Managing collaborative ideation: the role of formal and informal appropriability mechanisms

• Published in: International entrepreneurship and management journal 2019-03, Vol.15 (1), p.97-118
• Main Author: Gama, Fábio
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: appropriability mechanisms; Business and Management; Collaboration; Collaboration phases; Collaborative ideation; Emerging Markets/Globalization; Entrepreneurship; Entrepreneurship and Innovation; Entreprenörskap och innovation; Innovations; Intellectual property; Management; Manufacturing; Open innovation
• ISSN: 1554-7191; 1555-1938; 1555-1938
• DOI: 10.1007/s11365-018-0544-1

Collaborative ideation is a key practice for innovation. Implementing suitable appropriability mechanisms during this collaborative ideation is a necessary yet difficult task. This difficulty owes to a high level of uncertainty and low level of codification because partners work on loosely defined concepts that may change during the collaboration. Firms can employ several appropriability mechanisms to protect their knowledge. Examples include patents, copyright, legal agreements, document management, lead time, secrecy and complexity. However, the best time to apply each mechanism remains unclear, and few empirical studies have explored this issue. This study is based on exploratory case studies of three manufacturing firms. The goal is to identify which appropriability mechanisms are pertinent at each phase of collaborative ideation and how they influence the effectiveness of protection. The results of the analysis lead to the development of a model describing the managerial practices that influence the effectiveness of protection. The results also lead to a set of research propositions to define when each appropriability mechanism is most likely to be used. Overall, this research contributes to the discussion of how to integrate formal and informal appropriability mechanisms for safe collaborative ideation.