Title: Managing the lifecycle of online innovation contests - a case study on an innovation intermediary's approach

Authors: Stefan H. Hallerstede; Angelika C. Bullinger

Addresses: University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Lange Gasse 20, 90403, Nuremberg, Germany ' Chemnitz University of Technology, 09107 Chemnitz, Germany; School of Arts and Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA

Abstract: Online innovation contests (OICs) are a popular means to integrate external innovators into the innovation process of organisations. There are specialised innovation intermediaries that take care of the design and management of OICs based on their experience. Combining extant research in innovation management and information systems management, we integrate prior research in the field of open innovation and application lifecycle management (ALM). The paper presents a case study of an established innovation intermediary and analyses its approach to design and manage OICs. We find that structuring the process of OIC design and management along the phases of ALM is suitable. Compared to a more traditional application development, data stresses the importance of the social aspect. We also find that the manager of an OIC's lifecycle has to specialise in designing and managing the social subsystem rather than the technical subsystem of an OIC.

Keywords: open innovation; online innovation contests; OIC design; case study; application lifecycle management; ALM; socio-technical systems; innovation intermediary; innovation management; information systems management.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTMKT.2014.060077

International Journal of Technology Marketing, 2014 Vol.9 No.2, pp.125 - 142

Received: 27 Jul 2012
Accepted: 07 May 2013
Published online: 30 May 2014 *

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