The impact of internal and external factors on Open Innovation Implementation: a multiple-case study on Italian firms

The issue and relevance of Open Innovation (OI) implementation have stimulated new research focused either on the employee-level or "human side" of OI or on the institutional context in which the firm operates. Our research contributes to this current debate, by putting a spotlight on the impact of both the internal and external factors on the adoption and implementation of OI activities. Based on a multiple case study on 12 Italian companies, we question whether the characteristics of human ware (e.g. leadership style, culture) and the type of business management tools used (e.g. as project management, KPI dashboards), as well as the intensity and type of ties with the external environment (e.g. institutional, competitive and territory surroundings) hamper or facilitate OI practices in Italy. Our findings reveal a positive correlation between OI and the internal factors: a sharing and proactive culture, the teamwork and the leadership style are of primary importance. The external factors impact is debatable instead: the weak and highly bureaucratic Italian ecosystem seems to inhibit the full potential of the OI ‘Made in Italy’; however, the structural weaknesses are sometimes overcome thanks to a very intense symbiotic relationship with the local industrial and cultural environment.