Sequential Coherence: A Novel Determinant of Open Innovation Performance

Abstract

Despite its popularity as a strategy to accelerate innovations there is evidence that open innovation does not always increase innovation performance. Extant literature provides inconsistent and inconclusive arguments in respect of the relationship between open innovation practices and innovation performance. Existing theories mostly have an internal focus and fall short of explaining why some firms succeed in open innovation initiatives and why others fail. Open innovation is about knowledge flows. We argue that boundary conditions matter in innovation performance and sequential coherence can explain why some succeed while others fail in open innovation. A qualitative inquiry we made reveals that sequential coherence that facilitates the knowledge transfer at boundary level influences innovation performance in open innovation initiatives. Sequential coherence is measured through the push and the pull effects by willingness and ability of the participants of teacher firm and the preparedness and ability of the participants from the student firm respectively. We trust that our findings bridge a gap in open innovation literature. These initial findings could be generalized through a quantitative study with larger samples. Managerial implications of the finding is that ability to scan the entire chain of knowledge flow across boundaries and taking corrective measures for any bottlenecks or hindrances observed can bring better results from open innovation initiatives. Further, sequential coherence leads to multiple research opportunities in furthering our knowledge in open innovation.

Sequential Coherence as a Success Factor in Personal Selling

“…Sequential coherence refers to the reciprocal result of the pushing effects induced by individuals of a teaching firm and the pulling effects induced by individuals of a learning firm that enables knowledge to flow across the boundaries of firms (Yapa et al, 2019a). Sequential coherence can be measured by the ability and willingness to teach by the individuals in the teacher firm and the ability and readiness to learn by the individuals in the student firm.…”

Time Orientation & Sequential Coherence as Novel Determinants of Open Innovation Performance

“…The qualitative inquiry we made revealed that sequential coherence that facilitates the knowledge transfer at boundary level influence innovation performance in open innovation initiatives. Sequential coherence refers to the reciprocal result of the pushing effects induced by individuals of a teaching firm and the pulling effects induced by individuals of a learning firm that enables knowledge to flow across the boundaries of firms (Yapa et al, 2019). Sequential coherence is measured through the push and the pull effects by willingness and ability of the participants of teacher firm and the preparedness and ability of the participants from the student firm respectively (Yapa et al, 2020).…”