This paper presents an examination of the role played by alliance learning in enabling emerging market small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to develop responsible innovation. SMEs based in emerging markets face significant challenges due to their weak resource base and the limited support they receive from formal institutions. In such a context, we argued that alliance learning takes a more prominent role in enabling these firms to develop responsible innovation via their absorptive capacity and sense-making competency. Drawn from 176 survey responses from SMEs originating from Pakistan, our findings shed light on the vital role played by alliance learning in enhancing SMEs’ responsible innovation. Specifically, the findings indicate that absorptive capacity acts as an important mechanism between alliance learning and responsible innovation. In addition, sense-making competency emerges as an important boundary condition and as a vital dynamic capability under which the effects of alliance learning on responsible innovation are stronger through the mediating mechanisms of absorptive capacity. These moderating-mediating findings contribute to the literature on dynamic capabilities and responsible innovation and provide important insights into the mechanisms and boundary conditions of responsible innovation in the context of emerging Asian markets.

本文介绍了联盟学习在使新兴市场中小型企业 (SME) 发展负责任的创新方面所起的作用。新兴市场的中小企业由于资源基础薄弱以及从正规机构获得的支持有限而面临重大挑战。在这种情况下，我们认为联盟学习在使这些公司能够通过其吸收能力和意义建构能力发展负责任的创新方面发挥着更突出的作用。从来自巴基斯坦的中小企业的 176 份调查回复中得出，我们的调查结果揭示了联盟学习在促进中小企业负责任的创新方面发挥的重要作用。具体而言，研究结果表明，吸收能力是联盟学习和负责任创新之间的重要机制。此外，意义建构能力作为重要的边界条件和重要的动态能力出现，在这种能力下，联盟学习对负责任创新的影响通过吸收能力的中介机制变得更强。这些调节和中介的发现有助于动态能力和负责任创新的文献，并为新兴亚洲市场背景下负责任创新的机制和边界条件提供重要见解。