Having an innovative culture means that many companies today are able to stand out and come up with revolutionary ideas. However, wouldn’t it be more interesting to join forces so that new possibilities can emerge? Did you know that open innovation was created with this aim?
The concept is still little known. However, it is already impacting our society in many different ways, with actions that transform reality and develop the collaborative spirit in a unique way.
So, if you want to know more about this possibility and all its advantages, don’t leave! Below, you will find everything you need to know about open innovation processes, understanding how they work and why companies have become interested in these perspectives.
Open innovation: what is it?
In short, thinking about innovation in an open way means understanding that, by bringing together several agents around the same issue, the chances of achieving the desired goal will be much greater. Therefore, open innovations involve companies, people, universities, public and research bodies with a single focus: making innovation happen.
If you consider that we are already at a very advanced level of technologies, ideas and inventions, you will understand that it makes perfect sense to join forces to evolve. After all, several brains think better than just one, and when they come together, the chances of achieving the expected goals are much greater.
However, not all organizations adhere to this innovation model. For business reasons, commercial interests and even resistance to thinking of new ways of innovating, many companies still focus on closed innovation. This happens when they have programs and a focus on innovation, but only within their “four walls”. In other words, without the collaboration of external agents.
However, open innovation has a number of advantages that increasingly show everyone involved in innovation why it is worthwhile.
What are the advantages of open innovation?
1 – Contribute to innovation within the company itself
One of the highlights of this type of model is the possibility of making progress within the company, even with a style that involves other agents. This happens because, by engaging several employees, from different areas and departments, you begin to disseminate an innovative culture.
It makes everyone feel responsible for being part of that project, increasing the chances of making small and large revolutions in different scenarios.
2 – Increase the flow of idea creation
As we have already mentioned, the advancement of technologies and ideas nowadays makes it increasingly difficult to think of ideas that are truly innovative. Therefore, the more people are thinking about a topic, the greater the chances of getting truly interesting proposals.
The famous “brainstorming” also happens in this area, making the sharing of possibilities and joint thinking result in truly disruptive points. After all, the more people focused on the same subject, the larger the knowledge base created.
3 – Democratize development and access to new
Once companies discover the potential of collaboration, they also realize that democratizing access to knowledge is a fair process that benefits the entire innovation, research and development sector.
Considering that today’s innovations depend on the knowledge base accumulated over centuries of humanity, making this information reach more qualified people is a great asset. Because, in the end, everyone will reap the benefits of the innovations.
4 – Optimize innovation development processes
Currently, the sectors of the economy are fragmented, and so are the areas of research, whether in public bodies or universities. Therefore, taking into account that innovation increasingly depends on a combination of factors, and not just on a specific area, thinking about innovation that happens openly also involves optimizing all processes.
Thus, companies that complement each other in the production chain can come together, making the chances of success simpler and deadlines shorter.
5 – Achieve a generalized reduction in costs and risks
Finally, this type of model also reduces costs and risks, two points that are extremely important for organizations.
When you have several agents involved, you can count on the expertise of professionals from different areas and have good project management, everything becomes simpler and more intuitive, driving innovation to happen.