Human Capital, Open Innovation, and Digital Engagement: Determinants of Innovation Performance in Micro-Enterprises

Innovation has become increasingly important for the competitiveness and sustainability of micro-enterprises operating in rapidly evolving digital environments. This study examines the influence of human capital, social media use, open innovation, and the posthuman digital environment on innovation performance among Minangkabau culinary micro-entrepreneurs in West Sumatra, Indonesia. The study further investigates the mediating roles of social media use and open innovation in the relationship between human capital and innovation performance, as well as the moderating effect of the posthuman digital environment on the relationships between social media use, open innovation, and innovation performance. Primary data were collected from 200 Minangkabau culinary micro-entrepreneurs using a structured questionnaire comprising 33 items measured on a five-point Likert scale. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, Pearson correlation, multiple regression, mediation analysis, and moderation analysis in Jamovi software. The results indicate that social media use exhibits the strongest positive association with innovation performance, while human capital, open innovation, and the posthuman digital environment do not demonstrate significant direct effects. Mediation analysis reveals that neither social media use nor open innovation significantly mediates the relationship between human capital and innovation performance. Similarly, the moderation results show that the posthuman digital environment does not significantly influence the relationships between social media use, open innovation, and innovation performance. The findings explain that digital engagement through social media plays a more prominent role in enhancing innovation performance than individual knowledge resources or collaborative innovation practices within the studied context. These results provide useful insights for entrepreneurship development initiatives seeking to strengthen innovation capabilities among micro-enterprises operating in culturally embedded and increasingly digitalized environments.