Identifying and analyzing open innovation strategies and providing a relative model in small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises using fuzzy cognitive mapping (FCM) technique

Today, globalization, the growth of technological complexity and environmental changes have encouraged the organization to change their attitude from closed innovation to open innovation and prioritize open innovation as a developing approach to gain competitive advantage. This study identifies and analyzes open innovation strategies and provides a model for that in small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises. This research is practical in terms of purpose and descriptive survey in data collection and mixed in the method. First, effective factors were identified according to the literature review and confirmed by 15 experts in the field of innovation. Then, a matrix questionnaire was prepared and given to 83 experts of small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises in Yazd city in Iran. Data analysis was done using Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping (FCM) techniques, and the final model was depicted using social networks. The findings related to analyzing data obtained from the experts’ opinions indicate that the strategies of external relationships, internal relationships, support infrastructure systems, and technology absorption are more central than other ones because the effectiveness and susceptibility of these strategies are more than other factors. Thus, these strategies should be more emphasized.