Conceptual foundations of the embedded lead user phenomenon

Abstract

The phenomenon of user innovation and its theoretical underpinnings are closely linked to Eric von Hippel who started his work on this topic in the seventies. He was one of the first scholars who challenged the traditional view of innovation (also called manufacturer-active paradigm) which regarded customers and users as passive consumers of innovation (e.g. new products and services) and manufacturers as only relevant source of innovation (von Hippel 1976; von Hippel 1988).