A method model for distinguishing and selecting open innovation methods

In this paper, we present a method model specifically for Open Innovation (OI) methods. In an iterative process, we took three steps to define suitable and usable method attributes: We started with a literature review in OI, refined the resulting attributes by applying them in an academic case study and finally ran two workshops with OI experts. The resulting method model is embedded in an industrial project with the aim to enable inexperienced designers in small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) to apply OI. Based on their OI-situation (represented by OI-situation attributes) the user selects suitable OI-actors (or stakeholders, represented by OI-actor attributes) and finally gets suggestions for OI-methods. These suggestions get automatically calculated from the dependencies between the OIsituation, OI-actors and the OI-methods. For this purpose, we developed the OI-method model with attributes fulfilling requirements regarding a clear distinction of methods in an understandable and usable way. As a further result, we illustrated a set of 11 OI-methods as OnePagers (all metainformation of the method on one sheet) based on the method model.