Present or in the future? The influence of managerial temporal focus on open innovation in high-tech firms

Purpose Based on the attention-based view, the purpose of this study is to explore how managerial present focus and future focus influence open innovation (OI) in high-tech firms and examine the moderating role of environmental dynamism (ED) in this relationship. It further analyzes the influence of OI on total factor productivity (TFP) and product market competitiveness in high-tech firms under different managerial temporal focus. Design/methodology/approach The sample comprised 12,020 observations (1,376 firms) from high-tech companies listed on China’s Shanghai-Shenzhen A-share markets between 2011 and 2022. This study employed the multiple linear regression model to estimate the results. Findings The results show that managerial future focus positively influences OI, while managerial present focus has a negative effect. ED strengthens the positive relationship between managerial future focus and OI, while diminishing the negative effect of managerial present focus on OI. Further analysis reveals that, under a future focus, OI in high-tech firms enhances TFP and product market competitiveness. Conversely, under a present focus, OI is detrimental to the company’s TFP and product market competitiveness. Originality/value This study explores the influence of managerial temporal focus on OI in high-tech enterprises from the perspective of temporal attention, as well as the moderating effect of ED. The findings provide a new perspective for high-tech enterprises to promote OI and offer insights for management practices from the angle of temporal attention allocation.