WORKER COMPETENCIES IN OPEN INNOVATION IMPLEMENTATION IN AUTOMOTIVE COMPONENT COMPANIES DURING THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE TRANSITION

Abstract

Background: One primary cause of air pollution is the internal combustion engine (ICE), causing a structural change in society from conventional cars to Electric Vehicles (EVs). This transition period demands that automotive component companies be innovative according to the changing dynamics of EV technology. Open Innovation (OI) develops as an approach to fastening the trajectory by involving various stakeholders in this process. The successful adoption of OI requires a deep understanding of the employee's competencies in these companies to be effective. As a result, empirical studies have been performed to determine employee proficiency levels in various company scales. Methods: The study was conducted by comparing four automotive component companies with different scales. Data was obtained from the questionnaires that were distributed to employees at each company and collected from December 2023 to January 2024. The study assessed three open innovation competencies, entrepreneurial, cooperation, and creativity competency. Then hypothesis testing was carried out using the Kruskal Wallis H-test method. Results: The findings indicate that the company scale of the automotive component companies does not affect the proficiency levels of employee competencies in implementing open innovation. Conclusions: The OI implementation process can be carried out in micro, small, medium, and large companies with employees who have competencies that support the implementation of OI.