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Open Innovation in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: Executive and Employee Perception of Processes and Receptiveness

Davidson, Bethany A
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9161-4312
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1540891008375446

Abstract Details

2018, Ph.D., Antioch University, Leadership and Change.
This study explored open innovation activities in small and medium-sized enterprises. Most open innovation research to date has focused on large organizations; however, how large organizations engage in open innovation is very different from that of small and medium-size enterprises. The embedded design, mixed methods study utilized a survey delivered to owners or other organizational executives and employees of small and medium-size enterprises to solicit information regarding whether small and medium-size enterprises are actively engaging in inbound open innovation activities, their motivation for engaging in open innovation, and the sources they are utilizing to obtain new ideas for products and services. The survey also solicited the perception of executives and employees as to organizational processes for open innovation and their organization’s receptiveness to open innovation and employee ideas and compared the responses. Qualitative questions elicited employees’ experiences with regards to idea sharing within their organization. The majority of the 320 participants, almost evenly split between executives and employees, were recruited using Amazon’s® Mechanical Turk® platform. Results were analyzed using independent-samples t-tests and Chi-Square analysis. The study found that 91.2% of small and medium-size enterprises engaged in some level of open innovation activity. Executives from small and medium-size enterprises engaging in open innovation reported that 97.6% had open innovation formally or informally as part of their organization’s business model and that they utilized employees as an important source of ideas. The results of this study exploring the presence of processes to facilitate open innovation and receptiveness to employee ideas in small and medium-size enterprises, found a clear disconnect between executive and employee perception of what organizations are communicating and doing with executives perceiving a greater level of support for open innovation than employees. This study provides some insight into how small and medium-size enterprises and leaders can add value to the organization by improving their organization’s engagement in open innovation and encouraging one of their most important sources of ideas for new and improved products, services, and processes—employees. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA: Antioch University Repository and Archive, http://aura.antioch.edu/, and OhioLINK ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu/.
Lize Booysen, DBL (Committee Chair)
Carol Baron, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Joseph P. Lakatos, LL.M. (Committee Member)
197 p.
Entrepreneurship; Management; Organization Theory; Organizational Behavior
SME; perception; leadership; executive; receptiveness; open innovation; small and medium sized enterprises; mixed-methods; employee innovation; idea sharing; new product development; business model;

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Davidson, B. A. (2018). Open Innovation in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: Executive and Employee Perception of Processes and Receptiveness [Doctoral dissertation, Antioch University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1540891008375446

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Davidson, Bethany. Open Innovation in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: Executive and Employee Perception of Processes and Receptiveness. 2018. Antioch University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1540891008375446.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Davidson, Bethany. "Open Innovation in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: Executive and Employee Perception of Processes and Receptiveness." Doctoral dissertation, Antioch University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1540891008375446

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

antioch1540891008375446
393
© 2018, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Antioch University and OhioLINK.