Organization Design for Distributed Innovation

Carliss Y. Baldwin

Working Paper | HBS Working Paper Series | 2012

Organization Design for Distributed Innovation

Abstract

Systems of distributed innovation—so-called business ecosystems—have become increasingly prevalent in many industries. These entities generally encompass numerous corporations, individuals, and communities that might be individually autonomous but related through their connection with an underlying, evolving technical system. In the future, I believe the key problem for organization design will be the management of distributed innovation in such dynamic systems. Organization designers must think about how to distribute property rights, people, and activities across numerous self-governing enterprises in ways that are advantageous for the group as well as for the designer's own firm or community.

Keywords: Organizational Design; Innovation and Management; Social and Collaborative Networks; Intellectual Property; Rights; Governance Controls;

Language: English

Format: Print

13 pages

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Citation:

Baldwin, Carliss Y. "Organization Design for Distributed Innovation." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 12-100, May 2012.

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Organization Design for Distributed Innovation

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