From Open Source to Open Innovation practices: A case in the Greek context in light of the debt crisis

Article history: Received 10 February 2012 Received in revised form 26 October 2012 Accepted 27 October 2012 Available online 26 November 2012 “Open” practices have been at the forefront of research, business and political agendas for some time. Traditionally, research has focused on analysing critical factors for the deployment of Open Source (OS) Software and has highlighted the roles of “Collective Intelligence” and “participation in voluntary communities” in facilitating OS development. Nevertheless, there is little literature examining the role these Open Innovation (OI) practicesmay play in influencing the private-collective model of innovation and its application in economies-in-crisis to create public-good innovations. To address this gap, this paper uses the case of Greece. Data were gathered from interviews conducted with public policy makers and private sector top executives. The findings underline the importance of using OS as software to deal with cost reduction during debt crisis; butmore importantly reveal a shift fromOS to utilising the aforementioned OI practices to support the creation of public-good innovations through the private-collective model of innovation, and the difficulties faced in encouraging this initiative due to insufficient national innovation policy, and different philosophies, structures, and cultures followed by the organisations. The study calls for changes in the national policy supported by the private-collectivemodel to leverage innovation. © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.