Open Innovation with Customers – Foundations, Competences and International Trends
by Frank Piller & Christoph Ihl
Every year in December, TIME Magazine announces their person of the year, recognizing the person who matters most now. In previous years, this has been George W. Bush, John F. Kennedy, or Mohandas Gandhi, but also Charles Lindbergh or Bill Gates. In 2006, this person was YOU. You, the creative consumer. You, broadcasting your own media on YouTube. You, the engaged tinkerer hacking your Tivo-Box to overcome its limits. You, configuring your sneakers to your preferred running style. You, the co-designer of your personal product. And TIME Magazine was not alone. With the advent of open innovation and social commerce applications all over the internet, we today experience an exploding interest of companies and consumers alike for products and services co-created between firms and customers.
