Open Source Innovation Research Articles

The Airplane as an Open-Source Invention

Résumé Les avions furent inventés après des décennies d’expérimentation dans plusieurs pays grâce à un processus que l’on peut appeler innovation en open-source. Des expérimentateurs, des inventeurs et des rédacteurs ont contribué au développement de l’aviation en partageant l’information dans des publications, des sociétés, en s’écrivant des lettres et en se rencontrant. Les centaines de brevets dans l’aéronautique avant 1900 peuvent être considérés comme des publications, et non pas comme des revendications de propriété intellectuelle. Les inventeurs d’avions copiaient des modèles précédents, de manière analogue aux progrès de l’open-source de nos jours. En 1908, les avions pouvaient être vus dans les expositions publiques, et l’industrie nouvelle de l’aviation a très vite commencé dans plusieurs pays où l’information était publique et non privatisée. Avec l’émergence de ce secteur manufacturier, les brevets acquirent une importance nouvelle dans un contexte de compétition commerciale. JEL Code: O3, N7

The Internet and other ICTs as tools and catalysts for sustainable development: innovation for 21st century

Among the many issues facing sustainable technological development, dispersed and un-coordinated research, as well as poor communication and collaboration of technological knowledge to those that need it, play a major role in many failed and delayed projects. However, the Internet and its multifaceted platforms provide a potential solution to these problems. This paper examines the ways in which the Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICTs) can improve critical shortcomings to sustainable development efforts. Specifically, the strategies of open source appropriate technology (OSAT) and innovation through collaboration are reviewed. The methods are examined by which OSAT is i) accelerating innovation by building and sharing knowledge, ii) improving collaboration and iii) increasing both the efficiency and effectiveness of many programs and projects. Four OSAT case studies are presented for organizations at the forefront of open collaborative technologies for sustainable development: i) Practical Action, ii) Kopernik, iii) Engineering for Change, and iv) The Appropedia Foundation. The key features, models and the approaches employed by these organizations are discussed and conclusions are drawn from these case studies to contribute insight and better guide the development of this new innovation strategy.

Managerial Perspective on Open Source Collaboration and Networked Innovation

This study explores the managerial perspectives towards open source software and networked innovation. We analysed six software companies who use open source software as a significant part of their product or service offering. The study found notable differences in managerial attitudes, expected benefits and key challenges related to open source software and its role in innovative activities. While all companies were using same pieces of software with open source communities, there were different levels of engagement in the development of the software and information flows between companies and communities. A deeper level of involvement enables the exchange of more than just the code: like ideas, influences, opinions and even innovations or parts of them. The differences in managerial views on open source and networked innovation may be explained by industry domains, value chain position and leadership style

The impact of product complexity on adoption of web-based interactive innovation practices

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how product complexity influences organizations’ adoption of web-based interactive innovation (WII) and its add-on features. The methodology is based on comparative and longitudinal analysis of 137 cases of WII. The study builds upon existing literature on product complexity, open innovation, open source software, innovation contest, and mass customization. The present analysis builds on our previous study which classifies WII into technology-oriented and product-oriented WII (i.e., TWII and PWII) and reveals that product complexity negatively affects PWII adoption and positively affects company adoption of PWII add-on features. Meanwhile, the adoption of TWII is affected by firm size and industry sector. The results indicate that the main factors that affect adoption of PWII and TWII are different. The findings have implications on the decisions on adoption of PWII and TWII.

The impact of product complexity on adoption of Web-based interactive innovation practices

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how product complexity influences organizations’ adoption of web-based interactive innovation (WII) and its add-on features. The methodology is based on comparative and longitudinal analysis of 137 cases of WII. The study builds upon existing literature on product complexity, open innovation, open source software, innovation contest, and mass customization. The present analysis builds on our previous study which classifies WII into technology-oriented and product-oriented WII (i.e., TWII and PWII) and reveals that product complexity negatively affects PWII adoption and positively affects company adoption of PWII add-on features. Meanwhile, the adoption of TWII is affected by firm size and industry sector. The results indicate that the main factors that affect adoption of PWII and TWII are different. The findings have implications on the decisions on adoption of PWII and TWII.

