How big data capabilities drive breakthrough development of enterprises: A mechanism study based on the perspective of social psychology

Despite the explosive growth of the global big data market reaching $327.26 billion in 2023, a critical implementation paradox emerges: only 26% of organizations successfully translate technological investments into breakthrough development outcomes, while 74% struggle to scale value from their analytics initiatives. This performance gap persists because existing research predominantly focuses on technical aspects while neglecting psychological and organizational mechanisms—particularly innovation climate factors that remain underexplored due to overemphasis on technological determinism. We purpose and test how big data capabilities drive breakthrough development through psychological and organizational mechanisms, integrating social cognitive theory with resource-based view to examine the mediating roles of supplier management and quality management, and the moderating effect of innovation climate. Structural equation modeling analyzed data from 632 Chinese enterprises across manufacturing, service, and technology sectors. Bootstrap procedures with 5,000 resamples examined mediation effects, while moderated mediation analysis tested conditional indirect effects. Big data capabilities demonstrated a significant direct effect on breakthrough development (β = 0.402, p < 0.001), explaining substantial variance (R² = 0.58). Supplier management (β = 0.197) and quality management (β = 0.167) served as significant partial mediators, collectively accounting for 47.6% of the total effect. Most critically, innovation climate emerged as a powerful moderator creating a remarkable 127% performance amplification between high and low climate conditions while strengthening both mediation pathways. The findings demonstrate that breakthrough development requires integration of technological capabilities with organizational mechanisms and psychological climate factors, providing a comprehensive framework for digital transformation success.