Challenges of implementing innovation contests to facilitate radical innovation

Abstract

Innovation processes have become increasingly decentralised and distributed to meet the rapidly changing and knowledge intensive markets. Innovation contests are often pointed out as tools for generating radical innovation and to aid organisations in adopting to open innovation practices. These contests cut across established organisational structures and do therefore not automatically fit into the everyday corporate processes. This paper analyses through a case study some of the difficulties that innovation contests meet when being introduced to an established, large organisation. Certain challenges are pointed out for innovation contests to act as vehicles in building dynamic capabilities for the firm.