Is Open Source Software about Innovation? Collaborations with the Open Source Community and Innovation Performance of Software Entrepreneurial Ventures

Practitioners generally assert that collaborations with the open source software (OSS) community enable software entrepreneurial ventures to achieve superior innovation performance. Nonetheless, scholars have never tested this assertion. This paper takes a first step toward filling this gap. First, based on the high‐tech entrepreneurship literature and the OSS research stream, we illustrate why collaborations with the OSS community should exert a positive effect on entrepreneurial ventures' innovation performance. Then, we provide a rigorous quantitative analysis of the innovation impact of these collaborations. Our econometric estimates indicate that entrepreneurial ventures collaborating with the OSS community exhibit superior innovation performance compared with their noncollaborating peers.

Open Source Innovation, Patent Injunctions, and the Public Interest

This Article explores the difficulties that high technology markets pose for patent law and, in particular, for patent injunctions. It then outlines the ways in which “open source innovation” is unusually vulnerable to patent injunctions. It argues that courts can recognize this vulnerability, and respond to the particular competitive and innovative benefits of open source innovation, by flexibly applying the Supreme Court’s ruling in eBay v. MercExchange. Having dealt with the lamentable failure of the International Trade Commission to exercise a similar flexibility in its own patent jurisprudence, despite statutory and constitutional provisions that counsel otherwise, the Article concludes with some recommendations for reform.

A Commercial Perspective on Open Source Hardware - An Interdisciplinary Law and Management Investigation of the Personal 3D Printing Industry

The personal 3D printing technology is without a doubt interesting because of its potential to democratise manufacturing and free creativity, but there is another reason why the technology is interesting from an academic perspective; it was initially started as an Open Source project and development of the technology continues to be pushed forward by the Open Source community (Lipson & Kurman, 2010).Furthermore the number of commercial firms manufacturing 3D printers has exploded in the last couple of years and the majority of these personal 3D printer-manufactures are deeply embedded in the Open Source community. While the potency of the Open Source development is well-established in the world of software (Y. Benkler, 2002; Fosfuri, Giarratana, & Luzzi, 2008; Lerner & Tirole, 2004; G. Von Krogh & Spaeth, 2007), it is comparatively unexplored in relation to physical products. The few studies conducted on Open Source development of physical products have mainly focused on the transferability of the Open Source principles from software to physical product in general (Abdelkafi, Blecker, & Raasch, 2009; Raasch, Herstatt, & Balka, 2009) while the commercial perspective on the phenomenon has largely been ignored.In this thesis I attempt to remedy this knowledge gab by conducting an in-depth analysis of the Open Source firms in the personal 3D printing industry and their ability to capture profits from the Open Source innovation.

Common characteristics of open source software development and applicability for drug discovery: a systematic review

BackgroundInnovation through an open source model has proven to be successful for software development. This success has led many to speculate if open source can be applied to other industries with similar success. We attempt to provide an understanding of open source software development characteristics for researchers, business leaders and government officials who may be interested in utilizing open source innovation in other contexts and with an emphasis on drug discovery.MethodsA systematic review was performed by searching relevant, multidisciplinary databases to extract empirical research regarding the common characteristics and barriers of initiating and maintaining an open source software development project.ResultsCommon characteristics to open source software development pertinent to open source drug discovery were extracted. The characteristics were then grouped into the areas of participant attraction, management of volunteers, control mechanisms, legal framework and physical constraints. Lastly, their applicability to drug discovery was examined.ConclusionsWe believe that the open source model is viable for drug discovery, although it is unlikely that it will exactly follow the form used in software development. Hybrids will likely develop that suit the unique characteristics of drug discovery. We suggest potential motivations for organizations to join an open source drug discovery project. We also examine specific differences between software and medicines, specifically how the need for laboratories and physical goods will impact the model as well as the effect of patents.

The Antitrust of Internet Platforms and Open Source Innovation

The antitrust issue of our times may be the limits on companies — who create value by developing platforms that are open to others — to rein in or step back from that openness.

