How to remain as closed as possible in the open innovation era: The case of Lindt & Sprüngli

Is opening up the innovation process a “must”, or rather an opportunity? This paper discusses whether closed innovation models are still suitable in the era of increasing technological networking, or is some degree of openness actually imposed. Starting from the premises given in the enormous amount of literature on open innovation, this paper investigates a case in the food industry, namely the Italian R&D subsidiary of the famous chocolate company, Lindt & Sprungli. The case concerns a company that states that it uses a closed approach to innovation. The paper shows what being closed actually means in Lindt. It also investigates why Lindt rejects an open model to innovation, and illustrates the actual characteristics of a “closed” approach in the open innovation era.