woic henry chesbrough open innovation
Henry Chesbrough Foto: WOIC
Open Innovation

Henry Chesbrough - Pioneer of Open Innovation

Henry Chesbrough's work transformed how organizations think about innovation. He introduced the term Open Innovation and argued that companies increase their innovation potential by leveraging external ideas, technologies and partnerships.

Explore his biography, core concepts, key publications and real-world applications below.

Biography

Henry William Chesbrough is an American organizational theorist, author and professor best known for developing the concept of Open Innovation. He has been affiliated with the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. Chesbrough's research and books have influenced both academic research and management practice worldwide.

Academic highlights: Introduced the term Open Innovation in 2003; author of foundational books and numerous articles on innovation management and business models.

Theory - What is Open Innovation?

Open Innovation is a framework that encourages organizations to use both internal and external ideas and paths to market. It disputes the "closed" model where R&D happens entirely within company walls.

Core concepts

  • Inbound Open Innovation - integrating external ideas, technologies or solutions into internal development.
  • Outbound Open Innovation - allowing unused internal ideas or IP to be used by others through licensing, spin-outs or partnerships.
  • Open Business Models - designing business models that capture value from open innovation activities.

Chesbrough emphasizes that open innovation is not just about more collaboration, but about new ways to create and capture value across organizational boundaries.

Publications

  • Open Innovation: The New Imperative for Creating and Profiting from Technology
    (2003) - The foundational book that introduced the term Open Innovation.
  • Open Business Models: How to Thrive in the New Innovation Landscape
    (2006) - Extends the idea to business model design and value capture.
  • Open Services Innovation
    (2011) - Focuses on services and how openness shapes their development.
  • Selection of publications:
    Oxford Handbook of Open Innovation (2024)
    The Adoption of Open Innovation in Large Firms (2018)
    Open Services Innovation: Rethinking Your Business to Grow and Compete in a New Era (2011)
    Open Business Models: How to Thrive in the New Innovation Landscape (2006)
    Open Innovation: The New Imperative for Creating and Profiting from Technology (2003)

Famous sayings

Most innovations fail. and companies that don't innovate die.

Not all smart people work for us; we need to draw on ideas and knowledge from outside.

How to cite

Example citation for the original book:

Chesbrough, H. (2003). Open Innovation: The New Imperative for Creating and Profiting from Technology. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

Applications & Case Studies

Open Innovation has been applied by many global companies to accelerate product development, enter new markets and tap external expertise. Notable examples inspired by Chesbrough's work include collaborations at large corporates such as Procter & Gamble, IBM, Philips and Siemens.

Practical approaches include open calls for ideas, corporate venture partnerships, licensing programs and academic-industry consortia.