Open source: an opportunity structure for boundless innovation

The methods Open Innovation (OI) and Open Source Innovation (OSI) are often highlighted together as new forms of the creation of innovation. Their respective peculiarities are considered only rarely, because ? as Abdelkafi et al. argue in 2009 ? for many it suffices to say that both innovation methods imply an open participation of human resources. This is however not the case. By answering the question of which ways of innovation support which method, this assumption will be disproved. The comparative analysis of both methods will show that OI does open make-or-buy-practices in a radical and goal-oriented way; however, the problem space previously defined by the company is not changeable. This leads to a considerable limitation of the opportunities of participation. By contrast, the method OSI stands for collective action and an innovation path which is similar to discovery procedures: the problem space is open and anybody is invited to collaborate. It is here that one finds the potential for the opening of societies.

Open source innovation: Towards a generalization of the open source model beyond software

Cet article s’intéresse à la question de l’exportation du modèle « open source », qui s’est imposé avec succès dans le cas du logiciel, à d’autres secteurs. Nous proposons une définition générale de l’innovation « open source » qui repose sur deux piliers : l’ouverture et l’interactivité. Tout d’abord, les connaissances produites doivent être ouvertes, c’est-à-dire accessibles à tous sans discrimination. En second lieu, les acteurs du processus d’innovation doivent développer une dynamique d’interaction sur le mode « bazar » (Raymond, 1999). L’innovation open source est ainsi différente de l’innovation ouverte théorisée par Chesbrough (2003). Nous discutons également de l’importance de la propriété intellectuelle, et des brevets en particulier, pour sécuriser cette dynamique d’innovation « open source ». Ensuite, nous étudions les contextes propices à l’émergence de l’innovation « open source ». Nous montrons que cette dernière est particulièrement intéressante lorsqu’elle est envisagée comme permettant de construire un stock de connaissances et de technologies ouvertes, que les entreprises peuvent ensuite utiliser afin de développer des applications innovantes. Nous concluons l’article en présentant deux exemples : le cas de la biologie « open source » (Hope, 2008) et le cas des industries créatives (Bach et al., 2010).

Free revealing in open innovation: a comparison of different models and their benefits for companies

In open innovation processes, free-revealing of information has proliferated in the wake of distributed electronic communication systems. Many scholars have coined a multitude of concepts to explain this free-revealing phenomenon and to develop models of organising innovation based on it. These models are partly overlapping, partly exclusive, and partly encompassing. In an extensive literature review, we identify five such concepts and research streams: collective invention, user innovation networks, commons-based peer production, crowdsourcing and open-source innovation. We compare and contrast these models along several dimensions. We present an integrative perspective on the five models and derive implications for research and practice.

An Agent Simulation Study on Conflict, Community Climate and Innovation in Open Source Communities

More than ever the complexity of innovation requires group efforts, as teams of scientists and engineers from diverse backgrounds work together to solve problems. One of the significant problems in understanding emergence of innovation involves how virtual innovation organizations and communities govern and coordinate to maximize innovation output. An agent simulation study is conducted to examine the impact of culture and conflict management styles on collective creativity in open source innovation systems. Findings suggest that decentralized coordination schemes such as emergent selection such as found in utility communities and moderate degrees of assertiveness and cooperation for conflict management result in higher incidence of innovation.

An empirical investigation of organizational memetic variation

The potential of a theory based on organizational memes in coevolution with the environment has been postulated, but remains empirically under-developed. This study explores whether understanding organizational memetic variation is empirically possible and, if so, whether it might, with further development, provide managers with early indications of a misalignment between organizational action (operationalized as memetic variation) and strategic intent—the amount of memetic variation needed to stay aligned with the competitive environment. A method for empirically identifying knowledge-based memes in everyday practice is developed. It stems from modern advances in genetics allowing micro-level changes in genes to be linked to macro-environmental dynamics. Using the concept that memetic variation is caused by everyday, uncontrollable uncertainties of interpretation, memetic variation is reduced to seven categorical types. A highly exploratory quasi-experimental design allows a preliminary comparison of a would-be innovative ‘Portfolio Management Committee’ with self-organizing Internet chat-room settings that are representational of open-source innovation. Results are consistent with predictions showing that higher levels of variation are seen in the latter, despite the former’s strategic intent of innovating to stay aligned with a dynamic environment. Further work is needed, however, to test reliability and validity.

