Beyond Open Innovation in Large Enterprises: How Do Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) Open Up to External Innovation Sources?

40 Pages Posted: 10 Sep 2011

See all articles by Sabine Brunswicker

Sabine Brunswicker

Purdue University - Research Center for Open Digital Innovation (RCODI); Purdue University - Discovery Park

Wim Vanhaverbeke

Hasselt University; University of Surrey; ESADE Business School

Date Written: June 9, 2011

Abstract

The existing literature on open innovation mostly concentrates on large firms. Little is known about the role of open innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In this paper we explore how SMEs engage in open innovation search. We draw upon a new survey of 1,489 SMEs. Results highlight that SMEs purposively open up to external innovation inputs. We identify variations in how SMEs search for external innovation inputs and empirically classify five strategic types of open innovation search. While these five strategies can be found in different industries, size and age classes, results suggest that a SME’s open innovation search strategy is conditioned by its organizational context. We also find that these strategies significantly differ in their ability to improve innovation performance as well as their internal organizational requirements for managing innovation. Our study indicates that both a demand-driven and a widely diversified search strategy can improve the success of SMEs in launching innovations. The latter can even enhance their ability to capture financial value from innovation; however, value capture requires a higher proficiency in managing innovation internally.

Keywords: SMEs, open innovation, open innovation search, organizational innovation practices, absorptive capacity, innovation performance

Suggested Citation

Brunswicker, Sabine and Vanhaverbeke, Wim and Vanhaverbeke, Wim, Beyond Open Innovation in Large Enterprises: How Do Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) Open Up to External Innovation Sources? (June 9, 2011). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1925185 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1925185

Sabine Brunswicker

Purdue University - Research Center for Open Digital Innovation (RCODI) ( email )

516 Northwestern Ave
West-Lafayette, IN 47906
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.purdue.edu/opendigital

Purdue University - Discovery Park ( email )

United States

Wim Vanhaverbeke (Contact Author)

Hasselt University ( email )

Agoralaan - building D
Gebouw D
Diepenbeek, 3590
Belgium
+3216623663 (Phone)
+3216623663 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://wimvanhaverbeke.be

University of Surrey ( email )

Guildford
Guildford, Surrey GU2 5XH
United Kingdom
+32478332440 (Phone)

ESADE Business School

Av. de Pedralbes, 60-62
Barcelona, 08034
Spain

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