Effect of the Importance of Technological Innovation Objectives in Korean SMEs on Innovation Performance: Focusing on the Mediating Effect of Open Cooperation Activities in Regional Differences

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of differences in importance according to the innovation objectives of SMEs on innovation performance. In addition, the mediating effect of open cooperation activities of SMEs was confirmed. Additionally, differences between metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas were observed. Research design, data, and methodology: The independent variable is innovation intention, the dependent variable is innovation performance, and the mediator is an open cooperative activity. KIS (Korea Innovation Survey) 2018 data, which is surveyed biennially by STEPI, was used as analysis data. In this study, logistic-mediated effect analysis was performed. Results: The purpose of technological innovation connected with product innovation performance had a positive effect on product innovation performance. On the other hand, the purpose of technological innovation, which is linked to process innovation performance, has changed in terms of positive and negative influences depending on the type of process innovation. The mediating effect of open cooperation was confirmed differently by country and region. In product innovation performance, the national, metropolitan and non-metropolitan regions showed different mediating effects. In the process innovation performance, it was generally difficult to confirm the mediating effect. Implications: The difference of this study was that it focused on the purpose of innovation, which had not been largely considered as a research subject in the past. The innovation purpose focused on the point inevitably similar to the result, and the innovation purpose was reclassified and interpreted as product innovation, process innovation, organizational innovation, and other innovations. The innovation objectives that have a positive effect on product innovation are product diversification and Market Exploitation/Enlargement, which are objectives related to product innovation. On the other hand, it was confirmed that the innovation objectives related to process innovation generally had a negative effect. It was confirmed that the innovation objectives related to organizational innovation had a positive effect except for the support process innovation performance.