I've read Stefan's new book The Open Innovation Revolution and found it to be an easy read, written obviously by someone who is passionate about the topic. It is a great primer for companies, and especially mid-level managers new to the open innovation trend. Those who are looking for a deeper analysis of emerging tools (software, best practices) and approaches to overcoming some of the 'stickier' parts of OI (such as alliance mgt and intellectual property rights) may be left a bit longing. But with that said, Stefan has focused (and I think intentionally and rightly) on the leadership and organizational aspects of OI. He has done an excellent job of creating a handbook for the enlightened middle manager of an established company hoping to begin or expand their open innovation efforts. I especially like his focus (Chapter 6) on the Networked Innovation Culture and the need to build a culture and mentality of networking as a core element of OI. I also liked his treatment of identifying and Defeating the Corporate Antibodies (Chapter 8), though in this case, wished for some more and deeper actionable advice.
It's surprising to see so few books following after Henry Chesbrough's seminal Open Innovation a few years back... a lot has transpired in this area, with Open Innovation moving from a leading edge approach to a much more mainstream activity. It's also crossing from R&D into marketing and other functions, as well as taking on a variety of new forms... from collaborative networks, crowdsourcing, consortia and many related forms of open innovation. Stefan's book does an excellent job of addressing the opportunity available with open innovation and hopefully will find a broad business audience. It provides practical tools and shares experience from leaders in the market, and I hope it inspires more people to undertake open innovation initiatives. Much of his advice will help more of these initiatives succeed I'm sure.
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