PurposeThis study aims to analyse the effects of (1) open innovation on corporate risk management, organisational strategy and competitive advantage, (2) corporate risk management on organisational strategy, and (3) organisational strategy on competitive advantage. In addition, it assesses (4) the mediating effects of corporate risk management on the relationship between open innovation and organisational strategy.Design/methodology/approachThis exploratory and transversal study takes a quantitative methodological approach based on survey data from 251 hotel executive directors from Portuguese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).FindingsThe results confirm relationships between open innovation and corporate risk management, organisational strategy, and competitive advantage. They also confirm the importance of corporate risk management for organisational strategy and organisational strategy for achieving competitive advantage. The research demonstrates that corporate risk management has a mediating effect between open innovation and organisational strategy.Research limitations/implicationsThe present study proposes a model which provides better knowledge of the relationships between open innovation, corporate risk management, organisational strategy and competitive advantage. The model uses various scales to create a robust analytical measurement instrument. This research provides an in-depth analysis of the psychometric properties of the structural model’s latent variables through PLS-SEM and shows the differentiated paths of the endogenous and exogenous constructs. Finally, the importance of the role of open innovation in the process of attracting the resources necessary, that is, organisational and technological resources, to successfully operate in the hotel sector is highlighted. Thus, this research fills existing gaps in the literature.Practical implicationsThis research can contribute to the development of new instruments and programmes to improve the operational performance of SMEs in the hospitality sector. Understanding the relationship between the constructs will allow top managers to strengthen corporate resources, technologies and dynamic capabilities, and to promote entrepreneurial policies to enhance the relationship between open innovation and competitive advantage. Ultimately, the results of this study will allow governments, national, regional and local, to create policies, programmes and incentives to help firms adopt or extend the open innovation model, thus promoting the exchange of internal and external knowledge and strengthening the dynamics of the business ecosystem.Originality/valueThe paper discloses the relationships between open innovation, corporate risk management, organisational strategy, and competitive advantage, by identifying the main characteristics of the constructs and revealing the linkage between them. This pioneering study analyses the mediating effect of corporate risk management between open innovation and organisational strategy and those mentioned above.

This paper assesses the relationship between open innovation and competitive advantage and the mediating effect of organizational strategy. Using a quantitative methodological approach with survey data from 251 Portuguese hotel executive directors’ small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), this research adopted a quantitative methodological approach, thereby conducting an exploratory and transversal study. Findings show that (1) open innovation influences organizational strategy and (2) organizational strategy enhances competitive advantage. Moreover, the results also highlight that (3) organizational strategy has a mediating effect between open innovation and competitive advantage. The paper provides relevant insights that will lead the firms’ top managers to design and implement strategies and define effective government policies, programs, and incentives to support the development of the firms’ open innovation model in the hospitality sector considering the new smart society and smart cities growing environment.

This study analyzes the effects of inbound and outbound open innovation, along with organizational strategy and corporate risk management, on competitive advantage and disadvantage in the Portuguese hospitality sector’s cost, service, and product. We use a quantitative approach based on fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) of survey data from 251 executive directors of hotels from Portuguese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The results allow visualization of the interactions of inbound and outbound open innovation with corporate risk management and organizational strategy in order to generate competitive advantage. The results demonstrate that corporate risk management is a keystone for a competitive cost advantage, whereas inbound open innovation plays a fundamental role in obtaining competitive advantages for products and services. Other factors, such as outbound open innovation or those linked with organizational strategy, have less impact, and/or the sign of their influence depends on the configuration of the remaining variables.

This study aims to analyze the relationship between open innovation and firm performance. A quantitative methodology was adopted with a survey of 251 small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) top managers in the hospitality sector, particularly in hotels. The primary data collected were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistical analysis treatments, highlighting the application of the structural equations model. The findings show that open innovation enhances hotel performance. In practical terms, this study will guide, on the one hand, the firms' top managers of the hospitality sector in the definition of open innovation strategies to develop the relevant resources and capacities for achieving superior performance. On the other hand, it can contribute to the meaning of effective government programs to support firms in this sector.

Objective of the study: This study aims to analyze the relationship between open innovation and organizational strategy. Additionally, the mediating effect of corporate risk management on it was assessed.Methodology/approach: A quantitative study was conducted in Portugal based on a survey with 251 executive directors of SME hotels. Structural equations modeling was used in this study.Originality/relevance: While other studies have analyzed the relationship between open innovation and organizational strategy, this study deepens the knowledge of the mediating effect of corporate risk management on it.Main results: The results show that (1) open innovation improves corporate risk management and organizational strategy, (2) corporate risk influences organizational strategy, and (3) corporate risk management has a mediating effect on the relationship between open innovation and organizational strategy.Theoretical/methodological contributions: This study provides a theoretical framework for understanding the relationships between three constructs (open innovation, corporate risk management and organizational strategy) in SMEs in the hospitality sector, not yet explored by academics.Social/management contributions: This study will guide managers of SMEs in the hospitality sector in defining strategies to develop the relevant resources and contribute to the definition of effective government policies, programs and incentives to support the adherence or expansion of the open innovation model for companies in this sector.