Open innovation in cultural heritage exploitation: focus on a thematic network value-creating

The paper aims to study the role of network into open innovation route, viewed as key strategic trend. The description of a “thematic network”, formed by a partnership involved in a cultural heritage exploitation project, identifies those integration competencies that need to be generated and/or expanded in the main activities (diagnosis, conservation, storage, fruition). Their knowledge and development can help to prescribe appropriate behaviours to each network’s actor. They often encourage their partners through information exchanges and the dissemination of best practices, since the boundaries between them are porous. Briefly, this study shows that network-based approach is evolving toward a new physiognomy that gives value to open innovation model. With regard to the empirical check, it studied a thematic network, so called MIP (Transitional Metals in Paper). It dealt with the exchange of knowledge in the fields of development of technologies and solutions assessment for preservation of the European paper-based cultural heritage that is affected with corrosion caused by transitional metals. The empirical evidence involved board of network’s participants through semi-structured interviews conducted with project’s participants, who possess detailed knowledge on the development of preservation method and the new competencies. So, activities, roles, resources and configuration selected are identified and reviewed. The interaction between autonomous subjects exalts the innovative capacity and the ability to use and to diffuse accumulated competence. It allows a jointed growth of the complementary resources necessary to a whole network value systems viewed as a temporary association of firms to develop, test, deliver solutions/applications. Thus, to develop innovative knowledge/competence, they must identify external sources of distinctive resources. In coherence to the above, “thematic network” may be effectively expressed with the metaphor of complex network, where the potential energy generated by different sources must be put in circle and addressed towards specific solutions/applications. The value produced by the “thematic networks” depends on the integration of the individual competencies rather than on the management of every single organization. In fact, each one of actors analysed to forge new alliances and to respond more efficiently to market changes, interacts with various third parties during the innovation process to create a circuit of knowledge and trust resource. Therefore, lessons learned by open innovation route is that approaching a problem from "outside of own black box" will yield creative platform/architecture as there is a large source of untapped competencies globally available.