There has been a dramatic shift towards more open, democratised, forms of innovation that are driven by networks of individual users. Users are now visibly active within all stages of the innovation process and across many types of industrial output, and their influence is spreading across many sectors. They are actively engaged with firms in the co-creation of products and services, and firms can no longer control the innovation agenda. This developing phenomenon has large implications for our understanding of the management of innovation.
Drawing on practice-based insights, together with theoretical approaches developed in Innovation Studies and Science and Technology Studies, this book brings together a collection of recent work that examines key aspects of this emerging new model of innovation, while highlighting exciting new ideas in this area. With content contributed by academics, practitioners and researchers, this book is a good reference source for academics and general public interested in the management and policy implications of user innovation.