Open Innovation’s “Multiunit Back-End Problem”

Le « problème d’arrière-plan des organisations multi-unités » en matière d’innovation ouverte

Thuy Seran () and Sea Matilda Bez ()
Additional contact information
Thuy Seran: MRM - Montpellier Research in Management - UPVM - Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 - UPVD - Université de Perpignan Via Domitia - Groupe Sup de Co Montpellier (GSCM) - Montpellier Business School - UM - Université de Montpellier
Sea Matilda Bez: Labex Entreprendre - UM - Université de Montpellier, MRM - Montpellier Research in Management - UPVM - Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 - UPVD - Université de Perpignan Via Domitia - Groupe Sup de Co Montpellier (GSCM) - Montpellier Business School - UM - Université de Montpellier

Post-Print from HAL

Abstract: This article examines the "multiunit back-end problem" of open innovation based on a case study of the Banque Populaire Caisse d'Epargne (BPCE) Group, a large French bank with two business units. The multiunit back-end problem occurs when internal business units who consider themselves rivals are asked to collaborate for the success of an open innovation initiative. BPCE failed several times to use external startups to accelerate its digital transformation due to rivalry between its internal business units. This article presents guidelines that firms with rival business units can use to align their front-end and back-end when working with startups to accelerate their digital transformation program.

Keywords: Multiunit back-end problem; Rivalry between units; Competitive advantage; Backend and front-end of open innovation; Digital innovation; Open innovation; Start-up program; Multiunit organization; Internal coopetition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cse and nep-sbm
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-03349709v2
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Published in California Management Review, 2021, 63 (2), pp.135-157. ⟨10.1177/0008125620968609⟩

Downloads: (external link)
https://hal.science/hal-03349709v2/document (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-03349709

DOI: 10.1177/0008125620968609

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Post-Print from HAL
Bibliographic data for series maintained by CCSD ().