3.Open innovation mindset

In order to prevent Not-Invented-Here syndrom, SMEs should direct their energy toward creating healthy organizational climate. Since SMEs do not possess all the necessary resources, it is crucial for their success to adjust their existing strategy and focus on acquiring and transforming knowledge from outside their companies[25]. In order for SMEs to be able to search for and apply external knowledge, it should develop dynamic capabilities. Dynamic capabilities are defined as: “the firm’s ability to integrate, build, and reconfigure internal and external competences to address rapidly changing environments”[26]. Dynamic capabilities can help SMEs in unstable environment to quickly adopt but also to gain competitive advantage.

Podcast on: Open innovation and Dynamic capabilities Supporting small and medium sized enterprises to better prepare navigate and recover from economic crises

Human resource management (HRM) have the important role in encouraging employees to implement open innovation activities and to encourage further development of their capabilities. HRM should help employees develop healthy relationships with partners outside the company in order to achieve companies success. Open innovation mindset is defined as: “New concept that is critical for organisations engaging in OI and conceptualize it as consisting of values, attitudes, and beliefs that capture an individual’s openness towards knowledge sourcing and sharing inside and outside organisational boundaries”[27]. Moreover, authors highlighted trust as important part of knowledge sharing and knowledge sourcing[28]^,[29]. Trust is especially important in high-tech companies where partners are sharing their technological knowledge.

In addition, with the new technology and fast market changes, agri-food SMEs should be able to recognize new information coming from outside the company and combine newly acquired knowledge with knowledge already existing inside their organization. This ability is known as absorptive capacity and is defined as: “Firm’s ability to identify, assimilate, and exploit knowledge from the environment”[30]. Furhtermore, it was highlighted that for companies that implemented open innovation activities, it is crucial to nurture open culture in order to embrace knowledge and technology acquired from outside the organization[31]. Moreover, management support will enable successful adoption of open innovation activities[32].

Figure 3: Open innovation mindset

Interaction between University-Industry-Government-Society

The collaboration between University-Industry-Government is know as triple helix model of innovation[33]. The importance of collaboration between academia and industry has been recognized in literature[34]^,[35]. The role of University is to bring specific knowledge and help with research, while Industry should develop products based on the results of a research. For example, collaboration between university and industry can result in research partnership, commercialization of intellectual property, scientific publications or transfer of employees[36]. On the other hand, government can also be seen as valuable source of knowledge. It can encourage further strategic alliances, organize crowdsourcing campaigns or some social events and thus create open culture and boost innovations. Moreover, universities and industry partners can collaborate on the project that are financed by the government.

Furthermore, the collaboration between University-Industry-Government-Society is known as quadruple helix model[37]. Users and customers are no longer seen as passive buyers, but are involved in new product development process very often. Society can also participate in crouwcorucing campaings or similar activities organized by the government. In the last section, a local example of  implementation of quadruple helix model in agri-food category is developed.