A Social Approach to Open Innovation and Its Role in the System of Science and Technology

Innovation function depends not only on the performance of individuals and institutions, but also on their interaction with each other as a main factor in innovation system. These interactions and the role of users in innovation can be discussed in the form of open innovation and innovation communities that affect the science and technology system. Open innovation as a new paradigm for the management of innovative activities relies on various external institutional conditions rooted in specific socio-economic context. In this approach, users are considered as social groups involved in the creation of technology and share their ideas through social tools and online resources not only with each other but also with the corporations. By sharing these ideas, other users can accept them, express their opinions, improve them so that ultimately firms identify and commercialize these innovations. This paper attempts to examine this new approach and its role in the system of science and technology and consider some of the most important effects of it with an emphasis on social resources and innovation networks.