Open Innovation Matrix

The Open Innovation Matrix is a strategic tool used to categorize and evaluate different innovation approaches based on the degree of openness and the source of innovation. It helps businesses identify the best innovation strategies by examining internal and external sources of ideas and technologies.

At a very high level, the Open Innovation Matrix is used in the context of business, innovation, strategy.

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What is the Open Innovation Matrix?

A visual explanation is shown in the image above. The Open Innovation Matrix can be described as a matrix with the following quadrants:

  1. Closed Internal Innovation: Innovation driven by internal resources with no external collaboration, e.g., proprietary R&D projects.
  2. Open Internal Innovation: Internal innovation enhanced by external collaborations, e.g., partnerships with universities.
  3. Closed External Innovation: Acquiring external innovations while keeping the process closed, e.g., purchasing patents.
  4. Open External Innovation: Fully open approach to innovation, e.g., participating in open-source projects.

What is the purpose of the Open Innovation Matrix?

The Open Innovation Matrix is a valuable framework for businesses looking to optimize their innovation strategies. The matrix is divided into four quadrants based on two dimensions: the degree of openness (open vs. closed) and the source of innovation (internal vs. external). This allows companies to map out their innovation activities and identify areas for improvement.

In the top-left quadrant, 'Closed Internal Innovation,' companies rely on internal resources and keep their innovation processes closed to external influences. This approach is often used by organizations with strong R&D departments that prefer to maintain control over their intellectual property.

The top-right quadrant, 'Open Internal Innovation,' involves leveraging internal resources while also being open to external collaborations. This can include partnerships with universities, research institutions, or other companies to enhance internal innovation efforts.

The bottom-left quadrant, 'Closed External Innovation,' focuses on acquiring external innovations but keeping the process closed to further external input. This can involve purchasing patents, licensing technologies, or acquiring startups to integrate their innovations into the company.

Finally, the bottom-right quadrant, 'Open External Innovation,' represents a fully open approach where companies actively seek and integrate external innovations while also sharing their own innovations with the broader ecosystem. This can include open-source projects, innovation contests, and collaborative platforms.

By using the Open Innovation Matrix, businesses can better understand their current innovation strategies and identify opportunities to enhance their innovation processes through a balanced mix of internal and external, open and closed approaches.


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What templates are related to Open Innovation Matrix?

The following templates can also be categorized as business, innovation, strategy and are therefore related to Open Innovation Matrix: Product-Market Matrix, 4 Ps Marketing Mix Matrix, AI Capability-Value Proposition Alignment Matrix, AI Innovation-Value Alignment Matrix, AI Maturity Matrix, AI-Value Proposition Alignment Matrix, AI-Value Proposition Matrix, AIDA Marketing Matrix. You can browse them using the menu above.

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