CHALLENGES IN NETWORKED INNOVATION
Year: 2011
Editor: Culley, S.J.; Hicks, B.J.; McAloone, T.C.; Howard, T.J. & Cantemessa, M.
Author: Maurer, Christiane; Valkenburg, Rianne
Series: ICED
Section: Design Organisation and Management
Page(s): 74-82
Abstract
The paper discusses an exploratory study within a longitudinal research project on open innovation, and specifically, the collaboration of two or more companies, named networked innovation. Nine companies were interviewed to gain information on their motivation to use networked innovation and the challenges they meet in doing so. They used two network types: elite circle and consortium. Challenges showed on different levels, concerning organization, project and actors. On organizational level, dominant factors determined whether a network could be started at all, mainly concerning companies within highly regulated sectors. On project level, the difficulties of networked innovation became obvious in the form of highly dynamic processes to which traditional methods do not apply any more. On actor level problems already known from intra-organizational teamwork showed up, augmented by the confrontation with different company cultures. The results are currently used as a base for further research by a multidisciplinary team investigating networked innovation at the three mentioned levels. A main goal of the project as a whole is to develop tools and methods for networked innovation.
Keywords: OPEN INNOVATION; NETWORKED INNOVATION; NETWORK FORMS; MOTIVATION; COLLABORATION BARRIERS