The adoption of open innovation practices is becoming increasingly important for SMEs seeking to remain competitive in today's fast-paced business environment. The aim of this study is to understand the implementation of open innovation processes by SMEs while highlighting two critical processes: open innovation implementation (OII) and open ambidextrous innovation practices (OAIP). The study employes a second-order factor analysis incorporating multigroup structural invariance analysis to explore the differences in ambidextrous innovation practices across SME size categories using a sample of 615 SMEs in Thailand. The primary finding reveals and confirms a statistically significant positive relationship between the implementation of open innovation and the advancement of ambidextrous innovation practices. This relationship underlines the importance of embracing open innovation, as it fosters ambidextrous innovation, thereby enabling fresh perspectives, accelerating creativity, and facilitating knowledge exchange. Three categories of MSMEs—microenterprises, small enterprises, and medium-sized enterprises—are shown to be well positioned for adopting open innovation strategies, each demonstrating a significant ability to foster open innovation practices. In the study, practical and policy recommendations for business practitioners and policy-makers are presented, emphasizing the importance of understanding the organizational, managerial, technological, and contextual factors that underpin successful open innovation implementation. A novel structural second-order factor model that deepens our understanding of the complex relationships between open innovation processes is also introduced, offering valuable insights for academic researchers. In conclusion, this study emphasizes the importance of SMEs embracing open innovation practices and promoting ambidextrous innovation for sustained success and growth, and key strategic takeaways are proposed based on the empirical item-scale results.

对于寻求在当今快节奏的商业环境中保持竞争力的中小企业来说，采用开放式创新实践变得越来越重要。本研究的目的是了解中小企业开放式创新流程的实施情况，同时强调两个关键流程：开放式创新实施（OII）和开放式双元创新实践（OAIP）。该研究采用二阶因子分析并结合多组结构不变性分析，以泰国 615 家中小企业为样本，探讨不同规模中小企业的双元创新实践的差异。主要发现揭示并证实了开放式创新的实施与双元创新实践的进步之间存在统计学上显着的正相关关系。这种关系强调了拥抱开放式创新的重要性，因为它可以促进双元创新，从而带来新的视角、加速创造力并促进知识交流。事实证明，三类中小微企业（微型企业、小型企业和中型企业）非常适合采用开放式创新战略，每一类都表现出了促进开放式创新实践的强大能力。该研究为企业从业者和政策制定者提出了实用和政策建议，强调了理解支持开放式创新成功实施的组织、管理、技术和背景因素的重要性。还引入了一种新颖的结构二阶因子模型，加深了我们对开放创新过程之间复杂关系的理解，为学术研究人员提供了宝贵的见解。总之，本研究强调了中小企业拥抱开放式创新实践和促进双元创新对于持续成功和增长的重要性，并根据项目规模的实证结果提出了关键的战略要点。