Purpose

This study aims at exploring how small and medium enterprises (SMEs) can implement a more open and co-creational business model by actively collaborating with startups.

Design/methodology/approach

Because of the novelty of the SME–startup collaboration phenomenon and to the depth of the investigation required to grasp the mechanisms and logic of an open and co-creational business model, a single-case study has been performed related to investigating a collaboration between an SME and a startup.

Findings

The authors provide detailed empirical evidence on how SMEs may structure a “systematic” approach to design and execute an open business model enabled by startup collaboration. Moreover, this study suggests that the business model innovation process represents a necessary forerunner of an open business model. Finally, the authors contend that research on open business models should entail a broader perspective beyond the innovation process, to include business model validation through testing approaches like the lean startup.

Originality/value

This study takes as the locus of investigation the original perspective of the external partner of a focal firm willing to innovate. This study offers a unique contribution because, to date, few studies adopted such view within a relevant and under-remarked empirical setting linking SMEs and innovative startups.

中文翻译：

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开放创业合作：中小企业的开放商业模式和价值共创

目的

本研究旨在探索中小型企业 (SME) 如何通过与初创企业积极合作，实施更加开放和共同创造的商业模式。

设计/方法/方法

由于中小企业与初创企业合作现象的新颖性以及掌握开放和共同创造商业模式的机制和逻辑所需的调查深度，已经进行了一项与调查企业之间的合作相关的单一案例研究。中小企业和创业公司。

发现

作者提供了详细的经验证据，说明中小企业如何构建“系统”方法来设计和执行由初创企业合作支持的开放式商业模式。此外，这项研究表明，商业模式创新过程代表了开放商业模式的必要先行者。最后，作者认为，对开放商业模式的研究应该需要超越创新过程的更广阔视野，包括通过精益创业等测试方法验证商业模式。

原创性/价值

本研究以一家愿意创新的焦点公司的外部合作伙伴的原始视角为调查点。这项研究提供了独特的贡献，因为迄今为止，很少有研究在将中小企业和创新创业公司联系起来的相关且被低估的实证环境中采用这种观点。