Open Innovation: Can Modern ICT-Tools Facilitate Customer Integration Into the Fuzzy Front End of the Innovation Process?
Christoph Hubert Wecht, Peter Baloh · Alexandria (UniSG) (University of St.Gallen) · 2006
This paper addresses the integration of customers into the innovation front-end focusing specifically on the role of potential ICT-support. Applying a two-step approach the initial analysis describes the process steps of early customer integration. Based on these results a conceptual outlook is given pointing at possibilities to facilitate customer integration into the FFE through modern ICT-tools. Our study shows that there are several levels of ICT-support for early customer integration out of which the operational one has been looked at more closely. Some of the already existing approaches to support certain aspects of co-operative innovation activities with customers are described shortly: ICT-based marketing activities, user tool kits for innovation and wikis. Our findings fit the broader context of an open innovation paradigm that suggests that co-operative innovation processes are imperative for success. Further research areas should be aimed at developing specific tools for co-operative FFE activities together with customers.