Open innovation processes within clusters – the role of tertius iugens

Purpose – Little research focuses on the conditions under which companies open up to co-develop knowledge with external actors. Spatial proximity has been proved insufficient to generate successful open innovation processes: socio-economic proximity also seems required. This paper aims at better understanding how this new form of proximity can be organized and investigates the role of third parties or tertius iungens in this process. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is based on an exploratory case of successful open innovation between a software editor and a systems integrator located in the same cluster, relying on 50 face-to-face in-depth interviews, documentation and analysis of physical artifacts. Findings – It confirms that socio-economic and in particular coordination proximity favors open innovation processes. This proximity is facilitated by a third party acting as a sustained iungens to initiate contact between development partners and key customers, and to practically organize knowledge transfer. The paper suggests that to be effective this tertius iungens needs to occupy a central position in the local network and to exhibit the characteristics of an epistemic community. Research limitations/implications – Due to its exploratory design, the authors' research exhibits several limitations in terms of generalization. It does not fully appreciate the specific interaction between the various dimensions of proximity and in what respect spatial proximity positively influences or reinforces the development of socioeconomic proximity. Further research is needed to analyze the relationships between these various forms of proximity and understand whether spatial proximity is required in a context where new information technologies ease up relationship and coordination mechanisms. Another limitation is linked to the character of the open innovation project analyzed which focused on an innovation of exploitation. Practical implications – This paper suggests that territorial engineering should favor the emergence of organizations playing the role of tertius iungens in the local network. Such organizations need to have the technical expertise and image of benevolence and integrity to manage knowledge transfer. Originality/value – Little research analyzes the role of third parties or tertius iungens in the emergence and management of open innovation processes. The literature on clusters has mostly highlighted that inter-organizational cooperation emerges from spatial proximity and can be organized by public authorities whereas most of the open innovation literature on software describes cooperation patterns that do not require any third party.