# Opening up the Agile Innovation Process

Kieran Conboy, Brian Donnellan, Lorraine Morgan, Xiaofeng Wang

► To cite this version:

Kieran Conboy, Brian Donnellan, Lorraine Morgan, Xiaofeng Wang. Opening up the Agile Inno- vation Process. IFIP WG 8.2/8.6 InternationalWorking Conference on Human Benefit through the Diffusion of Information Systems Design Science Research, Mar 2010, Perth, Australia. pp.348-349, 10.1007/978-3-642-12113-5_23 . hal-01060412

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Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
23

OPENING UP THE AGILE
INNOVATION PROCESS

Kieran Conboy

National University of Ireland
Galway, Ireland

Brian Donnellan

National University of Ireland
Maynooth, Ireland

Lorraine Morgan

University of Limerick
Limerick, Ireland

Xiaofeng Wang

The Irish Software Engineering Research Center
Dublin, Ireland

The objective of this panel is to discuss how firms can operate both an open and agile innovation process. In an era of unprecedented changes, companies need to be open and agile in order to adapt rapidly and maximize their innovation processes. Proponents of agile methods claim that one of the main distinctions between agile methods and their traditional bureaucratic counterparts is their drive toward creativity and innovation. However, agile methods are rarely adopted in their textbook, “vanilla” format, and are usually adopted in part or are tailored or modified to suit the organization. While we are aware that this happens, there is still limited understanding of what is actually happening in practice. Using innovation adoption theory, this panel will discuss the issues and challenges surrounding the successful adoption of agile practices. In addition, this panel will report on the obstacles and benefits reported by over 20 industrial partners engaged in a pan-European research project into agile practices between 2006 and 2009.
The panel will also discuss the benefits and implications of a more open agile
innovation process. While teamwork and the role of the customer play an essential part
in the agile innovation process, which in turn leads to creativity and increased inno-
vativeness, it is useful to consider how the agile innovation process can benefit from
becoming more “open,” for instance, by networking with other stakeholders besides the
customer. For example, it has been found that companies must increasingly work with
each other to enhance their agility in adapting to market developments and developing
new products and services cheaper and faster. Thus, elements of the open innovation
paradigm will be considered in the panel. In this model, firms commercialize both
external and internal ideas and use both external and internal resources to generate and
maximize value. Innovation occurs across the boundaries of the firm and both value
creation and capture processes are spread across a value network, rather than being
controlled within the boundaries of a single firm. Networks are viewed as vehicles for
producing, synthesizing, and distributing ideas and increasingly the success of a firm is
linked to the depth of their ties to other stakeholders (Powell et al. 1998). This open
concept challenges the dominant view of closed innovation, where it was assumed that
it was the experts *within* the company that invented and designed innovative new
products to meet customer needs. However, unprecedented changes such as decreasing
product life cycles, industrial research, and the rising costs of development, in addition
to a lack of resources, have motivated a change toward a more open approach. As
Chesbrough (2006) suggests, ideal businesses now search outside their own companies
for the best ideas and knowledge, seeking input from other companies, including
competitors, as well as from customers, suppliers, and vendors.

However, a more open and networked approach to agile innovation will present
some major challenges for firms. For example, a shift in focus from ownership and
control to a more open approach will require firms to rethink their value creation and
value capture strategies. Thus, the panel will be beneficial in discussing some of the
consequences of embracing a more open agile approach. In addition, it will provide
knowledge and expertise in the area of agile adoption and open innovation, while
promoting the exchange of information, ideas, and experiences on common issues,
challenges, and benefits pertinent to agile and open innovation adoption in various work
environments.

References

Chesbrough, H. 2006. *Open Business Models: How to Thrive in the New Innovation Landscape*, Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

Powell, W. W., Koput, K. W., and Smith-Doerr, L. 1998. "Interorganizational Collaboration and the Locus of Innovation: Networks of Learning in Biotechnology," *Administrative Science Quarterly* (41:1), pp. 116-145.