These pages are about the symposium presentation held during the Academy of Management 2008 meeting in Anaheim.

Participants

The session was organized by Marcel Bogers (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne).

Presenting their individual papers were Allan Afuah (University of Michigan), Lars Bo Jeppesen (Copenhagen Business School), Wim Vanhaverbeke (Hasselt University & Eindhoven University of Technology) and Joel West (San José State University).

These papers were discussed by Frank Piller (RWTH Aachen University) and Christopher Tucci (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne).

Schedule

Slides are being posted as they are made available by the speakers.

• Introduction: User Innovation and Firm Boundaries (Marcel Bogers) [slides]
• Presentations:
  • Contrasting Open, Cumulative and User Innovation (Joel West) [slides]
  • A User Innovation Life Cycle Model (Allan Afuah) [slides]
  • Reframing the Role of Lead Users in Radical Innovation Using an Open Innovation Perspective (Wim Vanhaverbeke) [slides]
  • Users as Complementors (Lars Bo Jeppesen and Kevin Boudreau)
• Discussant: Frank Piller [slides]
• Discussant: Chris Tucci
• Interactive Discussion

Abstract

Despite increasing evidence and recognition of users as innovators, our understanding of the role of users in the innovation process is incomplete. For example, it is of interest both to suppliers and users of technology to understand how they can create value and profit from user innovation. As users have unique needs and knowledge, there is a lot of scope for co-creating value, thereby challenging the current understanding of optimal firm boundaries. This symposium will consider a broad range of conceptual and empirical support for such linkages, as well as the implications for organization theory, innovation management and firm strategy.