Joining forces to create value: The emergence of an innovation ecosystem

During periods of discontinuous technological change (DTC), firms seek alliances to obtain new resources and competences. The concept of innovation ecosystems is increasingly used to address joint value creation endeavours. Interactions within an innovation ecosystem are typically organized around a technology platform consisting of shared assets, standards, and interfaces. Yet, few empirical studies explain how innovation ecosystems emerge. Based on a longitudinal case study of autonomous drive technology development at Volvo Car Group, this paper aims at showing how alliances for developing a new technology leads to the emergence of an innovation ecosystem. In the context of a DTC, the paper underlines how the initial resource constraints can be a blessing in disguise that drives a firm to seek new alliances. We identify that the alliances had a significant influence on the technology platform, transitioning it from an internal to a modular technology platform. This triggered the emergence of an innovation ecosystem, consisting of actors co-creating value and organizing around the technology platform. Further, the paper highlights the subtle distinction between modularization for outsourcing and modularization for co-creating value

Implications of Openness: A study into (All) the Growing Literature on Open Innovation

Seven years after Chesbrough published the first book on open innovation, the field has literally exploded, and is continuing to do so at an increasing speed. Earlier overviews have analyzed the current status of the field at different points in time. The purpose with this paper is to take this research one step further and analyze gaps in the field as it has progressed up to date, and also discuss the managerial implications of that literature. All scientific literature (as found through major databases) published in English on open innovation has been analyzed qualitatively. The paper identifies current streams in the literature and identifies key issues that future research needs to solve. Compared to earlier reviews, we identify a shift in the direction that the research is taken. The paper discusses why this may be the case and speculates on the future of the field

Implications of Openness: A Study into (All) the Growing Literature on Open Innovation

Seven years after Chesbrough published the first book on open innovation, the field has literally exploded, and is continuing to do so at an increasing speed. Earlier overviews have analyzed the current status of the field at different points in time. The purpose with this paper is to take this research one step further and analyze gaps in the field as it has progressed up to date, and also discuss the managerial implications of that literature. All scientific literature (as found through major databases) published in English on open innovation has been analyzed qualitatively. The paper identifies current streams in the literature and identifies key issues that future research needs to solve. Compared to earlier reviews, we identify a shift in the direction that the research is taken. The paper discusses why this may be the case and speculates on the future of the field

Cell-Specific “Competition for Calories� Drives Asymmetric Nutrient-Energy Partitioning, Obesity, and Metabolic Diseases in Human and Non-human Animals

The mammalian body is a complex physiologic “ecosystem� in which cells compete for calories (i.e., nutrient-energy). Axiomatically, cell-types with competitive advantages acquire a greater number of consumed calories, and when possible, increase in size and/or number. Thus, it is logical and parsimonious to posit that obesity is the competitive advantages of fat-cells (adipocytes) driving a disproportionate acquisition and storage of nutrient-energy. Accordingly, we introduce two conceptual frameworks. Asymmetric Nutrient-Energy Partitioning describes the context-dependent, cell-specific competition for calories that determines the partitioning of nutrient-energy to oxidation, anabolism, and/or storage; and Effective Caloric Intake which describes the number of calories available to constrain energy-intake via the inhibition of the sensorimotor appetitive cells in the liver and brain that govern ingestive behaviors. Inherent in these frameworks is the independence and dissociation of the energetic demands of metabolism and the neuro-muscular pathways that initiate ingestive behaviors and energy intake. As we demonstrate, if the sensorimotor cells suffer relative caloric deprivation via asymmetric competition from other cell-types (e.g., skeletal muscle- or fat-cells), energy-intake is increased to compensate for both real and merely apparent deficits in energy-homeostasis (i.e., true and false signals, respectively). Thus, we posit that the chronic positive energy balance (i.e., over-nutrition) that leads to obesity and metabolic diseases is engendered by apparent deficits (i.e., false signals) driven by the asymmetric inter-cellular competition for calories and concomitant differential partitioning of nutrient-energy to storage. These frameworks, in concert with our previous theoretic work, the Maternal Resources Hypothesis, provide a parsimonious and rigorous explanation for the rapid rise in the global prevalence of increased body and fat mass, and associated metabolic dysfunctions in humans and other mammals inclusive of companion, domesticated, laboratory, and feral animals

