Open innovation and firm performance in emerging economies: a bibliometric and TCCM analysis review

Purpose Compared to their counterparts in developed economies, businesses established in emerging economies continuously struggle due to resource and time constraints. Open innovation (OI) allows these firms to bridge the gap and advance towards technological advancements; however, the scholarly knowledge on the subject is not systematized. Thus, this study synthesizes the extant literature, proposes a framework and highlights future research avenues for domain advancements. Design/methodology/approach Based on the Scientific Procedures and Rationales for Systematic Literature Reviews (SPAR-4-SLR) framework, the study evaluates 79 journal publications from Scopus and Web of Science (WoS). The bibliometric analysis highlights annual publication trends and research clusters, whereas TCCM analysis provides deep analysis into applied theories, context and characteristics, i.e. OI–performance linkage, barriers, mediators and moderators, followed by employed methodologies in the domain. Findings The bibliometric results showcase a rising publication trend, significant research clusters and trends, whereas the content analysis via TCCM framework identifies theories, contexts and methodologies employed in the domain. In terms of characteristics, the OI–performance relation and barriers at diverse levels, followed by the moderating and mediating mechanism, are further explained in detail. Originality/value This is the first study to examine OI and firm performance in the context of emerging economies and employ rigorous frame-based bibliometric and content analysis measures, establishing the foundations for a comprehensive understanding.