Using social media to leverage and develop dynamic capabilities for innovation

Abstract

Social media are essentially changing the way firms communicate, create and collaborate in and for innovation. In this special issue introductory article, we take stock of the robust multi-faceted nature of research and practice at the intersection of social media (SM) and innovation. We introduce the nine papers included in this special issue and highlight the rich variety of their contribution with reference to our organising framework. Diagnosing from a strategic perspective, we position SM strategy in and for innovation as an overlapping interaction between dynamic capabilities (sensing, seizing, reconfiguration) and the level of stakeholder engagement (macro, meso, micro). We explain how each interaction holds distinctive synergy in an open and collaborative innovation process. This organising framework shows how the malleable nature of SM creates opportunities for firms to engage widely distributed knowledge sources, enhance innovation capabilities and empower internal human resources towards an open and collaborative culture. Yet, we warn that all is not as rosy as it seems and a purposeful and coherent strategy that delivers distinctive ‘co-ownership’ experiences is quintessential ingredient to realise profits from SM use in innovation.