Risk Management as a Mediator in Innovation Performance of Chinese New Energy Enterprises: A Mixed-Methods Analysis
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Abstract
The Research objective To investigate how technological innovation, market changes, and policy evolution collectively influence innovation performance in rapidly growing new energy enterprises. To explore the interactions between technological innovation, market changes, and policy adjustments in shaping corporate innovation outcomes during the expansion of new energy industries. To determine whether risk management mediates the relationship among technological innovation, market dynamics, policy adjustments, and innovation performance in new energy enterprises.As the global energy transition accelerates, Chinese new-energy enterprises must navigate volatile markets, shifting policies, and technological uncertainties that challenge effective innovation management. Grounded in Schumpeter’s innovation theory, open-innovation theory, and risk-management theory, this study investigates how technological innovation, market dynamics, and policy adjustment collectively affect innovation performance, with risk management serving as a mediating factor. Quantitative data from 330 professionals were analyzed. Structural equation modeling reveals that technological innovation, market dynamics, and policy adjustment each have significant positive impacts on innovation performance. Moreover, risk management partially mediates these relationships by transforming external uncertainty into organizational learning and adaptive capability. Overall, the study extends theoretical understanding of innovation performance under uncertainty and provides practical guidance for enhancing resilience and competitiveness in China’s evolving new-energy industry.
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