Project performance: an analysis based on open innovation and leadership

Purpose This study examines how two directions of open innovation – inbound knowledge acquisition and outbound knowledge application – relate to project performance and whether knowledge-oriented leadership changes these relationships in automotive firms. Design/methodology/approach This research is based on a survey conducted with 137 firms in the automotive industry and uses the PLS-SEM method to analyze the research model. Findings The results indicate that inbound open innovation is positively but comparatively weakly associated with project performance, whereas outbound open innovation shows a substantially stronger association. In automotive supply networks, automakers often shape development requirements, creating conditions that favor the external application of suppliers' knowledge. Knowledge-oriented leadership also amplifies the performance implications of both knowledge flows. Originality/value The study contributes by moving the analysis of open innovation from aggregate organizational outcomes to product development project teams. It also separates inbound and outbound flows and tests their relationships with project performance while considering knowledge-oriented leadership as a boundary condition.