Knowledge roles and flows in open innovation

Date
2014-12
Authors
Van der Walt, Johannes Jacobus Adriaan
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Companies are under constant pressure to stay competitive in order to survive in an ever changing market. It is important for companies to stay ahead of the market and to ensure that any window of opportunity is exploited with maximum benefit to the company. Innovation is regarded as a tool that provides companies with a competitive advantage and that ensures sustainability and success. Organisations need to enhance their innovative capabilities to ensure growth and sustainability. Knowledge can be seen as the building blocks of innovation. Innovation and knowledge management are, therefore, tightly linked. Knowledge generation can be very costly and is sometimes found to be limited in organisations. When internal knowledge is insufficient in an organisation, external knowledge can be utilized by means of innovation networks between different organisations which share common goals. By knowledge being shared between organisations, not only will each organisation benefit individually, but it will also help the partners and strategic alliances to evolve and grow in stature. Required knowledge can be generated internally and can also be extracted from different organisations by means of open innovation. Open innovation sets the scene for knowledge to flow across organisational boundaries and enlarges the creative knowledge capacity and knowledge pool. The flow of knowledge should be governed by knowledge management. The research in this study bridges the gap between the previous innovation models and the notion of an open approach to internal innovation, which improves the speed and effectiveness of the innovation process. The fundamentals of innovation had been investigated, where after the focus moved to understanding a specific and existing innovation process framework, named the FuGle Innovation Process Model. The tracking of knowledge in Open Innovation Models assigned to the FuGle Innovation Process Model, leads to the proposed change of converting Innovation role players to function in an Open Innovation paradigm. By understanding the responsibilities of the role players and the intricacies of controlling the flow of different types of knowledge between interlinked companies, will provide an organisation with the opportunity to deploy an Open Innovation approach at appropriate points within their different processes. This will assist the organisation to stay competitive in an ever fluctuating market.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Maatskappye is onder konstante druk om kompeterend te wees en om te verseker dat hulle in ‘n veranderende omgewing kan oorleef. Innovasie word beskou as ‘n hulpmiddel en instrument wat maatskappye kan voorsien van ‘n kompeterende voordeel wat volgehoue sukses kan verseker. Maatskappye behoort hulle innoverende vermoëns uit te bou om groei en volhoubaarheid te verseker. Kennis kan gesien word as die boustene van innovering. Innovasie en kennisbestuur is dus stewig met mekaar verbind. Die verkryging van kennis kan organisasies duur te staan kom en daarom is kennis binne organisasies somtyds beperk. Wanneer interne kennis in ‘n organisasie beperk is, kan van ‘n innoverende netwerk gebruik gemaak word om eksterne kennis tussen verskillende organisies wat na diesefde doel streef met mekaar te deel. Dit kan gesien word as innoverend om kennis tussen organiasies te deel. Wanneer kennis tussen organisasies gedeel word, sal nie alleenlik die enkele organisasie daarby baatvind nie, maar ook die ander organisasie en selfs vennote en alliansies van die organisasie sal ontwikkel en in statuur groei. Noodsaaklike kennis kan intern verkry word en kan ook deur middel van verskillende organisasies deur die proses van Oop Innovasie verkry word. Oop Innovasie dek die tafel vir die vloei van kennis oor organisatoriese grense heen wat die kreatiewe kenniskapasiteit en die kennispoel vergroot. Die navorsing in die studie oorbrug die gaping tussen die vorige innovasie modelle en die gedagte van ‘n oop benadering tot interne innovasie wat die spoed en effektiwiteit van die innovasieproses sal verbeter. Die grondslag van innovasie is eers ondersoek, waarna die fokus verskuif het na die begrip van ‘n spesifieke innovasie proses, naamlik die FuGle Innovasie Proses Model. Die navolging van die vloei van kennis in die Oop Innovasie Modelle wat toegedig is aan die FuGle Innovasie Proses Model, het gelei tot die voorgestelse verandering om die rolle van die innovasie rolspelers te verander sodat hulle beter kan funksioneer binne ‘n Oop Innovasie paradigma. n’ Begrip van die verantwoordelikhede van , rolspelers en die ingewikkelde kontrole oor die vloei van kennis tussen die organisasies, verskaf aan die organisasie die geleentheid om ‘n Oop Innovasie benadering op gepaste punte binne die onderskeie prosesse binne die organisasie te ontplooi. Hierdie stap sal die organisasie behulpsaam wees om kompeterend te bly binne ‘n veranderende mark.
Description
Thesis (MScEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2014.
Keywords
Innovation, Knowledge transfer, Knowledge Management, Innovation Management, Technological innovations, Competition, FuGle Innovation Process Model, Theses -- Industrial engineering, Dissertations -- Industrial engineering, UCTD
Citation