Open innovation
Introduction
Open innovation is a term used to promote an information age mentality towards innovation that goes against the silo mentality and secrecy of traditional corporate research laboratories. The benefits and driving forces behind greater openness (Open (concept)") have been noted and discussed since the 1960s, especially with regard to cooperation between companies in R&D.[1].
The use of the term 'open innovation' in reference to the increasing adoption of external cooperation in a complex world has been promoted in particular by Henry Chesbrough, associate professor and faculty director of the Center for Open Innovation at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, and Maire Tecnimont Chair of Open Innovation at Luiss.[2].
This means combining your internal knowledge with external knowledge to carry out strategy and R&D projects. In this context, universities and research centers take on special relevance within the ecosystem of agents with which the organization relates. In a certain sense, open innovation incorporates collective intelligence.
Concept
Innovations often tend to be produced by outsiders or startups, rather than existing organizations. The central idea of open innovation is that, in a world of widely distributed knowledge, companies cannot rely solely on their own research, but must buy or license processes or inventions from other companies. This is called inbound open innovation.[3] Additionally, internal inventions that are not used in a company's business must be taken outside the company (for example, through licensing, joint ventures, or spin-off companies). This is called outbound open innovation.[4].
The open innovation paradigm goes beyond the use of external sources of innovation, such as customers, rival companies and academic institutions, and can be both a change in the use, management and employment of intellectual property.[5] In this sense, it is understood as the systematic fostering and exploration of a wide range of internal and external sources of innovative opportunities, the integration of this exploration with firm capabilities and resources, and the exploitation of these opportunities through multiple channels.[6].