnaire survey commissioned by Chinese industry associations, heads of relevant listed companies, and the Questionnaire Star platform, and develops a chain mediation model to test the hypotheses. The analysis results demonstrate that both the breadth and depth of open innovation have a significant positive impact on firms’ innovation performance. Additionally, knowledge field activity and knowledge transfer assume the role of chain mediators in this process. This paper investigates the different effects of the depth and breadth of open innovation on innovation performance, further analyzing the mechanism of the effect on innovation performance under the influence of chain mediation of knowledge field activity and knowledge transfer, providing valuable insights for both innovation management research and practice.