Overcoming open innovation challenges: a contribution from foresight and foresight networks

ABSTRACT

The article identifies how the combination of concepts drawn from foresight and foresight networks can be used to help open innovation. We found that foresight can support open innovation by providing analysis that looks at key open innovation questions such as those around technology selection, identifying future customer needs and scanning for disruptions. Foresight can also help open innovation address some of the challenges that have been identified in the open innovation literature as barriers to effective open innovation. Foresight has experience around obtaining access to appropriate external experts and their knowledge; making sense of the mass of information that can emerge through a more open process, both areas that the open innovation literature has identified as being challenges to effective open innovation. Finally, a concept explored in this paper, foresight networks offer’s open innovation new ideas in innovative collaboration forms and how they can be pivotal in innovation and in assisting open innovation.

KEYWORDS:

• Open innovation
• collaboration
• foresight network
• innovation management process

Notes on contributors

Jonathan Calof is a full professor of International Business and Strategy at the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa; extraordinary professor at North West University in South Africa and Leading Research Fellow at the National Research University, Higher School of Economics in Moscow. Dr. Calof combines research and consulting in competitive intelligence, technical foresight, and business analytics to help organisations develop key insights on their competitive environment. In recognition of his contribution to both professional practice and academic development in these fields Dr. Calof received the fellow’s award from the Strategic and Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP), the lifetime achievement award from Frost and Sullivan and recently received SCIP’s distinguished member award at SCIP 2016. He has over 200 publications and has given over 1000 speeches, seminars, and keynote addresses around the world on intelligence, foresight, and analytics.

Dirk Meissner has 15 years experience in research and teaching technology and innovation management and policy. He has strong background in science, technology and innovation for policy making and industrial management with special focus on Foresight and roadmapping, science, technology and innovation policies, funding of research and priority setting. Prior to joining the HSE Dirk was responsible for technology and innovation policy at the presidential office of the Swiss Science and Technology Council. Dirk also has long experience in top level consulting to keydecision makers in industry, headed the business unit industry studies and research with T.A. Cook Consultants which he successfully established and was management consultant for technology and innovation management with Arthur D. Little. He is and was member of international working groups on technology and innovation policy. Dirk represented Switzerland and now the Russian Federation at the OECD Working Party on Technology and Innovation Policy.

Anastasia Razheva is Senior Research Fellow at International Foresight Centre in the Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge, National Research University – Higher School of Economics (HSE), Moscow. She holds a Master of Arts in Economics with a specialisation in international trade and European integration (UniversiteitAntwerpen, Belgium) and a Master of Science in Economics with a specialisation in international relations (Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia). Anastasiahas gained a great experience in Foresight studies on national and sectoral levels aimed at the long-term forecast of the S&T priorities, development of innovation strategies for state-owned companies, product and technology roadmaps for large companies and particular sectors (like shipbuilding or space industry). She also holds a PhD in international economics and has several publications in WoS and Scopus journals.

ORCID

Jonathan Calof http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2146-1506

Dirk Meissner http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4573-0376

Additional information

Funding

The article was prepared within the framework of the Basic Research Programme at the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE) and supported within the framework of the subsidy granted to the HSE by the Government of the Russian Federation for the implementation of the Global Competitiveness Programme.