Abstract
Innovation in the medical technology (med tech) industry has a majorimpact on well-being in society. Open innovation has the potential to accelerate thedevelopment of new or improved healthcare solutions. Building on work system theory(WST), this paper explores how a multi-sided open innovation platform cansystematically be established in a German med tech industry cluster in situationswhere firms had no prior experience with this approach. We aim to uncover problemsthat may arise and identify opportunities for overcoming them. We performed anaction research study in which we implemented and evaluated a multi-sided web-basedopen innovation platform in four real-world innovation challenges. Analyzing thefour different challenges fostered a deeper understanding of the conceptual andorganizational aspects of establishing the multi-sided open innovation platform aspart of a larger work system. Reflecting on the findings, we developed five designprinciples that shall support the establishment of multi-sided open innovationplatforms in other contexts. Thus, this paper contributes to both theory andpractice.
Highlights
Innovation in the medical technology industry is vital for the future of med tech firms and contributes to the health of society
Based on the above information, this paper addresses the following question: What problems may arise in the process of systematically establishing a multi-sided open innovation platform in a med tech industry cluster in situations where firms had no prior experience with this approach and how can these problems be overcome?
Following an action research approach, we explored what problems may arise in the process of systematically establishing a multi-sided open innovation platform in a med tech industry cluster in situations where firms had no prior experience with this approach and identified how these problems may be overcome
Summary
Innovation in the medical technology (med tech) industry is vital for the future of med tech firms and contributes to the health of society. Lechner attitude toward the meaning of “being healthy” creates an ever-increasing demand for new or improved healthcare solutions (BVMed 2013) Despite these opportunities, increasing global competition, higher customer expectations, and reduced willingness to pay have resulted in a declining return on innovation investment (Ernst and Young 2017; PWC 2013). In this context, open innovation might be a suitable approach for fostering innovation outcomes in the med tech industry. When open innovation projects occur outside the context of a formal technology cluster, failure to deal with the related issues is likely to prove an obstacle to success
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