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Open innovation networks: a driver for knowledge mobilisation in schools?

Pietsch, Marcus; Brown, Chris; Aydin, Burak; Cramer, Colin

Open innovation networks: a driver for knowledge mobilisation in schools? Thumbnail


Authors

Marcus Pietsch

Chris Brown

Burak Aydin

Colin Cramer



Abstract

Purpose
In organisational and innovation research, the term “open innovation” refers to the inflow and outflow of knowledge to and from organisations: with open innovation theory suggesting active exchanges of knowledge with external actors leads to the development of exploitable new ideas. In the field of education, however, the exchange of knowledge with external parties represents a paradigm shift. In response, this article presents findings from research design to explore the nature and composition of school innovation networks, and the effects of such these networks on knowledge mobilisation.

Design/methodology/approach
The study draws on data from a representative random sample of 411 German school leaders. Respondents were asked to detail their engagement in open and closed innovation activity and their school's external collaborations during the last 12 months. A latent class distal outcome model was developed to examine whether different types of collaboration associate with different knowledge mobilisation processes.

Findings
The study findings suggest that schools in Germany mainly use internal knowledge for innovation, with external knowledge exchange taking place on a very limited basis. Knowledge mobilisation varies depending on the innovation network. The authors use the findings to indicate new insights for how schools can further innovate learning and teaching in future.

Originality/value
Although there is increasing discussion on Professional Learning Networks in schools, the discourse on knowledge mobilisation within educational networks is limited, making concept of open innovation so far completely absent from discourses on school improvement. This paper initiates the population of this new research space.

Citation

Pietsch, M., Brown, C., Aydin, B., & Cramer, C. (2023). Open innovation networks: a driver for knowledge mobilisation in schools?. Journal of Professional Capital and Community, 8(3), 202-218. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPCC-02-2023-0012

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jun 13, 2023
Online Publication Date Jul 27, 2023
Publication Date 2023-08
Deposit Date Feb 6, 2024
Publicly Available Date Feb 6, 2024
Journal Journal of Professional Capital and Community
Print ISSN 2056-9548
Publisher Emerald
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 8
Issue 3
Pages 202-218
DOI https://doi.org/10.1108/JPCC-02-2023-0012
Public URL https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2228076

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Licence
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Publisher Licence URL
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Copyright Statement
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode.





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