Enhancing Absorptive Capacity in Open Innovation Communities
Ivo Blohm, Vincent Kahl, Jan Marco Leimeister, Helmut Krcmar · Alexandria (UniSG) (University of St.Gallen) · 2014
Abstract: The popularity of open innovation has driven the rise of innovation communities on the Internet, in which customers can submit, collaborate on, and rate new product ideas. In successful communities several thousand ideas are gained quickly. However, as the community operators’ absorptive capacity is limited, only few of these ideas can be processed during new product development. In an explorative, qualitative case study, we research the innovation process of the profit-oriented open-source software developer AlphaCorp that integrates the AlphaCorp Brainstorm community, which, with 25,000 users, 19,000 ideas, and 2.5 million idea evaluations, is one of the most frequently used innovation communities on the Internet. Based on this analysis, we deduce four approaches for enhancing the absorptive capacity in regard to innovation communities: “Motivation Support,” “Idea Filter Mechanisms,” “Knowledge Integration,” and “Self-Organization.” This integration of open innovation and absorptive capacity contributes to a deeper understanding of both research streams. Open innovation can be embedded into a broader theoretical context, and a deeper understanding of real absorption processes can be developed. Implications for practice and for future research are presented in regard to idea filter mechanisms, design, and management of open innovation communities.