Jaga: Managing Creativity and Open Innovation (A)

Wim Vanhaverbeke

In 2007, the owner and director of marketing and research and development at Jaga was preparing for a meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the future of the Belgian company's Uchronia project (an online community and playground for creativity and product development). Over the previous 15 years, Jaga had transformed from a production-based radiator company to a highly innovative organization with a focus on the premium market. The owner, who had succeeded his father as chief executive officer during the 1990s, had managed this transformation. As an anthropologist with a unique view of the world, he saw the economy, innovation, and management as integral parts of his vision. Jaga had developed three major innovation projects in recent years. The first two were inexpensive projects and focused on direct benefits for the company. The third, the Uchronia project, was a larger and a more expensive project initiated at the Burning Man festival in 2006 that gained worldwide media attention. However, the Uchronia online community that resulted from the project had not grown as expected, leaving its founder to have to make a decision about the project's future.

Learning Objective

This case is suitable for undergraduate or graduate-level courses that explore innovation management, strategic innovation, creativity, strategy, or open innovation. After completion of this case, students will be able to do the following: Examine open innovation practices from the perspective of small and medium-sized enterprises. Discuss issues such as commoditization, successfully fending off price wars, and, most importantly, the advantages and disadvantages of building a solid culture of creativity and innovation in a firm. Assess alternative strategies to create and maintain value in an industry that is mainly characterized by strong commoditization and price competition. Examine the challenges faced by a medium-sized, family-owned firm and highlight different strategic actions based on open innovation activities. Discuss philosophical and anthropological ideas using a logic and a language that is understandable and useful for management students.

Details

Pub Date: Aug 23, 2018

Discipline: Strategy

Subjects: Creativity, Design, Entrepreneurship, Open innovation

Source: Ivey Publishing

Product #: W18557-PDF-ENG

Teaching note: Available

Supplementary materials: jaga (B) (W18557-PDF-ENG)

Industry: Manufacturing

Geography: Belgium

Length: 14 page(s)

Jaga: Managing Creativity and Open Innovation (B)

Wim Vanhaverbeke