VOIS - Area 2 - Module 2

  1. MODULE TITLE

Module 2: Managing collaborative innovation
  1. AUTHORS

Ewa Kopczynska
  1. SHORT DESCRIPTION

Managing collaborative innovation (this is going to be the link)

Open innovation can bring significant benefits to SMEs. But to obtain the benefit of open innovation you need to ensure a proper selection and management of open innovation projects. In this module, you will learn the main aspects relevant in this scope. This module consolidates the big picture of open innovation management. In this way, it will help you understand how specific areas we approached across the Virtual Open Innovation Ecosystem connect and contribute to your effective open innovation management.
  1. LEARNING OBJECTIVES

    Upon completing this module, you should be able to:

  • Make informed decisions regarding participation and shaping of open innovation projects,
  • Understand what decisions in your organisation will impact the success of open innovation projects,
  • Identify key decisions at the stage of forming open innovation partnership/network
  • Understand key requirements for well managed open innovation network/partnership
  1. Training Content
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Essentials of managing open innovation – SME related aspects

Open innovation management is a challenge and requires a specific management style that allows for engaging in collaborative work with partners within your network but without sacrificing your SME objectives in the process. There are several aspects you should especially pay attention to as an SME leader, that potentially can also lead future partnerships. Most of the challenges of open innovation management relates to direct interactions between you and your external partners. But there are several aspects that you as a leader need to ensure on the side of your organisation that is critical to consider in the scope of open innovation management.

  1. Start with WHY.

Keep in mind that open innovation should be a tool to reach your objective rather than an objective on its own. It is not a magic remedy that will allow your company to reach new heights without a good decision-making process and investment of time and other resources. Think about your vision, what you want to achieve in  the long term, and how open innovation can help you to reach your aspirations and outperform them. Remember what you learned about the vision and strategy in module 1.2. and do not forget to consider the financial and non-financial benefits of open innovation and how they can support your vision. Why do we (our SME) wish to engage in open innovation is your number one direction that you should pay attention to when managing engagement in open innovation activities.

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  1. Make sure that open innovation projects you engage in are in line with your strategy.

Your vision is the number one direction for your decision-making process. But your strategy and industry positioning should also be considered. Imagine that you are a leader of quality products at a niche pet market and you received an invitation to join a collaborative project aiming at offering cheap solutions for your niche. Will it fit your strategy? Will it bring your company sufficient benefit, that it is worth adjusting your strategy and engage in the commercialisation of a new alternative brand or would it devaluate to much our reputation related to the high-quality products? Always be open to new opportunities but try to avoid rush emotional decisions that can jeopardize your business. It is easy to lose track and get excited about the vision of others if they are passionate about their objectives. Remember also about keeping your core competencies in-house. Whichever is your unique selling point, you do want to keep control over this aspect, whether it is your flagship product, patented technology, or a unique marketing approach, make sure you will not give it up unless there is a highly significant reward, or that you are applying it within open innovation projects in non-competing applications.

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  1. Choose the right staff.

To engage in open innovation activities, it is relevant to establish open innovation culture and mindset across your organisation. But it is unrealistic to assume that all employees will ‘buy into’ open innovation equally. Try to engage in the first place those that have the skills and attitude required for working on the project and work well in the collaborative settings. While in most of the cases, it is most beneficial to foster direct engagement of staff with the key to project knowledge, in some cases (if some of your key experts are resistant to collaboration or are missing collaborative skills in a manner that it could negatively impact the efficiency of the partnership work) you may choose to establish an intermediary that will mitigate possible negative impact. As a leader, it is your key task to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your team and put them into use in a way that will optimize the outcome. In the case of open innovation, you will need to ensure that people on the interface between you and the partners can transfer the knowledge, but also have the soft skills and emotional intelligence to deal with internal and external pressures, conflict, negotiations and ensure that aspects of the project that are truly relevant for your SME will not be lost in the process of evolution of the project.

Developed by E&D Knowledge Consulting under the OPI – Open Innovation Competences Erasmus+ Project

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