Christina Raasch

THE DYNAMICS OF USER INNOVATION: DRIVERS AND IMPEDIMENTS OF INNOVATION ACTIVITIES

AbstractThe following sections are included:IntroductionLiterature ReviewOverview of the Moth ClassEmpirical Findings on User Innovation ActivityCharacteristics of user innovatorsSailing tinkerers and tinkering sailorsKnowledge-sharingDifferences in community cultureThe Dynamics of the Innovative Activity of UsersRevolution and adoptionThe dynamics of user innovation in the Moth classTechnology complexityTechnological maturityMarket structureCustomer satisfactionBarriers to innovationFactors driving the development of user innovation across timeSummary and Discussion of FindingsSummary of resultsGenerality of findingsImplications for managerial practiceReferences

How Open is Open Source? – Software and Beyond

Traditionally the protection of intellectual property is regarded as a precondition for value capture. The rise of open source (OS) software and OS tangible products, so-called open design, has challenged this understanding. Openness is often regarded as a dichotomous variable (open-source vs. closed-source) and it is assumed that online developer communities demand full opening of the products source. In this paper we explore openness as a gradual and multi-dimensional concept. We conduct an Internet survey (N = 270) among participants of 20 open design communities in the domain of IT hardware and consumer electronics. We find that open design projects pursue complex strategies short of complete openness and that communities value openness of software more highly than openness of hardware. Our findings suggest that open design companies can successfully employ strategies of partial openness to safeguard value capture without alienating their developer community.

ONLINE COMMUNITIES IN MATURE MARKETS: WHY JOIN, WHY INNOVATE, WHY SHARE?

Online communities (OCs), especially those related to particular products or brands, have become a potent means of identifying user needs and solution ideas, thereby supporting companies to innovate. Despite their growing relevance, user innovation activities within consumer OCs still are underexplored. Members motivations to innovate and contribute to OCs, in particular, belong to a young line of research requiring further investigation. This study contributes to this line of research by providing an in-depth netnographic analysis of innovative, privately operated OCs dedicated to tangible consumer products. Most fundamentally, we differentiate: (1) motives to join OCs, (2) motives to innovate, and (3) motives to publish innovations in OCs. It is the first study that categorizes the motives of innovative OC members depending on membership lifecycle and situational factors. Our results support companies in understanding members motives in privately operated OCs relating to the companys brand or products. Thus, it provides a foundation for the development of specific incentives and tools that stimulate user activity.

Free revealing in open innovation: a comparison of different models and their benefits for companies

In open innovation processes, free-revealing of information has proliferated in the wake of distributed electronic communication systems. Many scholars have coined a multitude of concepts to explain this free-revealing phenomenon and to develop models of organising innovation based on it. These models are partly overlapping, partly exclusive, and partly encompassing. In an extensive literature review, we identify five such concepts and research streams: collective invention, user innovation networks, commons-based peer production, crowdsourcing and open-source innovation. We compare and contrast these models along several dimensions. We present an integrative perspective on the five models and derive implications for research and practice.

From open source in the digital to the physical world: a smooth transfer?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the transferability of the open source principles of product development from the realm of software to the realm of physical products.Design/methodology/approach – Based on the inherent differences between software and physical products, a theoretical discussion of the challenges that face the implementation of open source principles in the physical world are provided. A multiple case study methodology is adopted to provide insights into the applicability of the open source concept in product development outside software.Findings – Many of the challenges identified theoretically are actually encountered in practice. To cope with these challenges effectively, hardware design activities can be translated into software development tasks, using programmable hardware. When dealing with open source projects in the physical realm, it is useful to distinguish between projects driven by commercial firms and those driven by individuals, as each project type can ...

Product Development In Open Design Communities: A Process Perspective

Open source (OS) has raised significant attention in industrial practice and in scholarly research as a new and successful mode of product development. This paper is among the first to study open source development processes outside their original context, the software industry. In particular, we investigate the development of tangible products in so-called open design projects. We study how open design projects address the challenges usually put forward in the literature as barriers to the open development of tangible products. The analysis rests on the comparative qualitative investigation of four cases from different industries. We find that, subject to certain contingencies, open design processes can be organized to resemble OSS development processes to a considerable degree. Some practices are established specifically to uphold OS principles in the open design context, while others starkly differ from those found in OSS development. Our discussion focusses on different aspects of modularity as well as the availability of low-cost tools.

How companies capture value from open design

Today, it is generally acknowledged that substantial value can be generated in online or offline developer communities external to the firm. What is less understood is how this value can be captured by commercial companies within viable business models. In this paper, we investigate business models in the field of open design, i.e., the development of tangible products according to the open source model. Our analysis rests on a pool of 30 open design projects. We find that four stylised business models can be observed in open design. They employ several value isolating mechanisms that enable profit-oriented commercial offerings in extremely open settings, such as open design.

Creating Open Source Innovation: Outside the software industry

Motivation of this paper is to discuss that the open source model of innovation does not only seem practical in the software industry, but also in various other industrial contexts. We develop the concept of open source innovation (OSI) as a generalisation of the open source model of software development (OSS). Our definition centres on the collaboration of volunteers and the free revelation of knowledge between actors. Since OSI exhibits important differences to several related concepts in the literature, we conclude that it is an innovation model in its own right, deserving more attention and research. We further proceed to identify aspects affecting the application of the OSI model in industry practices, grouping them into economic, technical, legal, and social factors. Based on these results as well as expert interviews, we find that the applicability of OSI is primarily determined by the characteristics of, first, the innovation object and, second, the group of contributors, rather than the industrial sector. Finally, we advance propositions on the employment of OSI in industrial practice, relating its feasibility to the innovation object and the group of contributors.

Strategic options to tackle patent expiration: theoretical framework and case studies

Patents grant patent holders a temporary monopoly, excluding other parties from making commercial use of the patented invention without authorisation and thereby allowing their owners to recoup investment. In many industries, the loss of patent-protected exclusivity and the ensuing market entry of competitors are known to be followed by a severe decline of the incumbents sales and profit. This paper investigates strategies, which incumbents can adopt to cushion these adverse effects. Taking the pharmaceutical industry as an example, we explore the strategy space available to firms in situations of patent expiration, providing a comprehensive analytical framework. The study is based on expert interviews and secondary data of key effort and performance variables. Four prominent case studies from the German market analyse strategy choice, implementation and success in large pharmaceutical companies. Implications for industry and policy-making as well as the transferability of the proposed strategic framework to other industries are discussed.

The choice between uniqueness and conformity in mass customization

Extant research emphasizes that consumers use mass customization toolkits to create products they consider to be unique, and that perceived uniqueness is an important part of customer value. This research investigates the conditions of the customers quest for uniqueness. It is motivated by the observation that decisions are often driven by others’ choices and a desire to fit in, rather than to be distinct. We hypothesize that consumers are more inclined to choose uniqueness for hedonic product attributes but tend toward conformity in utilitarian attributes, and that consumers’ need for uniqueness and product involvement moderate the choice. In a series of experiments, we find support for most hypotheses. We introduce conformity as a driver of choice behavior in mass customization toolkits and suggest that mass customization can best be seen as enabling consumers’ preferred mix of uniqueness and conformity. Our results also inform managerial practice, highlighting that mass customization toolkits should consider customers’ uniqueness and conformity requirements. We suggest reducing the number of utilitarian options while increasing the variety for hedonic attributes.