Imperatives for open innovation in times of COVID-19

Abstract

Purpose COVID-19 pandemic has triggered an existential crisis amongst the companies, communities, organisations and institutions across the globe. People are facing unusual scenarios characterized by prolonged lockdowns, changes in the work from home compulsions, job losses, disruptions in the supply-chain networks, the slowdown in economies, scarcity of essential commodities and unavailability of medical services due to burgeoning numbers of positive cases with COVID-19. Death rates due to COVID-19 are alarmingly high, which complicate matters all the more. The purpose of this paper is to explore how open innovation can enable the suffering communities overcome the crisis of such magnitude. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on general understanding and academic insight emerging out of the millennial crisis like COVID-19 that the author witnessed with close quarters. Findings The people’s suffering due to COVID-19 pandemic is terrific, almost unparalleled in the history of civilisation. However, the pandemic has also galvanised the people all over the world to come together and work towards collaborative problem solving and open innovation. As such, COVID-19 has presented an unprecedented situation which warrants extra-ordinary responses. The crisis has inadvertently made room for open innovation so that human miseries can be successfully mitigated by leveraging collective wisdom and traditional knowledge of the communities who are more than willing today to collaborate and make a difference in the solutions space in true sense. Originality/value This paper provides fresh insights on the rationale and efficacy of open innovations in overcoming the crisis like a pandemic. Companies across the globe have also come forward to work together with anyone, including their competitors, to explore immediate and practical solutions to the problems caused by COVID-19. The paper also provides a framework of developing as well as strengthening an ecosystem for open innovations in the world inflicted by unique civilizational crisis. The only way to get out of the current mess is to join hands for collaborations and collectively find innovative solutions to the issues plaguing humanity today.

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