Title: Open network innovation in the age of complexity: case for small and medium enterprises

Authors: Paul Hong; Stephen K. Callaway; Soon W. Hong

Addresses: College of Business and Innovation, University of Toledo, 2801 West Bancroft St., Toledo, OH, 43606, USA ' College of Business and Innovation, University of Toledo, 2801 West Bancroft St., Toledo, OH, 43606, USA ' Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Youngdong University, 12-1 Sulkeri, Youngdong-eub, Youngdong-kun, Chungbuk, 370-701, South Korea

Abstract: Increasingly, organisations around the world are experiencing the complexity of customer and market requirements in a turbulent global business environment. Rapidly changing global economic landscapes with dynamic interactions between advanced and emerging economies have called for innovative capabilities and practices of manufacturing and service organisations for their sustainable competitive advantage. The aim of this article is to define the key dimensions of network innovation in terms of drivers of open network innovation, open network strategy, open network practices, and open network outcomes in the contests of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). A key research question is, "How do complexity product and services requirements in global markets influence the patterns and practices of open network innovation?" This article provides summaries of current best practices of network innovation and discusses emerging research issues.

Keywords: network innovation; complexity requirements; global markets; open innovation; innovation ecosystems; small and medium-sized enterprises; SMEs.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBIR.2016.073244

International Journal of Business Innovation and Research, 2016 Vol.10 No.1, pp.65 - 86

Published online: 30 Nov 2015 *

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