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Focusing on some relevant constructs defined by the open innovation (OI) literature (i.e. determinants of openness; openness choices operationalized in terms of collaboration depth with scientific and business partners; organizational and social context; innovation performance in terms of novelty and efficiency), this paper investigates the relationships among such constructs. More specifically, the purpose of this paper is to empirically analyse two types of relationships: between some contextual factors and firms’ openness choices; and among openness choices, a set of organizational-managerial and social factors, and OI performance outcomes.

The authors carried out a theory testing survey, involving four European countries (Finland, Italy, Sweden and the UK). The authors applied descriptive statistics and a series of regressions.

The authors analysed the impact exerted by external and internal variables on the collaboration depth with scientific and business partners: technological trends are relevant to move firms towards external collaborations, with both types of partners; efficiency goals pursued in collaborations are related to the collaboration depth with both types of partners, while an aggressive innovation strategy is positively related only to scientific-partner depth. Besides, collaboration depths with both partners are positively related to the both sides of innovation performance (i.e. novelty and efficiency), but the organizational-managerial and social contexts emerge as relevant mediator variables. Organizational-managerial and external relational social capital exert a beneficial role on the both types of innovation performance, while internal relational social capital benefits only novelty.

The work shows important limitations such as the low level of the explanatory values in the regression models. Therefore, the results must be considered as preliminary explorative insights that may be useful to encourage further studies.

This work serves to raise managers’ awareness on the opportunity of developing organizational-managerial mechanisms, as well as on the importance of social capital to profit from collaborations.

Although during the last decade many researchers have claimed that we are in the era of OI, empirical works, which provide both a more comprehensive and detailed understanding of the phenomenon, are still few. Moreover, the specific action of the context (managerial, organizational and social) as possible mediator of the performance outcomes of openness is empirically under-studied. The authors’ work attempts to fulfil these gaps.

The present paper aims at exploring effective business model adaptations in response to unexpected events such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

The authors test the effect of two major business model adaptations, namely changes in the value proposition and changes in the target market, on a sample of 96 family SMEs.

Results show that only changes in the value proposition had a positive and significant impact on performance, helping family SMEs to better confront COVID-19. However, this effect is reduced in the case of target market change.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to investigate how business model adaptations in family SMEs affect performance in crisis situations.

The role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and digital platforms in enabling connectivity and collaboration among actors is neglected when dealing with outbound open innovation (OI). Moreover, the outbound OI process is not currently defined in a univocal way. Thus, this paper aims to outline the outbound OI phases and to explore role and capabilities of ICTs in supporting it.

Through a literature review approach, the authors specified the outbound OI process. Hence, the authors leveraged the similarities between the knowledge management process phases and the outbound OI phases for developing a conceptual framework that could match the outbound OI phases with acknowledged categories of ICT tools.

Through a process-view, the authors outlined outbound OI as a three-phase process. The authors developed a matrix-shaped framework in which the columns represent the three outbound OI process phases, while the rows are three ICT categories that could be suitable for supporting the outbound OI process.

The framework is designed to guide a deep understanding of how ICTs could support specific phases of the outbound OI process. In so doing, it could be useful for software developers interested in the preliminary design of an ICT platform for outbound OI.

The conceptual framework proposal as follows: specifies a detailed, process-oriented definition of the outbound OI; allows to identify the main ICT categories supporting the phases of the outbound OI process; and provides guidance for further exploration about the role of ICT in outbound OI.

The study aims to test the success of university-industry (U-I) collaboration in terms of innovation process efficiency. Then, this study explores the moderating role of a set of organizational routines in the U-I relationship, which can help in overcoming the issues undermining the collaboration success.

The study is based on an international Open Innovation (OI) survey. The survey investigated the items to build the main variables of the conceptual framework, measured through seven-point Likert scales. Steps to ensure the reliability and validity of the variables were conducted. Then, hypotheses were tested with an ordinary least squares regression.

Results show that the higher the collaboration intensity (depth) with universities, the higher the innovation process efficiency. Furthermore, organizational routines aimed at improving firms' assimilation absorptive capacity further strengthen the positive effects of intensive collaboration on innovation process efficiency.

Findings indicate that R&D managers should strive to build deep collaborations with universities to enhance process efficiency and invest in the quality of these relationships. Managers should create and maintain an internal environment that further enhances the positive effects of intensive collaboration on innovation process efficiency.

The OI literature has not reached a shared view on the positive contribution of universities toward industrial firms' innovation performance. The study adopts a process-efficiency view, rarely used by other OI studies usually focused on output indicators; this study unpacks, respectively, the role of the intensity of collaboration and the organizational routines, thus disclosing the benefit of U-I collaboration on innovation efficiency.

