Open Innovation Platforms: A Conceptual Design Framework

Abstract

The interacting components of open innovation are complex to assess empirically and theoretically. Open innovation represents a high-potential scheme to share knowledge, and collaborate; however, it needs to be carefully contextualized to succeed. The challenges that open innovation platform design encounters are as follows: attraction motivation of all actors involved; intellectual property management; costs and benefits to keep the stakeholders´ interest; information structure; governance; quality assurance; trust and reliability; and finally associated risks. Built on these challenges, our contribution offers an open innovation platform design framework, with three components: 1) ecosystems context providing foundation, purpose, and alignment amongst all actors involved; 2) innovation management integrating three stages: creation of reference framework to set the basis and governance policies; definition of support framework to technology, processes, and quality assurance; and planning and leading delivery framework, to ensure the continuity of the platform; and 3) cocreation support consolidating the resource integration and cocreation processes. Additionally, we discuss the findings from the analysis of an exploratory multiple-case study regarding the level of approach of the processes and strategies defined in the framework and the designs of open innovation platforms located at Kenya, Mexico, Nicaragua, and United States.