How Do Human Resource Practices Strengthen Open Innovation? An Exploratory Analysis

Abstract

How do human resource practices strengthen open innovation (OI)activities? This inductive study of six cases leads to propositions exploring this question, which has not been empirically investigated yet. We investigate the relation between human resource practices and an employee's willingness to embrace OI in six cases that include the perspectives of chief executive officers (CEOs), human resource managers, and experts from Belgium, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom regarding human resource practices in both small and large companies actively pursuing OI. The findings reveal that when implementing OI, it is people's thinking and attitudes

Human resources management and open innovation: the role of open innovation mindset

“…While the majority of research has taken place at the organisational level, we shift our focus of OI to the micro-level as there is a growing interest in assessing OI at the individual level of the organisation (Bogers, Foss and Lyngsie 2018;Gassmann, Enkel and Chesbrough 2010;Paul, Roijakkers and Mortara 2017). To do this, we introduce OI mindset (von Briel and Recker 2017;Gomezel and Rangus 2018;Salampasis, Mention and Torkkeli 2015) as a new concept that is critical for organisations engaging in OI.…”

Keeping Alive Inter-Organisational Innovation Through Identity Work and Play

“…Collaborating with other organisations for innovation expands the challenges inherent in all team-working (Du Chatenier et al, 2010). Within activities for inter-organisational innovation, the challenges of managing diversity, incentives, power, control and motivation take on new forms (Giannopoulou et al, 2011;Ollila and Elmquist, 2011;Paul et al, 2017;Sieg et al, 2010). One aspect that shapes the challenges stems from the dual allegiance for individuals who identify with both a home organisation and a meta-organisation.…”