Open Innovation could be an untapped resource for smaller companies. In fact, […] Open innovation is “the use of purposive inflows and outflows of knowledge to accelerate internal innovation, and expand the markets for external use of innovation, respectively.” Firms may adopt open innovation for defensive reasons, that is, to manage and reduce costs and Technology: innovating the product functionality. There are various examples of implementing different types of open innovation … Businesses need to let go of the idea of ownership and control of the innovation process and open up to external paths for new technologies, and new sources of innovation. When Steve Jobs first envisioned the iPod, it was simply a device that allowed you to put “1000 songs in your pocket.” More information about open innovation can be found in our previous articles: The Open Innovation Model’s role in Fueling Creativity, and Report: Implementing Open Innovation to Drive Creativity inside Companies. Open innovation requires a different management approach. However, there are actually 10 different types of innovation—and the more types you incorporate, the more successful your innovation is likely to be. "Corporate open innovation is really a mindset within an organization," says Michele McConomy, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Corporate Innovation Services at RocketSpace. It is the use of intentional inflows and outflows of knowledge to accelerate internal innovation and expand markets for external use, “the researcher wrote. One call funds projects that study how open innovation can be managed and organised in SMEs (link to call). Open innovation requires a different approach to project management. Co-creation: innovating the customer involvement. Indeed, so far mainly large firms have experimented with open innovation, however, SMEs could reap important benefits from this approach, too. Often when people think of innovation, the first thing that comes to mind is product innovation. His book, “Open Innovation: The New Imperative for creating and Profiting from Technology” (Harvard Business School Press, 2003), provides a detailed description of the open innovation model. Marketing & Branding: innovating the customer experience. Most commonly, open innovation is used for gaining a broader perspective on research and development, but it need not be restricted only to that. Henry W. Chesbrough is an assistant professor at Harvard Business School in Boston. He can be reached at henry@chesbrough.com. Sustaining Innovation: This is the type of innovation that Apple excels at, where there is a clearly defined problem and a reasonably good understanding of how to solve it. Many believe it is just these kinds of unlikely combinations that are key to coming up with breakthroughs. This post focuses on introducing different types of open innovation by using two observable dimensions: for which purpose is open innovation used for and to whom is it targeted. “Open innovation presupposes that companies can and should use external ideas as well as internal paths as they seek to move forward in their innovation process. Social Innovation: innovating the corporate culture. Entrepreneurship: innovating through entrepreneurial thinking. Ideation: innovating the product idea & concept. 8 Types of Innovation Processes. This type of collaboration can involve close integration, for instance a joint venture, or a looser affiliation such as engagement through an innovation competition. The Harvard Business Review website noted that when you have a really tough problem, it often helps to expand skill domains beyond specialists in a single field. That, in essence, is the value of open innovation.