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clarity to the innovation work is distributed among the different network partners
as well as the way the “rights” (or rewards) from the innovation are shared by the
partners.
The success of network-centric innovation will be dependent on how well these
four principles are upheld, and this in turn implies the critical role of IT. Specifically,
IT becomes an integral part of the support infrastructure for such network-centric
innovation initiatives.
Over the past few years, a wide range of IT-based applications have emerged
that could be deployed to enhance the organizational readiness or preparedness for
participating in network-centric innovation. Some of these tools facilitate commu-
nication and knowledge sharing among network members while some other tools
enable coordination and management of collaborative innovation processes. Some
of the earlier chapters considered the role IT can play in instilling structured prod-
uct development processes and in brining a level of rigor and stability to innovation
activities. Such a role is particularly important in the network-centric innovation
context. Another critical role for IT is offer a wide range of communication sup-
port - ranging from facilities for a community of innovators to come together
and interact to highly secure forums for a defined set of partner firms to share
documents.
The more integrated these IT-based tools are with the underlying innova-
tion processes in the network and the capabilities of the network members, the
greater the potential returns from such tools. Thus, the key task for companies in
deploying these technologies is to establish an integrated innovation environment
that embraces the network members and brings coherence to their activities and
contributions.
Three broad research issues assume importance in this context. The first issue
relates to the need to develop a flexible IT architecture that can support different
models of network-centric innovation . Various models of network-centric innova-
tion exist - ranging from those that have centralized governance (dominant partners)
to those in which the partners share the governance responsibilities (Nambisan
& Sawhney, 2007). A critical question for future research then is how should
companies devise their IT infrastructure to support their participation in differ-
ent network-centric innovation contexts? Addressing this issue would potentially
require integrating theoretical concepts and insights related to network governance,
distributed innovation processes, and IT management.
The second issue relates to the use of IT in enhancing the innovation reach of
companies . As companies seek out innovative ideas from their customers (as well
as from independent inventors), IT plays a critical role in increasing their reach to all
corners of the world. Innovation intermediary companies such as InnoCentive have
demonstrated the power of Web-based platforms to increase the innovation reach to
the global inventor community. Future research may focus on identifying the critical
characteristics of such IT platforms and their impact on enhancing the innovation
reach to different parts of the inventor community. Another related research issue is
the nature of support the IT platform can offer for both structured and unstructured
knowledge interactions between companies and external inventors.
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