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Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to focus on "how to create value from collaborative innovation," which is a core question when companies plan open-innovation initiatives. China's Huawei Technologies is taken as the main case study, with other companies' practices as further examples to elaborate and validate a new yet practical model. Design/methodology/approach: This paper is based on the direct experience over many years of two Huawei technology executives – the very recent head of the technology cooperation department and the current manager of the same unit. Findings: This study provides a spiral four-stage model, named SWIM, with each stage being a decision guided by a 2 × 2 matrix. These stages, named scope, weave, identify and modularize, try to balance resource allocation toward a foreseeable value, though it might be long term. Research limitations/implications: The research is primarily based on one company. The validity of its recommended model can be tested only after other companies have applied it. Practical implications: The research offers a practical framework for how companies can improve their open innovation. Social implications: Large companies are important players in innovation networks. Improving the ability of large companies to operate open innovation will help many other companies and the society as a whole. Originality/value: The proposed model is original and provides insights from China and is not a traditional source of management innovation. The paper will also help Western readers get a better understanding of management in what will soon be the world's largest economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to recount the genesis of a successful innovation cluster among Irish-based divisions of multinational enterprises (MNEs) and Irish universities in the pharmaceutical industry. This cluster was actively “narrativized” through the language of obligation, desire, competence and know-how. As such, it is typical of the “hero’s quest” literary genre in which challenges are faced, obstacles are overcome and victory is ultimately won. Importantly, in this story, the cluster was morally and pragmatically charged with dealing with significant challenges faced by the Irish pharmaceutical industry. Broader societal discourses operated as a resource for actors to use in proposing collaboration and innovation as the appropriate response to such challenges. Specifically, through narrative and discourse, actors created the necessary conditions conducive for a cluster to develop. These created a discursively constituted shared purpose which ultimately ensured successful innovation collaboration. Essentially, through narrative and discourse, the key actors identified the collaboration a protagonist in pursuit of a quest. By linking theoretical and empirical insights, the paper offers a conceptual framework that can be used in future studies to understand the emergence of clusters. Design/methodology/approach – Adopting Wengraf’s (2001) structured approach to narrative interviewing, 18 key actors shared their understanding of how the cluster came into being. Each interview began with a single question intended to induce narrative, in this case “tell me the story of the cluster as you see it.” This allowed participants to be in control of their own story (Wengraf, 2001). Each interview was transcribed in full and appended to notes taken at the time of the interview. Each narrative offered a “purposeful account” (Jovchelovitch and Bauer, 2000) of how and why the cluster was formed and the centrality of the participants’ roles. In line with recognised protocols, in the authors analysis of data, they paid specific attention to how stories were told, the roles assigned to key protagonists, as well as how events and actors were linked in stories (see Czarniawska, 1997). Findings – This paper further demonstrates how language, metaphor and narrative and discourse (Hatch, 1997) becomes a strategic resource on which actors can draw to create desired realities (Hardy et al., 2000) particularly in terms of collaboration and innovation. Further, this case highlights how dialogue was encouraged throughout the process of establishing the cluster and has continued to be an important element. Rather than imposing some grand design, the SSPC cluster is and always will be emergent. In this sense, in the early stages of collaboration, detecting and supporting existing and emergent communities is essential to success, and shared identity which is the outcome of members’ discursive practices appears to be a powerful driver of collaboration. Research limitations/implications – There are important insights for cluster and innovation theory development that can be extrapolated from this study. First, context-specific narrative accounts provided in this study further extend the authors’ understanding of the process through which fundamental changes (innovation) in organisational activities are enacted (Ettlie and Subramaniam, 2004). Second, the authors’ understanding of how new ventures are attributed organisational legitimacy through language and story is augmented (Gollant and Sillince, 2007; Pentland, 1999). Third, the authors have articulated how different discourses are mobilised by actors at different stages of development and for different audiences to create desired innovation outcomes, illustrating that innovations can result from advances in knowledge (McAdam et al., 1998). Finally, the authors see how discourse and practice ar [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to present a macro view of the evolution of innovation for value creation, from the closed to collaborative, open, and now co-innovation. It reviews several mega trends that have dramatically changed the dynamic nature of the global market place and also several new forces that have made innovation imperative for organizational value creation. Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides a conceptual overview of co-innovation through some of its basic elements such as convergence revolution, collaboration, and co-creation with stakeholders. Findings – Co-innovation is a new innovation paradigm where new ideas and approaches from various internal and external sources are integrated in a platform to generate new organizational and shared values. The core of co-innovation includes engagement, co-creation, and compelling experience for value creation. Thus, the practices of co-innovative organizations are difficult to imitate by competition. Practical implications – Innovation is imperative for organizational survival in today's turbulent global market. This conceptual paper presents many real-world examples of co-innovative firms' strategies that can provide new insights for follower organizations. Social implications – Innovation is a universal strategy for every organization, be it a firm, non-profit organization, or even a government agency. The new innovation approaches suggested in the paper can contribute to social reforms such as creating shared value for all stakeholders. Originality/value – This is an original paper that presents a broad-stroke direction and vision for new organizational strategies for innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The aim of this paper is to investigate how a manufacturer's relationship with firms operating in different institutional logics can facilitate or hinder the outcomes of research partnerships. Design/methodology/approach - The paper tests the study hypotheses based on a survey of 345 Chinese manufacturers. Findings - Results reveal that a manufacturer's partnerships with private firms and government institutions are both directly related to the manufacturer's innovation performance. However, the effectiveness of the research partnerships depends on the different institutional logics within which these organizations operate. Research limitations/implications - This study used a binary variable to capture the existence or absence of the partnership types examined implying that this variable does not capture the quantity of R&D relationships the firm is engaged in or the time period of such engagements. Practical implications - It is important for management to take into account the joint effect of both the firm and its partner's underlying institutional logics in establishing partnership relationships since the juxtaposition of different institutional logics can affect the outcomes of the relationship. Originality/value - This research draws from institutional theory to contribute to knowledge in the area of innovation by emphasizing the importance of the overarching institutional logic on the effectiveness of different types of innovation-driven research partnerships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to present an interview with Professor Ron Adner, author of The Wide Lens.Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents an interview with Professor Ron Adner, author of The Wide Lens to ask about his structured approach to uncovering the hidden sources of dependence in innovation ecosystems that undermine collaboration efforts. Adner describes how to use the tools he has developed to assess, map and analyse innovation ecosystems. Adner explains that when delivering value depends on the combined efforts of multiple innovation partners – both within and across firms – executing brilliantly does not prevent failure if the other partners stumble. Numerous case studies are reported and a new set of analysis tools is introduced.Findings – Adner reveals that success in new product/service ecosystems requires innovation partners that are both able and willing to participate in a novel solution.Originality/value – The paper notes that seeing innovation as ecosystem management produces many new insights about effective implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The paper aims to better understand the process of networking by small business with their customers to achieve innovations. In particular the relative roles of face-to-face and virtual interaction are to be investigated.Design/methodology/approach – Initially a week of participant observation was undertaken then 17 in-depth interviews were conducted and analyzed. The biotechnology sector was used for the sample.Findings – Networking interaction could be categorized into stages. A deepening of the relationship developed on two fronts: increasing exchanges of technical information but necessarily supplemented by increased sharing of social information to facilitate tacit knowledge exchanges. As the relationship continued to develop, virtual modes could be used in an increasing capacity. The paper developed a stage model and identified the role of face-to-face and virtual exchanges at each stage.Research limitations/implications – Generalizability is unproven. However the issues appeared typical of any technology or science-based sector and suggest broader applicability.Practical implications – Business people cannot assume that all steps in the process of generating an innovation with a customer can be achieved virtually. The stage model provides guidance to practitioners on the appropriate interaction modes to avoid wasteful face-to-face meetings and ineffective virtual exchanges.Originality/value – While the usefulness of networking by small business is well recognized, little is known about the process of networking and in particular the potential role of virtual communication and what can and cannot be achieved. The paper sheds light on these issues and develops an explanatory framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose While anecdotal evidence suggests that performance-based contracts (PBCs) may foster innovation in buyer-supplier relationships, the understanding of the underlying mechanisms is limited to date. The purpose of this paper is to draw on transaction cost economics and agency theory to develop a theoretical model that explains how PBCs may lead to innovation.Design/methodology/approach Using data on 106 inter-organizational relationships from the Dutch maintenance industry, the authors investigate how the two main features of PBCs – low-term specificity and performance-based rewards – affect incremental and radical innovation.Findings The authors find that term specificity has an inverse-U-shaped effect on incremental innovation and a non-significant negative effect on radical innovation. Furthermore, pay-for-performance has a stronger positive effect on radical innovation than on incremental innovation. The findings suggest that in pursuit of incremental innovation, organizations should draft contracts with low, but not too low, term specificity and incorporate performance-based rewards. Radical innovation may be achieved by rewarding suppliers for their performance only.Originality/value The findings suggest that in pursuit of incremental innovation, organizations should draft contracts with low, but not too low, term specificity and incorporate performance-based rewards. Radical innovation requires rewarding suppliers for their performance only. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – Prior research has confirmed the usefulness of both formal and informal protection mechanisms for governing knowledge flows. However, there is lack of research on the motivation and needs driving firms in their choice of mechanisms for each situation. The aim of this paper is to examine the reasons for choosing formal or informal mechanisms. Design/methodology/approach – The hypotheses were tested on a sample of 209 companies engaged in R&D. A Partial Least Squares was used for the analyses. Findings – This study identifies statistically significant relationships between the protection need and the firm's strategy. The results indicate that there is variance in the use of mechanisms when there is a specific motivation for seeking protection, and when the firm faces difficulties related to protection issues. Research limitations/implications – The data were gathered in a single country. The results may be different if practices in a culture based more on informal relations, with less efficient patent system, were investigated. Practical implications – The study provides managers with useful information on the informal protection of knowledge and innovations when resources are limited. In particular, it helps them to identify situations in which informal mechanisms are potentially more useful. Originality/value – This study adds to the literature by studying quantitatively the relationship between the recognised need for protection and the choice of formal and/or informal protection as a strategy. It combines both formal and informal mechanisms. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is one of the few studies examining HRM-related protection mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The internet and web-based technologies have enabled the integration of information systems across organisational boundaries in ways that were hitherto impossible. The measurement of e-business (EB) value has been traditionally considered as a single construct. However, the desire to develop a comprehensive understanding of the impact of EB applications from a theoretical perspective has resulted in the modelling of multiple EB constructs. The impact of EB enabled collaboration on operational performance was also investigated. The purpose of this paper is to explore the enabling role of multiple dimensions of EB investigating if all EB applications impact directly and positively on supply chain collaboration. Design/methodology/approach – A web-based survey was carried out to collect data within the German automotive industry. Structural equation modelling was conducted to test the measurement and structural model. Findings – The results provide justification for the modelling of EB in multiple dimensions. Furthermore, some EB applications impacted positively on supply chain collaboration whilst some did not. The results also proved that EB enabled collaboration impacted directly and positively on the multiple dimensions of operational performance tested. Practical implications – EB applications cannot be viewed by practising managers as being universally beneficial in improving collaboration across a buyer-supplier boundary. However, the results reveal that, by carefully selecting the most appropriate EB applications, operations improvement benefits can be realised across a range of operational metrics due to enhanced supply chain collaboration. Originality/value – The deconstruction of EB into multiple constructs will enable the measurement of EB value to be more accurately assessed. Furthermore, the direct impact of EB-enabled collaboration to facilitate interaction and integration and its impact on operational performance adds to the body of knowledge within the larger research field of supply chain collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]