Identification and Prioritization of Key Factors for Implementing Open Innovation in the Steel Industry Supply Chain
Keywords:
Open innovation, steel supply chain, interpretive structural modeling, sustainability leadershipAbstract
Objective: This study aimed to identify, structure, prioritize, and validate the key factors affecting the implementation of open innovation in the steel industry supply chain of Khuzestan.
Methods and Materials: A sequential exploratory mixed-methods design was employed. In the qualitative phase, 15 academic and executive experts from the steel industry were selected through purposive and snowball sampling, and data were collected using semi-structured interviews. Interpretive Structural Modeling was applied to determine relationships and hierarchical levels among the extracted factors, while MICMAC analysis was used to assess driving power and dependence. In the quantitative phase, a researcher-developed questionnaire was distributed to 110 participants, of whom 100 provided valid responses. The model was validated using partial least squares structural equation modeling in SmartPLS.
Findings: The qualitative phase identified 16 key factors. ISM revealed a five-level hierarchical structure in which macro-environmental and governance factors had the highest driving power of 16 and the lowest dependence of 1, whereas performance evaluation and key performance indicators had the lowest driving power of 1 and the highest dependence of 16. Legal and intellectual property factors also emerged as major drivers, with a driving power of 15 and dependence of 2. MICMAC analysis classified 12 factors as linkage variables and identified no autonomous factors. In the measurement model, factor loadings exceeded 0.83, Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.806 to 0.873, composite reliability ranged from 0.884 to 0.921, and AVE ranged from 0.718 to 0.795. The Fornell-Larcker and HTMT criteria further confirmed discriminant validity.
Conclusion: Open innovation implementation in the steel supply chain is a systemic and multilevel process that requires interventions to begin with macro-level and legal drivers, followed by technological and networking infrastructures and subsequently organizational, knowledge-based, and human factors.
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