The impact of Arabic business culture on trust in open innovation: the case of Jordan

This thesis contributes to the knowledge by addressing a significant gap in research on entrepreneurship and innovation by investigating the impact of Arabic culture on open innovation. The current literature on open innovation has primarily focused on Western contexts that assumed homogeneity of values, thus, this thesis takes a different approach by studying open innovation where Arabic business culture is prevalent - Jordan.

Additionally, this thesis aims to contribute to the open innovation theory by addressing the lack of understanding of the impact of cultural context on open innovation and offers a new perspective on how open innovation may be affected by cultural factors. The study examines how cultural concepts such as Ehsan, Et-Moone, and Wasta influence trust and collaboration, and how these factors, in turn, impact open innovation. Furthermore, this thesis also aims to contribute to the trust literature by studying the relationship between trust and open innovation in the context of Arabic culture.

A qualitative research approach has been adopted and data were collected through semi-structured interviews with entrepreneurs, CEOs, and ministers in Jordan, and analysed by using a cultural lens to identify how they influence open innovation, The findings of the study provide an in-depth understanding of the nature of open innovation in Arabic business culture, addressing the gap in current literature and offering a new perspective on the topic.