Startups: the Global Context of Functioning and the Need for Innovation Openness

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Abstract Objective The presented work is part of the discussions on evaluating the organizational surroundings, which, in the context of an increasingly globalizing world, is becoming regarded from a global perspective. Considerations of the environmental perception are supported with reflections on innovation and, in particular, startups’ innovation. Businesses, which are characterized by the ambition of dynamic scalability, are able to accomplish this dynamism precisely through innovative intensity, which in turn can also be associated with openness to knowledge and solutions coming from the surroundings, not only the closest – local or regional but also international or even global. Striving to develop toward smart enterprises, startups should concentrate on the digitalization of their processes, entering the path of Industry 4.0. The purpose of the work is to contribute to the perception of the environment by startups and the perception of open innovation. Methodology In order to meet the objectives of the work, in addition to considerations based on the existing results available in the literature, the results of an analysis of data from a questionnaire survey conducted among future startups were also used. To achieve the objectives of the study, research questions were formulated referring to the general view of future innovation openness, then the view of the propensity to share knowledge, that is, openness from the enterprise side, and finally also the view of the need for openness of the organization at different stages of its development. In the context of organizational openness, the broadest geographically possible context of the organization’s environment, namely the global context, was also considered. Findings As a result of the analysis, a relationship emerged between perceptions of innovative openness and the global environment of companies. The greater geographical scope of operations is accompanied by a higher demand for innovation, the more globally the enterprises would like to operate, the more innovation intensive they should be. Future entrepreneurs are strong advocates of open innovation, and they are also strong advocates of viewing the environment in an increasingly global dimension.