Despite years of hype and countless studies, many still find open innovation quite an abstract concept. This post gathers examples and key learnings from a wide range of companies using open innovation in different ways. Some companies use open innovation to add value to their hardware, while others use it to gain more information for developing new products. These 16 examples of open innovation should encourage and inspire you to apply the concept to your own business. Think about the different types of co-operation and your key stakeholders and potential collaborators. Consider how to motivate them to participate. The stakeholders from our examples range from product users to smaller companies, that complement the product or help solve your problems, all the way to scientists and individuals wanting to participate in order to learn new skills and gain valuable experience. Samsung - Diverse types of collaboration Even though you might recognize Samsung from sever
Our modern corporate R&D landscape looks very different. Well-known startups like Amazon, Google, and Facebook grew at breakneck pace and now dominate the Internet. Before them, two upstarts by the name of Apple and Microsoft successfully challenged the status quo. While R&D is essential to all these companies, they came of age in an era during which a premium was (and still is) put on getting to market as quickly as possible. The market demands it; technology evolves too quickly to be left behind. This paradigm shift counsels companies to rethink their approach to R&D. Closed systems no longer allow the type of development—nor the realization of its benefits—required in today’s marketplace. Rather, R&D should be focused on promoting open innovation-based platforms around which entire ecosystems can be fostered. Companies that pursue open innovation strategies share some common traits: They are willing and wish to source and use external knowledge, ideas