How Do Entrepreneurial Leaders Promote Open Innovation Adoption in Small Firms?

Abstract

This chapter aims to shed light on the role of the top executives in open innovation in small firms, providing a microfoundation framework for open innovation adoption, which future research will be able to empirically test. Recognizing that open innovation adoption implies an organizational routine change, we suggest that individuals' characteristics, such as risk-taking propensity and endurance as well as their knowledge and network, play important roles in moderating open innovation adoption. We argue that the personal characteristics of top executives, such as innovativeness, and the views managers hold about openness can contribute to the development of an open innovation-friendly atmosphere, which, in turn, increases the momentum of organizational change. Also, top executives' education and career experience can help firms to develop the necessary capabilities and personal relationships for expanding the company's boundary. We validate this interpretation through explorative content analysis on data from 30 small firms.

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