Antecedents of innovative performance: Findings from PLS-SEM and fuzzy sets (fsQCA)

Collaboration for innovation and innovative performance have been documented as critical competitive advantage tools for firms in emerging markets. Drawing on the “transactive memory” theory, this paper proposes that organizational learning (OL) and inter-organizational communication (IOC) can positively impact innovative performance through the mediating role of collaboration for innovation. The proposed relationships were assessed by PLS-SEM (symmetric) and fuzzy sets (asymmetric) approaches using two independent survey datasets, which were obtained from firms operating in the telecommunications and IT industries in Turkey. Results from PLS-SEM revealed that higher levels of OL and IOC increased collaboration for innovation, while collaboration not only improved innovative performance but also mediated the impacts of OL and IOC on innovative performance. Results from fuzzy sets (fsQCA) reinforced the symmetric findings, fsQCA revealed that causal conditions OL and collaboration for innovation, IOC and collaboration for innovation were necessary and sufficient recipes for higher levels of innovative performance.