Organisational drivers of business model innovation and open innovation

The extent to which an organisation is able to gain competitive advantage through open innovation and an innovative business model depends on how effective its internal operations are. An effective organisation is an organisation whose culture, structure, processes and practices are optimally aligned to its strategic objectives and goals, and are therefore capable of driving performance. Getting the organisational alignment right is therefore of paramount importance for organisations seeking to innovate their way to competitive advantage.  

Recent thinking on the organisation’s ability to innovate has emphasised dynamic capabilities and organisational ambidexterity. Ambidextrous organisations are able to leverage on their dynamic capabilities to innovate their business models and take advantage of technological innovations and market opportunities. In a fast-changing networked economy, organisational relational capital is crucial for organisations embracing open innovation, the success of which is often dependent on the trust and shared purpose among the parties involved. Many of these are actually embedded within the culture of the organisation, and reflected in its structure, processes and practices.

Our research seeks to understand the key factors that impact on the organisation’s ability to successfully reinvent its business model and embrace open innovation.

Research focus

• What are the key organisational factors that either enable or impede business model innovation and open innovation in organisations?
• How can an organisation’s culture, structure, processes and practices be realigned to better facilitate business model innovation and open innovation?
• How does organisational alignment impact on the effective use of data for innovation and the ‘servitisation’ of manufacturing?
• How can organisations be dynamic and ambidextrous to explore and exploit innovation opportunities, and yet not get caught in two minds or spread themselves thin?
• How can relational capital impact on an organisation’s open innovation business models, and how can organisations build stronger relationships with stakeholders?