Different practices to implement open innovation

Purpose - We discuss a classification of the open innovation practices based on the context in which they are to be implemented so as to support managerial decisions on the openness degree to adopt within an innovation project. Design/methodology/approach - To address the purpose of the paper, we first identify the variables by which to describe the open innovation practices. Such variables, defined as collaboration approach, are developed based on (Bellantuono et al., 2011). Then, based on a review of the literature, we characterize the context wherein a company decides which practices to adopt. Finally, we classify the practices based on the context and provide some examples to better describe the classification. Originality/value - The need to support innovation development by resorting to sources external to the organization (such as customers and suppliers) is not new. However, in the last years, companies and academia have paid much attention towards what have been defined as "open" innovation practices. Unfortunately, scholars discuss open innovation under very different perspectives, sometimes uncorrelated among each other, so creating conceptual ambiguity. The value of the paper is to enhance the comprehension of the concept of open innovation by providing a classification of the open innovation practices. Practical implications - The proposed classification helps companies involved in open innovation to identify practices appropriate to the specific context wherein the innovation is developed.