Keywords
Institutional innovation
Knowledge sharing
Higher education
China
mediation
Measurement validity
How to Cite
Abstract
Purpose: This study examines whether perceived competitive-intelligence capability is associated with institutional innovation in Chinese higher education and whether knowledge sharing accounts for part of that association. It responds to a fragmented literature in which university information needs, recruitment intelligence, digital transformation, knowledge exchange, and institutional innovation have largely been examined as separate research streams.
Methodology/Approach: The study used a de-identified cross-sectional dataset comprising 240 complete responses collected from a geographically concentrated group of universities in Wuhan, Hubei Province. The questionnaire included 24 competitive-intelligence items, eight knowledge-sharing items, and 12 institutional-innovation items, all measured on seven-point Likert scales. The analysis employed composite scores, internal-consistency diagnostics, construct-correlation analysis, HTMT assessment, HC3-robust regression models, and a nonparametric bootstrap procedure with 10,000 resamples. The dataset was finalized for analysis on 3 August 2026.
Originality/Relevance: The study brings together the competitive-intelligence cycle, the knowledge-based view, and dynamic-capabilities theory within a higher-education setting. Its relevance lies in examining how intelligence practices may be translated into institutional innovation through internal knowledge-sharing processes, an issue that remains underexplored in Chinese higher education. It also provides an institutionally focused framework that can inform strategic planning, information use, and innovation management in universities.
Key Findings: Competitive intelligence was positively associated with both knowledge sharing and institutional innovation. The standardized indirect association through knowledge sharing was .240, with a 95% bootstrap confidence interval of [.133, .345]. The direct association between competitive intelligence and institutional innovation remained positive after knowledge sharing was included in the model. However, the very high interconstruct correlations, HTMT ratios, and predictor collinearity indicated substantial overlap among the three measures. The findings therefore support the proposed sequence at the composite-score level but do not establish a causal or fully measurement-distinct mediation process.
Theoretical/Methodological Contributions: The study extends competitive-intelligence research by positioning knowledge sharing as a potential mechanism linking intelligence capability with institutional innovation. It also demonstrates an important methodological point: high reliability, significant regression paths, and a non-zero bootstrap interval do not, on their own, establish construct distinctiveness. By combining structural estimates with discriminant-validity and collinearity diagnostics, the study offers a more cautious and reproducible analytical framework for future multi-source and time-lagged research.
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