Human resources management and open innovation: the role of open innovation mindset

There is growing interest in the role of strategic human resource management (SHRM) in managing employees and supporting their capacity for innovation in high-tech firms. In this paper, using dynamic capabilities theory we examine the role of SHRM in supporting open innovation (OI) performance of employees in four US multinational technology firms. We introduce OI mindset as a new concept that is critical for organisations engaging in OI and conceptualise it as consisting of values, attitudes, and beliefs that capture an individual’s openness towards knowledge sourcing and sharing inside and outside organisational boundaries. We examine the mediating role of OI mindset on the relationship between SHRM and OI performance. Our results confirm three hypotheses and that OI mindset mediates the relationship between SHRM and OI performance. These findings demonstrate the utility of OI mindset and the important role of SHRM in predicting OI performance. We draw implications for theory and HR practice in the Asia-Pacific region.