Title: Integrating open innovation to new product development - the case of the Brazilian aerospace industry

Authors: Fabiano Armellini; Paulo Carlos Kaminski; Catherine Beaudry

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Escola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Prof. Mello Moraes, 2231, São Paulo SP 05508-900, Brazil. ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Escola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Prof. Mello Moraes, 2231, São Paulo SP 05508-900, Brazil. ' Department of Mathematical and Industrial Engineering, École Polytechnique de Montréal, P.O. Box 6079, Downtown Office, Montréal (Québec), H3C 3A7, Canada

Abstract: A number of recent works point towards open innovation as a new imperative for innovation management. Within more traditional and conservative high-tech sectors such as aerospace, however, the literature on open innovation is fairly limited, even more so in the context of emerging economies. This exploratory paper aims to fill this gap by providing some perspectives from a study whose goal is to identify the implications of the innovation openness paradigm to the product development process in the Brazilian aerospace industry. Using information gathered from Brazilian and Canadian aerospace firms, this paper draws an analogy and raises the hypothesis that companies from emerging economies are more prone to open innovation, since they are often heavily dependent on foreign knowledge and expertise. The findings imply that Brazilian firms should bear in mind that innovation openness is an important aspect to consider when designing an innovation strategy.

Keywords: open innovation; aerospace industry; Brazil; new product development; NPD; innovation management; Canada; emerging economies; foreign expertise; innovation strategy.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTLID.2012.050738

International Journal of Technological Learning, Innovation and Development, 2012 Vol.5 No.4, pp.367 - 384

Published online: 16 Aug 2014 *

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