From Closed to Open Innovation: The Evolving Nature of Teams and the Use of Information Technology - Information Technology and Product Development - page 145

7.5.4 Boeing
Boeing has taken innovation to a new level through mass collaboration in the devel-
opment and manufacture of aircrafts. Partners from around the world are engaged
in every aspect of development - including the sharing of knowledge, cost, and risk
(Gates, 2007; Nambisan & Sawhney, 2007; Tapscott & Williams, 2006). Working
off a single digital copy of the new 787 Dreamliner, high-level, real-time col-
laboration between globally distributed partners takes place through the support
of state-of-the-art technologies (Gates, 2007). While Boeing is not new to co-
development, previous partners were not part of development until the last stage of
design (Tapscott & Williams, 2006), at which point they produced from a common
blueprint and sent them to Seattle for assembly. With the 787 and more open inno-
vation, partners are involved in creating entire sections of the plane, from concept
and design to production and participate in assembly via online modeling (Cone,
2006; Nambisan & Sawhney, 2007).
7.6 Future Research Directions
For those firms considering open innovation models and for those firms who have
already adopted such a model, many questions continue to surface with respect to
assessing firm capabilities, relationships with external innovators, division of labor,
and associated risks and rewards. More importantly, issues related to supporting
open innovation practices through IT. Researchers might ponder some of the fol-
lowing questions as they investigate the dynamics and implementation of more open
forms of innovation.
7.6.1 Team Structure
Firms thinking of moving toward more open forms of innovation have many ques-
tions. Many of these questions remain unanswered and are often still unaddressed
in the literature. In order to make this paradigm shift more feasible, researchers and
practitioners need to better understand how a firm and its teams should organize
under the open innovation model. Putting the right structures, processes, and people
in place cannot occur until we better understand what these structures look like.
Researchers will need to do more than simply look at this new model of inno-
vation. While open innovation may be exciting, the “old” closed model will not
just disappear. Instead traditional forms of innovation will continue to be adapted
as closed innovators will learn from open models, and hybrid mixes of the models
will become popular. This research agenda represents a beginning point, and we
hope, sparks interest for those willing to learn more about the evolving nature of
organizational structures, teams, and technology.
First, we need to better understand how to describe the various models of inno-
vation, ranging from the closed, traditional organization, to the open organization
and possible hybrid models in-between. How does a firm access it capabilities and