Facilitating open innovation process through network orchestration mechanisms

Part of Future of Work Institute’s Thursday Seminar Series

Participation in open innovation networks presents challenges, as firms must recognize value before being willing to openly collaborate, yet opportunities typically cannot be realized without active engagement. Innovation intermediaries can address these tensions through orchestration mechanisms which create value at different levels of innovation networks. This paper addresses an important research gap by identifying the role of intermediaries in delivering open innovation activities across different levels and describing how these activities form interrelated orchestration mechanisms. A longitudinal case study follows the development of an open innovation network from inception, based on interviews and observations with participants including start-ups and large firms. Findings highlight how intermediary activities and practices align with orchestration mechanisms used simultaneously at different levels and create value for members. A multi-level analysis contributes to the open innovation literature by describing the interdependent nature of value creation within the innovation intermediary model.

Highlights

· Identified the role of intermediaries in delivering open innovation activities across different levels.

· Demonstrated how intermediary activities and practices align with orchestration mechanisms.

· Described the interdependent nature of value creation within the innovation intermediary.

Pre-reading

An article published in Feb. 2021 in Industrial Marketing Management Journal (A*-ranked):

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0019850121000237

About the speaker

Associate Professor Bella Butler

Bella Butler’s research interests include innovation in business networks, network paradoxes, and business strategies in uncertainty and emerging markets. She has published in top international journals, including Journal of World Business, Industrial Marketing Management, Management Decision, Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing. She is a member of the editorial board of a top tier academic journal, Industrial Marketing Management (A*-ranked journal according to the ABDC journal quality list, with a 5 Year impact factor of 5.868 (2019). She also serves on the board of a further two international academic journals.