Open innovation practices and related internal dynamics: case studies of Italian ICT SMEs
ISSN: 1450-2194
Article publication date: 20 March 2019
Issue publication date: 20 March 2019
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to shed light on challenges and facilitating factors of open innovation practices (OIP) implemented by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Design/methodology/approach
The empirical research has been conducted on eight SMEs operating in the ICT sector, through a qualitative approach involving comparative case studies.
Findings
The findings drawn from the interviews indicate that each OIP established entails specific challenges and facilitating factors that SMEs have to face to sustain the open innovation journey and foster competitiveness. These findings helped to draw some important managerial implications and provide insights to SMEs willing to open innovation processes.
Originality/value
The study identifies OIP used in empirical studies to explore specific challenges and facilitators for each OIP, in the context of SMEs. Previous studies mostly focussed on open innovation sources and scarcely investigated internal dynamics of specific OIP.
Keywords
Citation
Santoro, G., Ferraris, A. and Winteler, D.J. (2019), "Open innovation practices and related internal dynamics: case studies of Italian ICT SMEs", EuroMed Journal of Business, Vol. 14 No. 1, pp. 47-61. https://doi.org/10.1108/EMJB-05-2018-0031
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited