In Search of New Organisational Forms – The Case for Open Innovation and Crowdsourcing

Organizational forms differ according to structure, processes and resourcing with the majority of such forms having existed for many years. However, engineering systems and technologies are becoming ever more complex and the question arises: Are there any new organizational forms emerging? Further, if there are any, what are their characteristics? This paper will attempt to answer these questions through examining the case for open innovation and crowdsourcing, which are currently two of the most high-profile technology and innovation business models being pursued. The paper will report on the findings from an exploratory investigation of open innovation in the pharmaceutical industry and crowdsourcing in the product design sector. Supporting literature has been reviewed as well as background data and information available on these two industry applications of open business models. The pros and cons for each of the industrial applications have been identified as well as examination of the underlying features. The findings from the initial research study are that both these industry applications of open innovation and crowdsourcing do potentially represent new organizational forms, which offer significant benefits but also carry certain risks and challenges.