Environmental innovation ambidexterity and customer relationship performance: evidence from the manufacturing industry in China

Cleaner production and pollution prevention are not only essential for enterprises to improve resource utilization efficiency and competitiveness, but also realistic requirements for enterprises to comply with green manufacturing policies and regulations. Many previous studies have investigated the impacts of environmental innovation on products and environmental performance, but few of them have explored the impact of environmental innovation on customer relationships. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the basic strategies to enhance customer relationship in the context of green development. Building upon the resource-based view, the dynamic capability perspective, and the upper echelons theory, this study develops a conceptual model focusing on the effects of environmental innovation ambidexterity (EIA) on customer relationship performance (CRP), the mediating effects of green product innovation (GPI), and the moderating role of top management's environmental awareness. The results of a survey of 285 high-tech manufacturing enterprises in China show that EIA has a positive effect on CRP. The results of the study also indicate that GPI mediates the relationship between EIA and CRP, and top management's environmental awareness moderates the impact of EIA on CRP. The results offer novel insights for suppliers to improve CRP, and provide theoretical guidance for high-tech manufacturing enterprises to effectively implement pollution prevention and GPI.