Gamification approaches for open innovation implementation: A conceptual framework

Abstract

In today's business environment, knowledge sources for innovation are widely distributed n the economy, pushing firms to shift from a closed to an open model of innovation. However, the successful implementation of an open innovation model requires overcoming the inertia that hinders organizations facing environmental changes. The aim of this research is to build a conceptual framework of how gamification approaches might help firms overcome inertia in open innovation implementation following an organizational change perspective. After a systematic literature review, we posit that a gamification approach can help firms overcome inertia shortcomings with respect to the three stages of organizational change that are needed to implement open innovation: unfreezing, moving and institutionalizing. This research sheds light on the barriers to open innovation and contributes to the theoretical literature on gamification. Organizations can take advantage of the new opportunities in gamification to manage the challenges of implementing an open innovation process.