Open Innovation, Innovation in Ecosystems, and Innovation Beyond the Firm

Abstract

Abstract Multilateral collaborations are a frequently used but often overlooked mode of open innovation. Recently ecosystems have been a particularly popular topic for managers and researchers, whether they are business ecosystems, entrepreneurial regional ecosystems, innovation ecosystems, knowledge ecosystems, or platform ecosystems. This chapter examines the commonalities between research on open innovation and ecosystems on five key topics: a post-Chandlerian innovation paradigm, managing cross knowledge flows across organizational boundaries, interdependent business models, cooperative value creation and capture and profiting from innovation. From this, it focuses on how the alignment of firm business models—at the core of open innovation—can shed light on the joint value creation and value capture inherent in any innovation-related ecosystem.