M. Muzamil Naqshbandi, Thuraya Farhana Said, Minseo Kim
The human side of open innovation is receiving increasing scholarly attention. This study examines the role of empowering leadership in facilitating inbound open innovation by considering the mediating mechanisms of employee work engagement and organisational commitment. Data were collected using a probability-based, two-stage sampling design from top- and middle-level managers employed in service and manufacturing firms listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in India. A structured questionnaire was administered through a combination of online and paper-based surveys, yielding a final sample of 159 usable responses. The findings indicate that empowering leadership positively influences employees’ work engagement, which in turn enhances inbound open innovation. Organisational commitment emerges as an important antecedent of empowering leadership; however, it does not directly contribute to inbound open innovation, nor does it mediate the relationship between empowering leadership and inbound open innovation. This study contributes to the open innovation and knowledge management literature by elucidating how leadership and employee engagement jointly facilitate knowledge acquisition, sharing, and exploitation across organisational boundaries. Practically, the findings offer actionable insights for managers seeking to cultivate leadership behaviours and engagement practices that promote effective knowledge flows and sustain open innovation performance.