Citation

Mohsin, Muhammad and Abdul Rahim, Mohammad Zulkifli and Mahmood, Hamid and Aftab, Muhammad and Rauf, Abdul and Anthonysamy, Lilian (2026) Open innovation in digital entrepreneurial ecosystems: A cognitive–behavioral mechanism linking leadership and SME performance. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 12 (3). p. 100825. ISSN 21998531

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Abstract

This study explores the impact of entrepreneurial leadership and digital entrepreneurial ecosystems on the performance of SMEs in Pakistan's manufacturing industries. Based on digital entrepreneurship and open innovation perspectives, a sequential cognitive-behavioral mechanism is proposed in this study. It links digital entrepreneurial mindset and entrepreneurial agility to the transformation of leadership and ecosystem support into better performance in the context of environmental uncertainty. A total of 385 manufacturing SMEs' founders or managers have been selected from Punjab, Pakistan, for data collection and analyzed using PLS-SEM. The results indicate that entrepreneurial leadership and digital entrepreneurial ecosystems have a significant positive influence on digital entrepreneurial mindset, which in turn positively impacts the entrepreneurial agility and SME performance. Entrepreneurial agility is more effective in enhancing SME performance in high environmental uncertainty. The study contributes to the literature by offering an understanding of the digital entrepreneurial mindset as the cognitive mechanism and entrepreneurial agility as the behavioral mechanism between external support of the ecosystem in the form of government, policy, and funding, and the performance of SMEs. In practical terms, the results indicate that the SMEs need to form digital thinking and agile skills to respond in an effective way to the uncertain and technologized markets.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Entrepreneurial leadership, Digital entrepreneurial ecosystem
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD2321-4730.9 Industry > HD2340.8-2346.5 Small and medium-sized businesses, artisans, handicrafts, trades H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD72-88 Economic growth, development, planning
Divisions:	Faculty of Management (FOM)
Depositing User:	Ms Rosnani Abd Wahab
Date Deposited:	04 Aug 2026 03:50
Last Modified:	04 Aug 2026 03:50
URII:	http://shdl.mmu.edu.my/id/eprint/16474

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