Open Innovation:
A Research Agenda
Joel West
World Open Innovation Conference
December 4, 2014

2006 agenda
• Multiple levels of analysis
– Individual: least studied
– Organizational: most studied
• Not-for-profit unstudied
– Value network and ecosytems
– Industry/sector
– National institutions
• Incentives (to create, to participate)
Source: West, Vanhaverbeke, Chesbrough (2006)

2014 agenda
Four papers offer 2014 research agenda:
•West & Bogers, J. Prod. Innovation Mgmt.
•West, Salter, Vanhaverbeke & Chesbrough,
Research Policy
•Chesbrough & Bogers, Ch. 1 of New Frontiers in
Open Innovation
•Vanhaverbeke, Chesbrough & West, Ch 15 of
NFOI
See: blog.openinnovation.net, 27 Oct 2014

1. Levels of Analysis
• Individual/group (West & Piller, 2014)
• Project (Du et al, 2014; Vanhaverbeke et al, Ch. 6
of NFOI)
• Firm/organization: still most studied
• Network, ecosystem: (West Ch. 4 of NFOI)
• Community (West & Lakhani, 2008)
• Industry/sector: (Christensen, 2006)
• National/supranational (Chesbrough &
Vanhaverbeke, 2011)
• Today: Session 3-2 (ecosystems)
Source: West et al (2014), Vanhaverbeke et al (2014)

2. More on Integration
Research on inbound open innovation
•Emphasizing 1st step: sourcing
– Search
– Enabling/filtering
– Acquiring
•Missing 2nd and 3rd step
– Integrating
– Commercializing
Source: West & Bogers (2014)

3. Better measurement
• Previously:
– OI originated with case studies
– Many CIS studies spawned by Laursen & Salter (2006)
– Patent data (e.g. Fabrizio, 2009)
• Opportunities for
– New to the world measures (e.g., Dahlander &
Piezunka, 2014)
– New to OI measures (e.g. Belderbos et al, 2014; Du et
al, 2014)
• Today: Session 2-2 (does OI pay?)
Source: West et al (2014)

4. Tie to extant theory
• Salter: Open innovation “did not itself seek to
directly align to existing underpinning theories in
these fields”
• Vanhaverbeke & Cloodt (Ch. 14):
– Link of OI “funnel” to the role of the firm
– Transaction: less costs, more value
– Less resources, more relational
– Importance of dynamic capabilities
– Open innovation as real options
• Today: Session 2-1
Source: West et al (2014), Vanhaverbeke et al (2014)

5. Nonpecuniary motivations
• Identified early (Chesbrough, SMR 2003; West
et al, 2006)
• More general model of nonpecuniary:
inbound and outbound nonpecuniary flows
(Dahlander & Gann, 2010)
• NGO, GO apply OI in a different way
(Chesbrough and Di Minin, Ch. 9 of NFOI)
• Today: Di Minin (3-1)
Source: West et al (2014)

6. Role of Appropriability
• OI inspired by Teece (1986) framework
• Key reality for pecuniary modes (West, 2006;
Dahlander & Gann, 2010)
– What is the role of informal appropriability?
(Laursen & Salter, 2014)
• Blending of OI and non-proprietary “open”
– Openness as a profitable OI strategy (Henkel et al,
2014)
• Today: Session 3-1 (IP); Wadhwa (1-1)
Source: West et al (2014)

What’s Next
• Semi-open wine (and beer)
– Drink tickets
– Cash bar
• 6pm next door (in lunch room)
• 12 poster sessions
• Comment on a poster, get a ticket