Can digital platform empowers inbound and outbound open innovation? From the perspective of the innovation ecosystem

Abstract In the global digital economy, the use of digital platforms in supporting innovation across organizational boundaries has attracted more concentration. By using the fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis method, this paper examines survey data from 319 firms located in the Yangtze River Delta region in China. This paper investigates how digital collaboration capability, absorptive capability, digital platform, stakeholder pressure, and external support enable firms’ open innovation through a collaborative symbiosis. Findings reveal that although the above factors are not strictly necessary for firms to achieve high-level open innovation, they contribute to some degree. This paper identifies two comparable paths that facilitate inbound open innovation for firms: the “platform-enabling subject collaborative type,” which focuses on engaging relevant entities, and the “platform-enabling internal and external linkage-type,” which emphasizes integrating firms’ internal and external resources. In addition, a single path supports firms in achieving outbound open innovation, i.e., the “platform–external support collaborative type,” which relies on constructing digital platforms and obtaining external support. This paper offers some significant theoretical and managerial implications for firms, especially those in emerging markets, seeking to integrate into more innovation ecosystems and engage in open innovation through the use of digital platforms.