Project

Open Innovation in the Public Sector

The locus of innovation has started to shift from the individual organization to the organizational ecosystem. As a result, the long dominant closed innovation model is gradually being replaced by more open approaches. As part of the latter, organizations seek to draw on an ever wider range of external knowledge sources to fuel their innovation efforts. While scholars have started to examine the costs and benefits of search openness in high-tech manufacturing sectors, empirical research in private and public service settings is much needed. In this research project, we therefore set out to examine the conditions under which open knowledge search strategies are associated with superior innovation project performance. This research is informed by expert assessments of innovation projects and a survey among lead innovators working in English public health services.