Female Board Representation as Determinant of Coupled Open Innovation: Evidence from Emerging Market Multinational Enterprises

Attah-Boakye, Rexford; Adams, Kweku; Yu, Honglan; Johansson, Jeaneth

Abstract

Little research has been done on female board representation in emerging market multinational enterprises (EMNEs). Our paper considers the role of female board representation and its impact on open innovation (OI) in the unique context of emerging markets. We draw on upper echelons and institutional theories to understand how female board representation and crosscountry institutional contexts influence coupled OI. Combining a 10-year (2009-2019) dataset with a rich in-depth content analysis of 183 (EMNEs) engaged in OI, our results reveal a significant positive association between female board representation (i.e., promoting women on boards) and a firm's commitment to coupled OI practices. We also find that country-level institutional factors affect and positively moderate the relationship between female board representation and coupled OI. In emerging market environments where managerial perception and culture sometimes hinder the promotion of females into top positions, our work has implications for EMNEs regarding how they harness diversity. We contribute to the OI literature by showing that female board representation enhances corporate OI investment within EMNEs.

Citation

Attah-Boakye, R., Adams, K., Yu, H., & Johansson, J. (2023). Female Board Representation as Determinant of Coupled Open Innovation: Evidence from Emerging Market Multinational Enterprises. Technovation, 124, Article 102749. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2023.102749

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 16, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Mar 30, 2023
• Publication Date: 2023-06
• Deposit Date: Mar 21, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 31, 2025
• Journal: Technovation
• Print ISSN: 0166-4972
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 124
• Article Number: 102749
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2023.102749
• Keywords: Coupled open innovation (OI); female board representation; emerging market multinational enterprises (EMNEs); institutional context 2
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/18807119
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166497223000603?via%3Dihub