Collaboration between companies allows you to build a team for each project that can best meet your needs. This creates good conditions for learning and ensures future competitiveness. The profitability of projects will also improve.

Cooperation produces better innovations. In particular, technological cooperation increases the likelihood that a small firm will succeed in innovation. Still, some studies show that small firms have fewer innovation cooperation than large firms.

Earlier this year, we published a blog about how the principles of open innovation have benefited MeKiwi’s development and growth. As we have been asked a lot about this topic, we will publish a series of three blogs where we explain on a practical level how we implement innovation cooperation.

In the previous blog, we discussed the search for a business opportunity. In this section we describe the implementation phase of the project and in the next section we move on to the market entry phase.

The social network is an important vehicle for knowledge

One of the key principles of open innovation is to understand that not all the top people in the industry work in your own company, even if you are proud of your own team. We also want to work with talented people outside the company. It expands opportunities to pick up different projects and develop them. This situation has already been considered in the search for a business opportunity.

The Oulu Game Lab has been the main source of internal skills development for MeKiwi. In addition to growing the gaming workforce, Oulu Game Lab has been instrumental in creating many partnerships. This is where close relationships with game companies such as Kaamos Games and Happy Hobgoblin come from.

Another important source of knowledge is the social network of entrepreneurs and workers themselves. Through a social network, a connection was made with the game studio Reforged Studios, whose busy backlog just happened to fit MeKiwi’s need. This working relationship was also mediated through the network.

“I shared my concerns about resource adequacy with the right person. He happened to know that Reforged Studios has some free time between two of their projects. A small tip had a big impact when MeKiwi was able to complete its own team in a strategically important project,” says Jonna Ranta, Customer Success Manager at MeKiwi.

In a true cooperation, all parties learn

Some partnerships are based on contracts, but resources are also shared informally with close partners. MeKiwi was one of the companies studied in a Master’s thesis on the innovation process of start-up companies at the faculty of Economics of the University of Oulu. The surveyed start-ups reported that they shared resources such as documents, technology, graphics and equipment during the project implementation phase. Interviewees also reported cooperation in sharing knowledge and skills, either through discussion or by lending employees to another company’s project. Traditional subcontracting is also used. MeKiwi recognises most of these. Sharing resources improves the profitability of projects, but reducing costs is not the only reason.

“Using external resources enables us to bring together the best combination of expertise for each project,” explains Jonna Ranta. “This of course benefits our customer”.

With the help of external expertise, you can always reach a little higher by learning things that will be useful later on. “We always look for situations where everyone benefits from cooperation,” says Jonna Ranta. “This will secure the future of the business. And it’s nice to work in a good atmosphere!”

If you want to hear more about how winning teams are built, just give Jonna a call. Jonna is happy to talk about project management issues. Jonna’s phone is 050 307 6756. Let’s have a chat!

Background of the study

MeKiwi was one of the companies surveyed in a study conducted as part of the Innovation Alliance’s Accelerating Operations project, which also included a master’s thesis entitled “The Innovation Process of a Startup Company in a Regional Innovation Cluster”. The key finding of the study was that start-ups can benefit from the regional innovation ecosystem at all stages of their innovation process, both by using innovation support services and by establishing meaningful networking relationships. The study divided the innovation process into three stages according to the customer-driven Design Thinking innovation process model. In this series of three blogs, we describe how we implemented the principles of open innovation in line with these three stages.

Sources:

  • Brown, T. (2009). Change by design: How design thinking can transform organizations and inspires innovation. New York (N.Y.): HarperBusiness.
  • Chesbrough H. (2003) The era of open innovation. MIT Sloan Management Review; 44:35–41
  • Nieto, M. J. (2010). Technological Collaboration: Bridging the Innovation Gap between Small and Large Firms. Journal of Small Business Management, 48(1), 44–69.
  • Parida, V., Westerberg, M. ja Frishammar, J. (2012). Inbound Open Innovation Activities in High-Tech SMEs: The Impact on Innovation Performance. Journal of Small Business Management 2012 50(2), 283–309.
  • Sydänmaanlakka, P. (2009). Jatkuva uudistuminen: Luovuuden ja innovatiivisuuden johtaminen.Hämeenlinna. Talentum Media Oy. 293 s.