Innovation @ ENEL: From Monopoly Power to Open Power

Henry W. Chesbrough

Enel is an innovative Italian energy utility that is undergoing rapid change. Technically the company has enthusiastically embraced renewable energy under its new CEO, Francesco Starace. The company is also shifting its business model away from the traditional "cost plus" regulatory model, towards a model built around a variety of value-add services. Open innovation is an important part of this transformation. There are internal barriers to overcome, and new organizational structures required, to manage this change.

Learning Objective

This case shows how open innovation can help to transform service-based companies, as well as product-based companies. It also shows this in a traditionally conservative industry, electric power generation and distribution.

Details

Pub Date: Jul 1, 2016

Discipline: Information Technology

Subjects: Energy, Information technology, Innovation, Monopolies, Organizational change, R&D, Sustainability, Technological change

Source: UC Berkeley - Haas School of Business

Product #: B5866-PDF-ENG

Teaching note: Available

Industry: Electric power distribution, Electric power generation, Solar power generation

Geography: Europe

Length: 14 page(s)