Digital platform capabilities and cross-border innovation in manufacturing firms: a generative learning perspective

Purpose In the digital-platform economy, manufacturers confront both cross-industry disruption and the digital-investment paradox, making it imperative to uncover how platform capability drives cross-border innovation and under what conditions. Design/methodology/approach This study used questionnaires from Chinese manufacturing firms for linear regression and bootstrap tests. Findings The results show that digital platform capabilities (both integration and reconfiguration) facilitate cross-border innovation by stimulating generative learning (both unlearning and exploratory learning). Furthermore, entrepreneurial orientation strengthens the contribution of digital platform capabilities to generative learning, and competitive pressures attenuate the positive impact of generative learning on cross-border innovation. Originality/value By elucidating the mechanistic role of generative learning, this study contributes theoretical insights into how manufacturing firms can strategically leverage digital platforms to enhance the effectiveness of cross-border innovation.