Grassroots Innovation: A Promising Innovation Paradigm for Pharmaceutical Companies - Innovation and Marketing in the Pharmaceutical Industry - page 118

Chapter 4
Grassroots Innovation: A Promising
Innovation Paradigm for Pharmaceutical
Companies
Ulrich A. K. Betz , Nuno Camacho , Michael Gerards , and Stefan Stremersch
Abstract Pharmaceutical fi rms face a period of unparalleled turmoil. Major
societal, technological, and regulatory challenges require fi rms to quickly respond
to a rapidly changing environment. In particular, the issue of how to improve R&D
productivity is considered the key challenge faced by the pharmaceutical industry
nowadays. The core thesis of this chapter is that grassroots innovation programs—
structured processes aimed at stimulating employees in all corners of the organiza-
tion to contribute to innovation efforts—may be an essential complement to
pharmaceutical fi rms' more traditional and top-down stage gate processes. However,
academic research to guide pharmaceutical fi rms in the implementation of grass-
roots innovation is scarce. This chapter discusses an in-depth case study of a grass-
roots innovation process ( Innospire ) at Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. The
process design and implementation was based on theoretical derivation, to facilitate
the transfer of knowledge to other fi rms and contexts. Hence, we also discuss our
U. A. K. Betz ( * )
Merck Serono, Merck KGaA, HPC: F131/401 Frankfurter Straße 250,
64293 Darmstadt , Germany
e-mail: [e-mail]
N. Camacho
Erasmus School of Economics, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Burgemeester
Oudlaan 50, Room H15-09, 3062 PA Rotterdam , The Netherlands
e-mail: [e-mail]
M. Gerards
Technology Offi ce Chemicals of Merck KGaA, HPC: C010/102
Frankfurter Straße 250, 64293 Darmstadt , Germany
e-mail: [e-mail]
S. Stremersch
Erasmus School of Economics, Erasmus University Rotterdam,
Burgemeester Oudlaan 50, Room H15-09 , 3062 PA Rotterdam , The Netherlands
IESE Business School, University of Navarra, Av. Pearson, 21, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
e-mail: [e-mail]