Open Innovation Model Study

In the process of informatization and the development of knowledge economy, a new model of technological innovation which is called open innovation appears. Compared with the close innovation, open innovation is a new way of knowledge creation. It can fully use the heterogeneous knowledge in and out of the organization, and realize the knowledge exchange between organizations so as to promote inner-organizational and inter-organizational knowledge creation. Most existing researches on open innovation focus on the enterprise or industry level, and they neglect the nature of innovation: knowledge creation and its process and mode under the model of open innovation. The development of such theories as cognitive economics, knowledge-based theory of enterprise, knowledge governance, and so on provide new theoretical tools and methods to the research of open innovation from the perspective of knowledge. The research can improve the development of knowledge creation theory and propose practical guidance to enterprises.The thesis redefines open innovation using a variety of analytical methods from the perspective of knowledge, researches the definition of knowledge creation and its process and governance under the model of open innovation, and builds organizational foundation for open innovation. On the basis of the analysis, the thesis proposes some suggestions to promote the development of open innovation in our country through the international comparison of the practices of open innovation.The thesis includes six chapters. Chapter I is an introduction. It discusses the background, significance, general review on the status and the research levels of open innovation, research methods, main idea, innovations and points to be further discussed. Chapter II reviews the researches of technological innovation. This chapter discusses the Schumpeterian innovation theory, the concept and classification of technological innovation and cognitive perspective of technological innovation. Chapter III analyzes the relationships between knowledge, learning and open innovation. This chapter mainly analyzes the nature of knowledge and its characteristics and classification, the relationship between knowledge, personal learning and organizational learning. On the basis of the research, the thesis analyzes the definition and characteristics of open innovation. Chapter IV analyzes the knowledge creation under the model of open innovation. This chapter discusses the existing model of knowledge creation, and then redefines the meaning of knowledge creation under the open innovation model, analyzes the process of the knowledge creation. At last, the chapter analyzes two kinds of knowledge creation: intra-organizational and inter-organizational knowledge creation. Chapter V discusses the problem of knowledge governance in the model of open innovation. This chapter defines the knowledge governance under the model open innovation as the governance of knowledge creation. The thesis builds a system of knowledge governance mechanisms that includes intra-organizational and inter-organizational knowledge governance mechanisms and tow kinds of action mechanisms. Chapter VI analyzes the organizational foundation of the open innovation. This chapter mainly focuses on the analysis the organizational foundation of open innovation and its organizational capability system. The chapter builds the organizational foundation that support open innovation model on the basis of analysis of the relationship between knowledge characteristics and organizational structure, and analyzes the balanced ability system including learning ability, absorptive capacity and integration ability. Chapter VII is the practice of open innovation and inspirations to our country. Taking 3M, IBM, P&G as examples, the chapter discusses the international practice of open innovation. The chapter also analyzes three enterprises' open innovation practices that include Lenovo, Haier, and Chunlan. On the basis of analysis, the chapter discusses the factors that hinder the implementation of open innovation in our country, and puts forward suggestions to promote the practice of open innovation in our country from both microscopic and macroscopic aspects.The main innovations of this thesis include: Firstly, the thesis redefines open innovation. In the thesis, open innovation is defined as a new way of knowledge creation which comprehensively utilizes internal and external knowledge through individual learning, organizational learning and inter-organizational dynamic learning to achieve the effective integration of two kinds of knowledge. The definition stresses the importance of open cognitive model to knowledge creation, and points out that the model can reduce the cognitive costs of innovation and the synergistic effect of knowledge can be realized. Secondly, the thesis analyzes the model of knowledge creation in the open innovation model. We think there are two models of knowledge creation in the open innovation model which includes the model of intra-organizational knowledge creation and the model of inter-organizational knowledge creation. The two kinds of knowledge creation model jointly promote knowledge creation and technological innovation. Thirdly, the thesis analyzes the problem of knowledge governance in the model of open innovation. We think that knowledge governance is an organizational arrangement to stimulate, guide, regulate and control the knowledge creation behaviors. The knowledge governance mechanisms in the open innovation model are the effective integration of hard mechanisms (formal mechanisms) and the soft mechanisms (informal mechanisms). The governance structure which regulates intra-organizational knowledge creation is consensus-based hierarchy including such governance mechanisms as authority mechanism, incentive mechanism, routine mechanism, community mechanisms and so on. The governance mechanisms governed inter-organizational knowledge creation include trade mechanism, trust mechanism, informal communication mechanism, and so on. Fourthly, the thesis analyzes the organizational basis of open innovation model and its construction. We think that the organizational basis of open innovation model should have such properties as flexible, networking and virtualization. The relationship between organization and environmental conditions should achieve a dynamic fitness. The organizational border and knowledge border should maintain dynamic consistency. The organization should have a balanced ability system which includes learning ability, absorptive capacity and knowledge integration ability.