The purpose of this research paper is to investigate the cultural barriers to open innovation projects within Moroccan clusters. Based on a qualitative approach, 22 semi-structured interviews with the representatives of four categories of open innovation project members within the three Moroccan clusters were conducted. The results demonstrate how certain aspects of national culture influence partners’ behaviour in open innovation projects within innovation clusters, and what dimensions of the organisational culture of the members involved in these projects should be modified to match better with an open innovation paradigm. The findings confirm that only organizations with strong dynamic capabilities will be able to take full advantage of open innovation practices and that one of the three high-level dynamic capabilities is transformation capability that is about transforming organizational culture by promoting the open innovation culture.

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The concept of open innovation was first introduced in 2003 by Henry Chesbrough. Research on this topic has been pursued, observing the subject from different angles and integrating it into different scientific fields. However, the “human side” of open innovation is still understudied; hence, there is a need to link open innovation with HRM. The aim of this paper is then to find out what has already been done in this field (the contributions of the various studies undertaken) and what remains to be achieved (perspectives for future research). To do this, a structured literature review on the subject was conducted.

Understanding the concept of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and its benefits in the small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) context is no longer in need to be demonstrated in developed countries. Indeed, empirical research shows that CSR practices appropriation have a positive influence on corporate global performances even though the benefits are less obvious for the SMEs than for the big corporates.However, despite an increasing awareness of this new management approach, there are only few studies about CSR in Moroccan SMEs. Nonetheless, there is no evidence that the results and the relationships built up in developed countries are applicable to different environments such as Morocco. What is the current situation of CSR practices in Moroccan SMEs?An empirical study will assess the degree of ownership of these companies in CSR practices through the presentation of an inventory, then highlight the issues and benefits of such practices for these SMEs.