Harvesting External Innovation

By Donal O'Connell

A fundamental change in the way organisations approach innovation is taking place. It involves cooperating and collaborating with external parties in the area of innovation and in the research and development of products and services and is driven by the simple realisation that not all the smart people work for just one organisation - it is necessary to work with smart people outside the company.

Few intellectual property books concentrate on external innovation and more particularly on dealing with external inventors and handling their inventions. "Harvesting External Innovation" is different. It begins by examining the broad subject of innovation, stressing the need to understand its forms and phases, ways and means to encourage innovation. It then addresses the growing phenomenon of external innovation, where companies are cooperating and collaborating with a variety of external parties, driven by a passion for innovation.

Intellectual property, especially patents, plays a fundamental role promoting and protecting innovation, regardless of whether that innovation comes from internal employees or persons external to the company. Donal O'Connel specifically examines this responsibility.

A number of different approaches to engaging with the external innovator community are then considered, together with real life case studies. "Harvesting External Innovation" discusses in depth how best to handle intellectual property matters, how to actually work with these external inventors and how to handle their inventions, including a suggested process and check list.

The critical importance of innovation to business, the role that intellectual property and patents play in promoting and protecting such innovation, and the growing phenomenon of external innovation, means this book is a must read.
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