Management innovation and open innovation: For and towards dialogue

Abstract

The fields of open innovation (OI) and management innovation (MI) have been tended to be studied separately and have very little discussion with each other. This is paradoxical for two reasons. First, the work on OI has clearly demonstrated the importance of the organizational and managerial dimension but does not identify the MIs that could promote this openness and its processes. The question of “how to organize and manage the I?” remains wide open. Second, while OI paradigm has been primarily mobilized for technological innovations, a few rare works have shown interest in MI. However, knowledge of its effects on MI remains limited and fragmented. The aim of this article is therefore to bring these two literatures closer together, to place them in dialogue in order to respond to their mutual shortcomings. We show that the reconciliation of these two fields can be a source of reciprocal contributions and enrichment.