The use of Open Innovation and innovation ecosystems by Worldtour cycling teams

Abstract

This master's thesis explores how open innovation can deliver increased value across the cycling world through technical enhancements, medical improvements and the use of software. Open innovation is a paradigm introduced by Henry Chesbrough in 2003. It is about using internal and external ideas to advance the development of new technologies. Most previous research on open innovation has focused on the business world. In the sports industry, however, this model still represents rather unknown territory. The cycling world is very dependent on the newest materials and technologies, so open innovation seems to be a relevant strategy for firms in the professional cycling world.

The literature review helps to identify the most important internal and external stakeholders, who are actively involved in the cycling world. Further, a qualitative approach was used in this master's thesis. Semi-structured interviews are conducted with main stakeholders of Lotto-Soudal to collect relevant data. Other participating companies include the National Lottery, Soudal, Ridley, Energylab, Lazer Sport, UCI and Flanders' Bike Valley.

The results show that external stakeholders play a crucial role in applying open innovation in the cycling world, because Worldtour teams rely on their R&D departments to increase the performance of individual cyclists. All parties that cooperate with a Worldtour team have to create value by using open innovation. They are part of an ecosystem, where interaction between stakeholders has positive outcomes.