• What we do
  • The People
  • About Us
  • Why Innovation Africa
  • Contact Us
Innovation AfricaCreating the Future Today
  • Feature Articles
  • Innovation
  • Agriculture
  • ICT
  • Technology
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Health
  • Store
  • Contact Us
Menu
  • Feature Articles
  • Innovation
  • Agriculture
  • ICT
  • Technology
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Health
  • Store
  • Contact Us
  • Open Innovation and Absorptive Capacity

    July 28, 2012 Editor 0

    I have argued in the past that Open Innovation offers opportunities for firms and institutions in Africa to become innovative. These opportunities manifest itself primarily in the access open innovation offers to knowledge, research and product/service development.

    In a climate of open innovation, firms have to tap into external sources of knowledge. Henrey Chesbrough (The Father of Open Innovation) defines open innovation as “ the use of purposive inflows and outflows of knowledge to accelerate internal innovation, and expand the markets for external  use of innovation, respectively”.

    However, to convert these opportunities to value, firms and institutions need to have a strong abosorptive capacity.   Absorptive capacity has been defined as “a firm’s ability to recognize the value of new information, assimilate it, and apply it to commercial ends”. A report by the OCED,( Innovation and the Development agenda) Edited by Erika Kraemer-Mbula and Watu Wamae, pointed out that the absorptive capacities of many companies and indeed institutions in Africa is weak. See our feature on this.

    Does this suggest that firms will not be able to take advantage if the opportunities presented through open innovation? This question is of course, in the realm of academic research.

    I have, however, put together some articles on the subject. I hope it will get managers thinking. Innovation Africa is launching a consulting service in October 2012.  Part of our service will be working with companies and organizations to enhance their innovation management.

    Francis Stevens George

    Connecting absorptive capacity and open innovation

    The Contingent Effect of Absorptive Capacity: An Open Innovat

    Absorptive capacity and innovative performance in an open inno

    http://ideas.repec.org/a/wsi/ijimxx/v14y2010i04p703-731.html

     

    Related Posts

    • Use of Social Media in Inbound Open Innovation: Building Capabilities for Absorptive CapacityUse of Social Media in Inbound Open Innovation: Building Capabilities for Absorptive Capacity
    • Linking knowledge corridors to customer value through knowledge processesLinking knowledge corridors to customer value through knowledge processes
    • Signaling, spillover and learning effects of knowledge flows on division performance within related diversified firmsSignaling, spillover and learning effects of knowledge flows on division performance within related diversified firms
    • Coping with rivals’ absorptive capacity in innovation activitiesCoping with rivals’ absorptive capacity in innovation activities
    • Too Much Of A Good Thing? Absorptive Capacity, Firm Performance, And The Moderating Role Of Entrepreneurial OrientationToo Much Of A Good Thing? Absorptive Capacity, Firm Performance, And The Moderating Role Of Entrepreneurial Orientation
    • IT-Based Knowledge Capability and Commercialization of InnovationsIT-Based Knowledge Capability and Commercialization of Innovations
    Sovrn
    Share

    Categories: Feature Articles, Management, Open Innovation

    Tags: absorptive capacity, firms and institutions in Africa, open innovation offers, opportunities

    Healthy and Sustainable Tourism Computers can predict effects of HIV policies

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    You must be logged in to post a comment.

Subscribe to our stories


 

Recent Posts

  • Entrepreneurial Alertness, Innovation Modes, And Business Models in Small- And Medium-Sized Enterprises December 30, 2021
  • The Strategic Role of Design in Driving Digital Innovation June 10, 2021
  • Correction to: Hybrid mosquitoes? Evidence from rural Tanzania on how local communities conceptualize and respond to modified mosquitoes as a tool for malaria control June 10, 2021
  • BRIEF FOCUS: Optimal spacing for groundnuts in smallholder farming systems June 9, 2021
  • COVID-19 pandemic: impacts on the achievements of Sustainable Development Goals in Africa June 9, 2021

Categories

Archives

Popular Post-All time

  • A review on biomass-based... 1k views
  • Can blockchain disrupt ge... 762 views
  • Apply Now: $500,000 for Y... 755 views
  • Prize-winning projects pr... 713 views
  • Test Your Value Propositi... 688 views

Recent Posts

  • Entrepreneurial Alertness, Innovation Modes, And Business Models in Small- And Medium-Sized Enterprises
  • The Strategic Role of Design in Driving Digital Innovation
  • Correction to: Hybrid mosquitoes? Evidence from rural Tanzania on how local communities conceptualize and respond to modified mosquitoes as a tool for malaria control
  • BRIEF FOCUS: Optimal spacing for groundnuts in smallholder farming systems
  • COVID-19 pandemic: impacts on the achievements of Sustainable Development Goals in Africa
  • Explicit knowledge networks and their relationship with productivity in SMEs
  • Intellectual property issues in artificial intelligence: specific reference to the service sector
  • Africa RISING publishes a livestock feed and forage production manual for Ethiopia
  • Transforming crop residues into a precious feed resource for small ruminants in northern Ghana
  • Photo report: West Africa project partners cap off 2020 with farmers field day events in Northern Ghana and Southern Mali

Tag Cloud

    africa African Agriculture Business Business model Business_Finance Company Crowdsourcing data Development East Africa economics Education Entrepreneur entrepreneurs Entrepreneurship ethiopia ghana Health_Medical_Pharma ict Information technology Innovation kenya knowledge Knowledge Management Leadership marketing mobile Mobile phone nigeria Open innovation Organization Research rwanda science Science and technology studies social enterprise social entrepreneurship south africa Strategic management strategy tanzania Technology Technology_Internet uganda

Categories

Archives

  • A review on biomass-based hydrogen production for renewable energy supply 1k views
  • Can blockchain disrupt gender inequality? 762 views
  • Apply Now: $500,000 for Your Big Data Innovations in Agriculture 755 views
  • Prize-winning projects promote healthier eating, smarter crop investments 713 views
  • Test Your Value Proposition: Supercharge Lean Startup and CustDev Principles 688 views

Copyright © 2005-2020 Innovation Africa Theme created by PWT. Powered by WordPress.org