Innovation networks: Exploring inter-organizational dynamics in open innovation environments

Abstract

The present study explores the formation, structuring and dynamics of inter-organizational networks in open innovation environments. Based on a case study conducted at the Creapolis innovation center, it stresses the significance of a number of paradoxes that emerge when the conceptual combination of networking, diversity, openness and collaboration is shaped in reality. This paper stresses the importance of a deeper understanding of these paradoxes as an integral part of the phenomenon. It has been demonstrated that, beyond the hypothetical benefits of open innovation, these critical issues constitute a double-edged sword that compromise not only the innovative capacities of firms but also the stability and performance of the entire network. This represents immediate challenges for participating firms, governance teams and scholars towards accelerating the development of theory and new solutions aimed at facilitating the interplay between inter-organizational networks and open innovation environments.