Understanding the Open Innovation Trends: An Exploratory Analysis of Breadth and Depth Decisions

Abstract

The study of firms’ decisions on open innovation has recently attracted the attention of scholars studying the process that firms follow from closed to open models. Extant research has acknowledged that firms tend toward open innovation models and has identified the optimum levels of breadth and depth of openness toward which firms should tend. Surprisingly, there is little evidence on how firms move toward open innovation and whether they follow scholars’ recommendations. In this paper, we investigate the adoption of the open innovation model, studying firms’ decisions on breadth and depth and switching behaviours over time. This paper provides a discussion of firms’ degree of openness and how firms structure and reassess their decisions on open innovation over time. This framework was applied to the Panel of Technological Innovation database that includes data on Spanish innovating firms for the period 2005–2013.

Firm’s openness and innovation in Industry 4.0

“…The literature on the breadth and depth of firms’ external search strategies has highlighted advantages such as reducing uncertainty, accessing diverse resources and exploiting greater technological opportunities (Bernal et al , 2019).…”

“…The literature on the breadth and depth of firms' external search strategies has highlighted advantages such as reducing uncertainty, accessing diverse resources and exploiting greater technological opportunities (Bernal et al, 2019). Leiponen and Helfat (2010), analysing the research strategies of external ideas in a sample of 339 manufacturing companies in Finland, find that collaboration with different sources of technologies and knowledge has a positive impact on innovations.…”

Rainbow Wash or Rainbow Revolution? Dynamic Stakeholder Engagement for SDG-Driven Responsible Innovation

“…Hence, scholars called for a more dynamic perspective that examines whether firms’ search behavior varies over time (Chesbrough et al, 2006 ; De Massis et al, 2016 ; Drechsler & Natter, 2012 ). In response to this call, a growing body of research studied the impact on innovation outcomes of a continued use of external knowledge sources over time (Berchicci et al, 2019 ; Bernal et al, 2019 ; Cricelli et al, 2016 ; Poot et al, 2009 ). To our knowledge, however, there is limited research that measured Laursen and Salter’s ( 2006 ) breadth and depth strategies at different points in time, which prevents accounting for changes in external knowledge search strategies over time.…”

“…To our knowledge, however, there is limited research that measured Laursen and Salter’s ( 2006 ) breadth and depth strategies at different points in time, which prevents accounting for changes in external knowledge search strategies over time. The few studies that examined trends in breadth and depth depicted variations across firms and years in the use of diversity and intensity (Bernal et al, 2019 ; Cricelli et al, 2016 ). However, no attempt has been made to identify collaboration partners or examine their effect on RI.…”

How Will We Dine? Prospective Shifts in International Haute Cuisine and Innovation beyond Kitchen and Plate

“…The involvement of customers increases their opinion about the meal [99]. It might even enhance the restaurant's creativity and innovation [100] and therefore be the foundation of an open innovation strategy [101][102][103][104][105][106][107][108][109][110] and a business model based on value co-creation [111][112][113]. P27: Over the next five to ten years, a significant proportion of haute cuisine restaurants will integrate customers as prosumers, meaning they participate in the preparation of their own dishes.…”