IT-enabled Adaptive Open Innovation

Abstract

Lacking efficiency and transparency regarding cross-company collaboration in the field of innovation management often leads to cost intensive and unsuccessful products and services. This is due to the fact that traditional Innovation Management approaches fail in terms of coping with emerging requirements in Open Innovation projects, e.g. the vertical and horizontal integration of strategic partners within and across the company’s value network. However, companies are forced to maintain their competitive advantage through a constant and sustainable development of their product and service portfolio. In this context, knowledge workers play an important role in the collaborative advancement of innovative product and service ideas. For that reason, knowledge workers need systematic support regarding both methodological and operational challenges in the field of Open Innovation. The concept of Adaptive Case Management emerged from the necessity to support knowledge workers in unpredictable working environments. Therefore, this contribution shows, both from a conceptual and technological point of view, how knowledge workers can be supported in cross-border innovation projects. The approach is evaluated using an Adaptive Case Management software prototype and the findings on concept acceptance and software usability are presented.