Open Source Development and Software Innovation

The rapid emergence of open source software has generated significant debate over its effect on software innovation. The goal of this paper is to explore the impact of open source software innovation on a mixed market also containing proprietary software, and to compare this market with a pure market in which only proprietary software firms exist. Building upon Hotelling's model of horizontal differentiation, open source innovation is characterized as the result of contributions from utility maximizing consumer-programmers. While I find that a mixed market can have more innovation than a pure market, increased open source innovation may decrease overall innovative activity and lead to lower welfare within a mixed market. These results are driven by the finding that innovation in open source software crowds out proprietary software innovation. The innovation and welfare effects of government policies such as subsidies or compulsory usage schemes are also considered.

CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS FOR OPEN-SOURCE INNOVATION: THE CASE OF OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

With the advances in information technology (IT), open-source innovation (OSI) plays an increasingly important role for virtual teams to engage in online innovative activities .Based on the theory of knowledge creation, this study builds a theoretical framework to examine the critical success factors of OSI. It is argued that, to achieve OSI success, virtual teams need to go through an iterative process of ITenabled and community-based knowledge creation, and correspondingly four critical success factors are identified for the success of OSI: strong knowledge base, intensive team communication, abundant social capital, and effective use of IT artifacts. The proposed framework is further tested using the open source software development dataset. The results strongly support the framework, and bear important implications on the success of OSI.

Online innovation: the case of open source software development

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to investigate the role of online networking during the innovation process, including its role(s) in communication, cooperation and coordination. The paper neither implicitly assumes that online computer‐based networking is a prerequisite for the innovation process nor denies the possibility that innovation can emerge and successfully survive without it. It merely presupposes that, in cases of innovation where information and communication technologies play a substantial role, non‐proprietarity may offer an interesting alternative to innovations based on proprietary knowledge.Design/methodology/approachThe paper borrows from the theory of communities‐of‐practice, which takes into account social relations, contacts, and the transfer and incorporation of knowledge. Open source innovation is not the exclusive preserve of computer nerds, but also has implications for existing software manufacturers. The paper therefore includes the case of IBM, a company which has successfully integrated this new and more open way of collaboration into its business model.FindingsThe paper concludes that online computer‐based innovation fundamentally challenges current ways of communicating, cooperating and coordinating during the innovation and product development process. Moreover, it challenges the traditional business model in that it forces the actors involved to shift the focus from the innovation itself to the identification of new supporting services higher up the value chain. Last, but not least, it blurs the boundary between development and use, since the developer remains the key user.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper addresses the implications for future research in the area.Practical implicationsThe paper addresses implications for practitioners directly involved in innovation and product development.Originality/valueThis paper develops a conceptual framework for understanding product development based on non‐proprietary knowledge, which cannot be adequately accounted for by traditional corporate innovation theory alone.

InnovationXchange network: towards open source innovation

Organisations developing new micro and nanotechnologies must collaborate with external parties in order to fully exploit the advances being made within this field. However, true collaboration is difficult across legally separate organisations where capabilities, business intentions and intellectual property are rarely articulated externally; and across disciplines where the developers of micro and nano technology are not the end users and 'don't know what they don't know' in potential areas of application. InnovationXchange (IXC) Australia Limited, trading as the IXC Network, is a not-for-profit, Australian initiative with a global focus to improve commercial outcomes across the boundaries of industries, academia, research and government through the deployment of IXC Intermediaries. An IXC Intermediary works inside client organisations, under a strict code of ethics and unique confidentiality structure and interacts with the network of IXC Intermediaries to search for and create connections for business growth. IXC Australia's clients have benefited from the service through the direct establishment of commercial contracts, collaborative research, and development programmes and decreased development times.

Open Source Software, Competition and Innovation

The entry and success of open source software (OSS), for example, Linux's entry into the operating systems market, has fundamentally changed industry structures in the software business. In this paper we explore the process of OSS innovation and highlight the impact of increased competition and different cost structures on innovative activity in the industry, which has been neglected in the literature thus far. In a simple model, we formalize the innovation impact of OSS entry by examining a change in market structure from monopoly to duopoly under the assumption that software producers compete in technology rather than price or quantities. The model takes into account development costs and total cost of ownership, whereby the latter captures items such as network externalities. The paper identifies a pro‐innovative effect of both intra‐OSS and extra‐OSS competition.