Thinking About Open Design

BusinessWeek (Harwood and Simoes-Brown) - "Open-source software is one thing, but would you fly in an open-source aircraft?" The irony of this question is that, in fact, commercial aircraft are often made by an extended community of companies large and small. Indeed, it was Boeing that came up with the idea of X-teams—one of the fundamental stepping stones to open innovation and open design.

Based on the work we have been doing at 100%Open, a U.K.-based open-innovation agency, we believe that those organizations that embrace and default to "open" will be in the best position to innovate better, cheaper, and faster. So what are the most important issues facing executives looking to implement or adopt open-design principles? Here are three of them:

1. Creating Intellectual Property "Airlocks"
2. Structuring Interdependent Business Models
3. Fostering Collaborative Cultures and Mindsets