Determinants of open innovation: an empirical study on organisational, market, and human drivers of open innovation adoption across Europe

Abstract

Existing literature on open innovation shows the evolving diffusion of open innovation in certain industries and contexts. Also various case studies and theoretical work suggest that the open innovation adoption decision could be triggered by internal and external factors. The current study provides empirical evidence for a set of open innovation drivers. We use data from 180 European firms to link the adoption of open innovation with organisational capabilities, characteristics of the market environment, and human capabilities. The results indicate that open innovation adoption is strongly dependent on the level of technology and the level of hostility in an industry. We also find that organisational variables like the strategic breadth and human capabilities have significant influence on the adoption of open innovation strategies.