Limitations and future research avenues
This study is subject to several limitations that should be taken into account when interpreting the findings. First, the present study is based on a cross-sectional survey. This allowed us to take a snapshot of the model investigated, but on the other hand, inferences regarding causality cannot be drawn. Future studies following a longitudinal research design could provide a more dynamic perspective to this stream of research. Second, the results were obtained from manufacturing exporting organizations. As a result, it is difficult to generalize them in industries beyond manufacturing, such as services. Third, data for this study were provided by a single respondent in each firm, the head of exporting operations. Future studies should attempt to collect data from multiple respondents from different organizational levels or departments in order to enhance our understanding regarding the engagement of innovative culture throughout the entire organization. Fourth, our study has adopted a rather narrow focus of investigation by focusing on export innovativeness. A fruitful avenue for future research is to investigate export innovativeness within the broader framework of an exporting firm’s entrepreneurial orientation, and assess how export innovativeness integrates constructively with other key dimensions of export entrepreneurship. Fifth, this study utilizes data collected from a single country (i.e., Greece). Thus, the external validity of study findings should be assess through replication studies in different national contexts. Finally, in this study we investigated the antecedents of export innovativeness and the direct impact of this construct on export performance. However, as previous research has suggested, the influence of innovativeness on performance may be mediated by other important constructs like the capacity to innovate and specific technology-, administrative-, and market-based innovations. In its present form, our conceptual model lacks a behavioral or an “action” component relating to innovation. Thus, the mediating role of different types of innovations should be investigated in future studies to provide a more holistic theory about the influence of export innovativeness on export performance.
