Empirical Study on the Relationship Between Supply Chain Collaboration and Innovation Performance of Lighting Enterprises

In the context of rapid economic globalization and technological advancement, market demand is increasingly being shaped by diversification and personalization, driven by innovation. For lighting companies, efficiently addressing the evolving needs of consumers hinges on their ability to innovate. Effective supply chain collaboration is essential for these enterprises, fostering close partnerships with upstream and downstream businesses and customers, ultimately enhancing innovation performance. This study constructs a theoretical model to explore the relationship between supply chain collaboration (SCC) and the innovation performance of lighting enterprises. It utilizes survey data from a total of 353 companies within the lighting industry chain, spread across five provinces in eastern China. The study assesses the effects of different types of SCC – internal, supplier, and customer – on innovation performance and highlights the mediating role of strategic flexibility in significantly enhancing innovation performance. Results indicate that the overall Cronbach’s alpha for the questionnaire is 0.896, with a KMO value of 0.847, indicating strong reliability and validity. These results affirm that SCC significantly enhances innovation performance, with strategic flexibility serving as a partial mediator in this improvement. In addition, the innovation performance of lighting companies, differentiated by their annual R&D investments, showed significant results at the 10 % level. This study not only contributes to the theoretical understanding of the relationship between SCC and innovation performance but also offers practical insights for improving supply chain management and enhancing innovation in Chinese lighting enterprises.