Enabling Innovation: Exploring the prerequisites for innovative concepts in R&D

Enabling innovation Exploring the prerequisites for innovative concepts in R&DMaria ElmquistDivision of Project ManagementChalmers University of TechnologyAbstractThis thesis deals with the prerequisites for innovative concepts to impact NPD processes in large firms R&D. Based on empirical data, mainly from the automotive and pharmaceutical industries, the aim is to shed light on the actual practices of early phases of NPD, investigating the interface between innovative activities and planned development projects. The thesis further aims at suggesting a conceptual model for describing and managing innovative capabilities. The studies show that innovative concepts, especially if based on customer and market knowledge, have difficulties impacting the NPD processes. The results also indicate that although new knowledge is often generated it is not leveraged on, since innovative arenas do not have a clear interface with the established processes. Most large firms find themselves in a cost-efficiency paradigm where competing on price is no longer an option but a prerequisite for survival. NPD managers face the challenge of combining the logics of the necessary development efficiency, implying planning, structure and cost reduction, with the equally essential creation of innovative products, requiring room for creativity, exploration and learning. To enable innovation, and develop the innovative capabilities of the firm, it is proposed that the notion of absorptive capacity (ability to recognize and apply new knowledge) should be comple\uacmented with a generative capacity signifying the firms ability to stimulate knowledge creation and opportunity generation. It is argued that, through modifying the assumptions of NPD, a firms innovative capabilities can be strengthened to enable innovation. Innovative arenas are proposed as a way of managing generative processes, to create both new knowledge and new concepts. It is further argued that a close integration between generative and absorptive processes is a funda\uacmental dimension to enable both an efficient NPD process and the development of more innova\uactive products. To enable the innovative concepts to be properly evaluated, the need for explicitly managing the interface between the innovative activities and the NPD processes is underlined as is the need to continuously reflect on and question the existing knowledge base. A model for describing and managing innovative capabilities as a dual capacity is also proposed based on both a firms ability to absorb new knowledge through recognizing and understanding potentially valuable new knowledge, and its ability to generate new knowledge through actively experimenting and creating potentially valuable new knowledge. This new knowledge is then assimilated and applied to create commercial outputs and develop new knowledge and concepts, as well as to identify relevant gaps. Further, this thesis argues that to enable innovation, managers need to take on clear accountability for the long-term innovativeness of the firm and actively encourage activities that strengthen both aspects of the innovative capabilities simultaneously

Enabling Innovation: Exploring the prerequisites for innovative concepts in R&D

Enabling innovation Exploring the prerequisites for innovative concepts in R&DMaria ElmquistDivision of Project ManagementChalmers University of TechnologyAbstractThis thesis deals with the prerequisites for innovative concepts to impact NPD processes in large firms R&D. Based on empirical data, mainly from the automotive and pharmaceutical industries, the aim is to shed light on the actual practices of early phases of NPD, investigating the interface between innovative activities and planned development projects. The thesis further aims at suggesting a conceptual model for describing and managing innovative capabilities. The studies show that innovative concepts, especially if based on customer and market knowledge, have difficulties impacting the NPD processes. The results also indicate that although new knowledge is often generated it is not leveraged on, since innovative arenas do not have a clear interface with the established processes. Most large firms find themselves in a cost-efficiency paradigm where competing on price is no longer an option but a prerequisite for survival. NPD managers face the challenge of combining the logics of the necessary development efficiency, implying planning, structure and cost reduction, with the equally essential creation of innovative products, requiring room for creativity, exploration and learning. To enable innovation, and develop the innovative capabilities of the firm, it is proposed that the notion of absorptive capacity (ability to recognize and apply new knowledge) should be comple\uacmented with a generative capacity signifying the firms ability to stimulate knowledge creation and opportunity generation. It is argued that, through modifying the assumptions of NPD, a firms innovative capabilities can be strengthened to enable innovation. Innovative arenas are proposed as a way of managing generative processes, to create both new knowledge and new concepts. It is further argued that a close integration between generative and absorptive processes is a funda\uacmental dimension to enable both an efficient NPD process and the development of more innova\uactive products. To enable the innovative concepts to be properly evaluated, the need for explicitly managing the interface between the innovative activities and the NPD processes is underlined as is the need to continuously reflect on and question the existing knowledge base. A model for describing and managing innovative capabilities as a dual capacity is also proposed based on both a firms ability to absorb new knowledge through recognizing and understanding potentially valuable new knowledge, and its ability to generate new knowledge through actively experimenting and creating potentially valuable new knowledge. This new knowledge is then assimilated and applied to create commercial outputs and develop new knowledge and concepts, as well as to identify relevant gaps. Further, this thesis argues that to enable innovation, managers need to take on clear accountability for the long-term innovativeness of the firm and actively encourage activities that strengthen both aspects of the innovative capabilities simultaneously

Vehicles for innovation and learning: The case of a neglected concept car project

In the competitive automotive industry product development processes are increasingly structured, leaving little room for learning and hence developing the knowledge needed for creating the innovative new products that are essential in order for automotive companies to remain competitive in the long run. Previous studies underline the importance of explicitly managing innovation and knowledge creation in order to successfully develop innovative products. It is our contention that the concept car constitutes an important arena for learning and creating useful knowledge in the automotive industry. This paper presents a detailed analysis of a concept car project at Volvo Cars (the YCC project), tracing how it was used from a learning perspective. Based on this longitudinal study, this paper argues that there is a need to manage more explicitly the learning opportunities provided by concept car projects in order to leverage on the knowledge created. It also discusses some of the barriers to learning that are illustrated by the case study. Finally the paper suggests further research directed towards innovative activities, such as concept cars in order to better understand the nature of their interface with established NPD processes. © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd