Purpose This paper aims to offer an understanding of the actions which facilitate the open innovation achievement in companies from the management of their human capital. Although innovation contributes to keep competitive advantages in time, small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) hardly innovate because of the high expenses involved. The current problems also demand solutions that incorporate characteristics which are responsible for both the environment and society. Design/methodology/approach The actions in the study are called “Detonating factors of innovation,” and they obey the practices taken from a thorough exercise of systematic review on the previous scientific literature in the ISI Wok and Scopus databases for the period 2007-2019. Articles associated with open innovation and organizations were also reviewed, along with those containing detonating factors. Findings Human capital is exposed in this study as the primary and fundamental resource of any organization with the capacity to modify and impose the social and environmental factors in the solutions to global problems process. Thus, it was found that the detonating factor is linked to the selection of employee profiles, training, resource availability, incentive models, communication and work environment. Originality/value Open innovation literature is based more on large companies than on small ones, and in almost no case is it sought to be a tool for social development, but for technological development. The contribution of this study allows the advancement in the state of the art and also serves as an instrument to inspire SMEs to associate for innovation purposes, apart from including socially and environmentally responsible characteristics.

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