Efficient Open Innovation - Research Report

This European research report explores the benefits and challenges of Open Innovation (OI).

An increasingly global business environment combined with rapid technological progress has changed the framework in which companies operate. Confronted with this growing complexity in combination with growing customer demands, fierce competition and market pressure, companies have started to recognise that the “invent-it-ourselves” model is no longer sufficient to stay competitive.  The model is both too slow and costly, and does not provide the right access to technologies and talent. The focus for many companies has changed from continuous development to rapidly develop and test new business models in the market.

Open Innovation is: “Opening up innovation activities by either harnessing external ideas internally &/or leveraging internal ideas externally”

(Professor Henry Chesbrough)

Open Innovation is key to tackle these challenges. When considering an innovation process, companies need to have the right answers to major challenges and questions, such as:

• What kind of OI is best for my organisation?
• Are we part of the right ecosystem?
• How do we access appropriate technological facilities?
• What about our human capital?  Do we know how to respond to this crucial factor for OI success?
• Are there any successful business models? Which one fits our organisation?

You will find the answers to these questions in this report, which features the results of our Open Innovation survey, and highlights the key factors for successful OI.

We hope this report inspires you to (further) open up your own innovation process, so you too can benefit from its many advantages. We would like to thank all of our clients and business contacts for their support, and sharing their views and opinions on the different aspects of OI.  We also appreciate the opportunity to have interviewed Wim Vanhaverbeke, an international expert on OI processes.

For more information about this report, please contact Gary Ashton at gary.ashton@oecam.com 

* SPACE Consulting Europe is a strategic alliance of leading European management consulting firms. We help organisations work more effectively to deliver their strategy by improving their behavioural, cultural, structural and economic dimensions. SPACE operates in seven offices across Europe, with more than 200 consultants, for both public and private organisations.