This study aims to explore how firms can enhance their innovation processes by effectively utilizing external knowledge and employing digital technologies. Specifically, it emphasizes the role of absorptive capacity (ACAP) in external knowledge acquisition and assimilation (potential ACAP), as well as transformation and exploitation (realized ACAP), highlighting the necessity of equipping firms with digital technologies to support ACAP activities.

To achieve the research purpose, we conducted a structured literature review of academic papers sourced from Scopus-Elsevier.

The key findings encompass the identification of common digital technologies supporting ACAP and explore how these technologies contribute to knowledge acquisition, assimilation, transformation and exploitation. The main results show that social media and online communities are the most studied technologies in relation to ACAP activities. Research predominantly centres on potential ACAP – with acquisition activity more studied than assimilation – rather than realized ACAP – with only social media and online communities demonstrating full support for transformation and exploitation activities.

This research represents a pioneering joint study of ACAP and digital technologies, advancing understanding beyond organizational perspectives and expanding open innovation literature by integrating ACAP role in technology collaborations. A call for qualitative investigations into the relationship between digital technologies and ACAP emerged.

The findings offer valuable guidance to innovation managers, aiding them in selecting appropriate digital technologies to strengthen ACAP activities.

This work’s uniqueness lies in bridging the gaps between open innovation, ACAP and digital technologies, which are often studied in isolation.

The purpose of this study is threefold: first, to provide a comprehensive and systemized literature review on open innovation (OI) in family firms; second, to identify the antecedent of family firms’ heterogeneity (i.e. governance structure, goals and resources) and to outline how they affect OI behavior; and third, to propose potential avenues for further research.

The study consists of a systematic literature review and analyses the findings of 36 papers on OI and family firms.

Based on the results of the reviewed papers, authors show how family firms’ specific characteristics/factors strictly related to their governance structure, goals and resources affect OI behavior. Furthermore, the authors highlight also that adoption of different mechanisms/strategies can be useful to family firms to overcome OI barriers. Finally, discussion and avenues for further research are presented.

This review can be useful to family business managers, directors and/or external consultants to better understand family-specific characteristics to support family businesses in opening up their boundaries to external partners.

To the best knowledge, this is the first systematic review on OI and family firms that attempt to identify all family-specific characteristics/factors, known as the antecedent of heterogeneity that affects family firm OI behavior. The authors believe that it could represent an important guide for future research on this topic.

El objetivo de este estudio es triple. Primero, proporcionar una revisión bibliográfica exhaustiva y sistematizada sobre la innovación abierta en las empresas familiares; en segundo lugar, identificar los antecedentes de la heterogeneidad de las empresas familiares (es decir, estructura de gobierno, objetivos y recursos) y describir cómo afectan al comportamiento de innovación abierta; en tercer lugar, proponer posibles vías para futuras investigaciones.

El estudio consiste en una revisión sistemática de la literatura y analiza los hallazgos de 36 artículos sobre innovación abierta y empresas familiares.

Sobre la base de los resultados de los artículos revisados, los autores muestran cómo las características/factores específicos de las empresas familiares estrictamente relacionados con su estructura de gobierno, objetivos y recursos afectan al comportamiento de innovación abierta. Además, los autores destacan también que la adopción de diferentes mecanismos/estrategias puede ser útil para las empresas familiares para superar las barreras de innovación abierta. Finalmente, se presentan la discusión y las vías para futuras investigaciones.

Esta revisión puede ser útil para los gerentes, directores y/o consultores externos de empresas familiares para alcanzar una mayor comprensión de las características específicas de la familia que ayude a las empresas familiares a abrir sus límites a socios externos.

Según nuestro conocimiento, esta es la primera revisión sistemática sobre innovación abierta y empresas familiares que intenta identificar todas las características/factores específicos de la familia, conocidos como antecedentes de heterogeneidad, que afectan al comportamiento de innovación abierta de la empresa familiar. Los autores creen que podría representar una guía importante para investigaciones futuras sobre el tema.

Innovación abierta, empresas familiares revisión sistemática de la literatura, antecedentes de heterogeneidad, características/ factores específicos de las empresas familiares

Artículo de investigación

O objetivo deste estudo é triplo. Primeiro, fornecer uma revisão abrangente e sistematizada da literatura sobre inovação aberta em empresas familiares; segundo, identificar os antecedentes da heterogeneidade das empresas familiares (i.e. estrutura de governança, objetivos e recursos) e descrever como esses antecedentes afetam o comportamento de inovação aberta; em terceiro lugar, propor possíveis caminhos para futuras pesquisas.

