Open and Closed Innovation (eBook) von Philipp Herzog

Innovation and the Open Innovation concept.- Innovation culture.- Conceptual framework and hypotheses.- Analysis and results.- Discussion of findings and implications for theory and practice.- Summary and conclusion.

Firms acting in an environment of rapid technological change are often dependent on externally developing knowledge sources in order to generate radical innovations. This pressing need of integrating external R&D sources has forced many firms to shift from a Closed Innovation model to an Open Innovation model. In the chemical industry as the industry of focus in the present work the innovative force slowed down in the last 20 years. As a consequence, many chemical firms strive for implementing new forms of innovation management and follow an innovation strategy that involves the external environment to a greater extent. They implement the Open Innovation concept by setting up separated organizational units (e.g. Degussas Creavis Technologies& Innovation or BASFs Joint Innovation Lab), which focus on innovation projects that cannot be operated by their internal R&D departments alone. However, many firms are facing difficulties during the implementation. While the implementation effort often focuses on external ideas and technologies and the processes to identify them, cultural challenges are neglected.

Dr. Philipp Herzog ist wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter am Institut für betriebswirtschaftliches Management im Fachbereich Chemie und Pharmazie der Universität Münster.