OPEN INNOVATION AS AN ELEMENT OF ANALYSIS FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM INDUSTRIES. CASE ENGINEERING SECTOR DOI:10.5773/rai.v8i2.595

Abstract

Open innovation is based on the idea that companies are no longer capable of addressing the whole process of innovation through their own resources. It is a paradigm that assumes that organizations can and should use external ideas as well as internal ideas. The objective of this research was to identify management practices in the process of open innovation in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in emerging economies. The methodology was based on field research and the data collection technique used was the interview, based on a questionnaire (focusing on the Spanish UNE 166002 standards), whose categories were: managerial commitment, focus on stakeholders, human resources and research, and development and innovation. Thirty companies participated in this study, which concluded that a key element for the incorporation of open innovation is managerial commitment to the industrial sector. This has been shown to improve communication channels with the surroundings, and to strengthen the innovation culture through the promotion of teamwork, motivation and the training of human resources as well as through the consideration of both internal and external sources.