Standardization as open innovation: two cases from the mobile industry

摘要

Purpose - The purpose of the paper is to introduce standardization as a neutral arena for openrninnovation. The aim is to show that different policies towards open membership in standardizationrninitiatives lead to different open innovation processes.rnDesign/methodology/approach - Two cases are used to illustrate the differences in openrninnovation processes. The cases are the Android mobile operating system and the service platformrndeveloped by the Open Mobile Alliance. The core process types introduced by Gassmann and Enkelrnare used to show the different open innovation approaches.rnFindings - Both cases use open innovation to create standards. Open membership leads to a coupledrnprocess, while a more restricted membership gives separate inside-out and outside-in processes. Therncase lead by established firms in the industry has a process where radical innovations are introducedrnearly in the process, while the case lead by newcomers has a process where radical innovations arernintroduced late in the process. The two cases have different approaches towards commercialization ofrnthe products. Android relies on third-party developers, while the Open Mobile Alliance relies on theirrnown members.rnResearch limitations/implications - The cases are from the telecommunication sector and basedrnon standardization of large technical platforms. The findings might not be the same for other sectors.rnOriginality/value - The paper establishes open innovation as a neutral arena for open innovationrnoutside the domain of any single firm. It shows how the openness towards membership influences thernchoice of open innovation processes.