O estudo consiste em uma revisão sistemática da literatura e analisa os resultados de 36 artigos sobre inovação aberta e empresas familiares.

Com base nos resultados dos artigos revisados, os autores mostram como as características/fatores específicos das empresas familiares estritamente relacionados à sua estrutura de governança, objetivos e recursos, afetam o seu comportamento de inovação aberta. Além disso, os autores também enfatizam que a adoção de diferentes mecanismos/estratégias pode ser útil para as empresas familiares superarem as barreiras à inovação aberta. Finalmente, se apresentam a discussão dos resultados e os caminhos para pesquisas futuras.

Esta revisão pode ser útil para gerentes, diretores e/ou consultores externos de empresas familiares a fim de obter um melhor entendimento das características específicas da família, que ajude às empresas familiares a abrir suas fronteiras aos parceiros externos.

Segundo nosso conhecimento, esta é a primeira revisão sistemática sobre inovação aberta e empresas familiares que tenta identificar todas as características/fatores familiares específicos, conhecidos como antecedentes da heterogeneidade, que afetam o comportamento de inovação aberta da empresa familiar. Os autores entendem que isso pode representar um importante guia para pesquisas futuras sobre esse tema.

Inovação aberta, empresas familiares, revisão sistemática da literatura, antecedentes de heterogeneidade, características/fatores específicos das empresas familiares

Revisión de literatura

Intellectual property protection mechanisms (IPPMs) include a variety of methods suitable for protecting valuable intangible assets of companies, and it is of great relevance to study how companies use these mechanisms to ensure the appropriability of innovation, in a context in which innovation is increasingly open. Indeed, there is a tension between the aim to share knowledge with external partners and the need to protect valuable know-how. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship among the use of IPPMs, open innovation (OI), and the innovation performance of companies.

The study is based upon a survey conducted on 477 firms from Finland, Italy, Sweden, and UK in 2012.

The study shows that IPPMs have an indirect impact on innovation performance, mediated by the degree of openness. More precisely, IPPMs positively influence the level of openness, which, in turn, positively influences the innovation performance.

The empirical analysis contributes on two issues widely debated in the literature: the impact of IPPMs on innovation performance and the role of IPPMs as enablers or disablers of OI.

The aim of this paper is to develop the conceptual design of an information and communication technologies (ICT) platform supporting the inbound open innovation (OI) process within the technological developments business unit of Leonardo Defence Systems.

After a preliminary phase concerning the context analysis, methodology includes three main steps: conceptualization of functions; preliminary design; and conceptual design of the system/SW architecture. In each of these phases, the authors tried to merge evidence from the scientific literature with empirical insight emerging from the field.

Results report the conceptual design proposal for an integrated ICT platform supporting the OI. It includes the conceptualization of main functions, the preliminary design deriving from use cases and the proposal for the overall system architecture and data model.

The research focuses only on the conceptual design phase; at this stage, the platform has not been still implemented or tested. Also, generalizability concerns may arise from the single-application context.

The outcoming conceptual design can be useful for firms that open their boundaries to external partners, as well as for software developers which could draw on it. Firms approaching similar OI challenges can re-contextualize the platform to their own setting.

Originality of this research relies on the attempt to show how ICT can support firms in their OI processes and, secondly, to support firms aiming to create a positive environment that encourages people at leveraging existing external technological opportunities and sources of knowledge. In so doing, a systematic design approach to the definition of the conceptual proposal is also pursued.

This paper aims to advance the understanding regarding the profiting of collaborative innovation practices, focusing particularly on how the intensity of collaboration along the innovation process and the relatedness between the partners’ technological bases affect the outcomes of such process in terms of efficiency and generation of technological innovations.

Drawing on the results from causal models and the estimation of average marginal effects, this research analyses the direct and joint effect of technological proximity and intensity of collaboration in the early and late phases of the process.

The findings suggest that there is a positive unconditional relationship between the aforementioned aspects and innovative performance and that the joint effects diverge depending on the stage of the process, i.e. while in the early phase collaborating intensely with close partners seems to be advisable, this circumstance proves to be problematic in the late phase of the innovation process.

The analysis developed provides clarity regarding relevant aspects of collaborative innovation practices, particularly, the search for and selection of optimal partners. In general terms, the evidence found here suggests seeking for collaborating intensely along the whole process with partners whose technological bases present a tight matchup with that of the focal firm. Results also call for awareness of the potential drawbacks derived from intense collaborations with close partners in the late phases of the process, thus hinting toward the convenience of developing protection mechanisms. In addition, this work provides interesting insights that challenge the notion of “proximity paradox” and set out further questions that might be worth considering for future research.