The Benefits of Trusted Bridging Chains for Open Innovation

• Main Author: Lombards, Margarethe
• Other Authors: Barnard, Helena
• Language: en
• Published: University of Pretoria 2018
• Subjects: UCTD
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2263/66213; Lombards, M 2016, The Benefits of Trusted Bridging Chains for Open Innovation, PhD Thesis, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd <http://hdl.handle.net/2263/66213>

How organisations search for innovative ideas is central to open innovation (OI), but studies have shown that it is costly and ineffective for organisations to search too widely. This study proposes and tests a novel approach for OI search processes. It will focus on indirect interpersonal relationships to the organisation: specifically, a bridging chain of referrals which generates innovative solutions via a sequence of agents (two or more people) based on trust. Studies of innovation networks highlight the need to balance supporting relationships (which build mutual understanding) with bridging relationships (which enhance novelty). Trust and learning are integral to the former, while diversity (both knowledge-based and geographic) is central to the latter. Most studies have examined OI in the context of one-to-many relationships with the focal organisation. Little, if any, attention has been given to OI processes which source deeper network horizons for innovative solutions. In extant theory the concept of �depth� refers mainly to organisations that draw intensively on existing external sources. Moreover, although some studies have shown that indirect relationships can generate new information, they suggest that this occurs more by chance than design. By contrast, OI returns can be consciously derived from indirect interpersonal relationships to an organisation, facilitated by a bridging chain stretching across network horizons, by means of trust. The study is based on a quasi-experiment in which members of a starter group were asked to solve a complex technical problem by tapping their social networks to source individuals who would � in turn � tap their own respective networks in search of a solution. Thus, a chain of individuals was assembled. === Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2016. === Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) === PhD === Unrestricted