Complementarities and Tensions Between Appropriability and Open Innovation

Abstract The concept of open innovation (OI) has been in operation since the early 2000s but tensions still exist between appropriability and open innovation. This chapter establishes the state of the art regarding knowledge of the intricate and complex interplay between appropriability and open innovation. To understand this important strategic relationship, the potential complementarities between open innovation and appropriability are explained. The chapter also examines some key tensions between open innovation and firms’ appropriation efforts, and illuminates what firms can do in their attempt to resolve these tensions. The chapter provides an overview of the prior literature and highlights a range of future research avenues to enrich organizational scholars’ understanding of this relationship.