A lifecycle perspective on open innovation and ecosystems

Purpose Innovation ecosystems have received attention in both theory and practice. While their connection with open innovation (OI) is well-established, little is known about how this relationship develops over time. Adopting a lifecycle perspective, the purpose of this paper is to offer a processual understanding of how OI mechanisms contribute to value creation and capture across distinct evolving stages of innovation ecosystems. Design/methodology/approach This theoretical essay is grounded in conceptual approaches of OI and innovation ecosystems, proposing dynamic relationships between them from an evolutionary lens. Findings A theoretical framework is proposed to illustrate the evolving role of OI throughout an ecosystem’s lifecycle. Grounded in processual ontology, this essay presents a twofold theoretical contribution. First, this study explains how OI enacts value creation and capture throughout the lifecycle stages of an ecosystem. Second, the mechanisms of an innovation ecosystem are unraveled, demonstrating that, at each stage, outbound and coupled OI practices (e.g. knowledge and technology flows) evolve in parallel with the relationships among actors, thereby facilitating value creation and capture processes. Originality/value This study offers a novel contribution by revealing the dynamic change and evolution of OI mechanisms through the lifecycle stages of ecosystems. The framework advances process theorizing and provides a practical tool to support quadruple helix actors in ecosystem orchestration. Overall, this essay opens new avenues for research on the temporal dynamics of OI in ecosystems.