“Open” disclosure of innovations, incentives and follow-on reuse: Theory on processes of cumulative innovation and a field experiment in computational biology
Summary. The paper examines how timing of knowledge disclosure—whether innovators share intermediate progress or only final results—affects subsequent innovation. Using theory and experiments in computational biology, the authors show that intermediate disclosure efficiently guides development toward existing solutions but reduces experimentation and technological diversity. Final disclosure encourages broader exploration. The findings reveal a fundamental tradeoff between steering innovation efficiently and enabling diverse technological search paths.
Cite this article
Boudreau, K., & Lakhani, K. R.. (2014). “Open” disclosure of innovations, incentives and follow-on reuse: Theory on processes of cumulative innovation and a field experiment in computational biology. Research Policy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2014.08.001
Boudreau, Kevin, and Karim R. Lakhani. ““Open” disclosure of innovations, incentives and follow-on reuse: Theory on processes of cumulative innovation and a field experiment in computational biology.” Research Policy, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2014.08.001.
Boudreau, Kevin, and Karim R. Lakhani. 2014. ““Open” disclosure of innovations, incentives and follow-on reuse: Theory on processes of cumulative innovation and a field experiment in computational biology.” Research Policy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2014.08.001.
@article{boudreau-2014-open-disclosure-innovations-incentives-follow,
title = {“Open” disclosure of innovations, incentives and follow-on reuse: Theory on processes of cumulative innovation and a field experiment in computational biology},
author = {Kevin Boudreau and Karim R. Lakhani},
journal = {Research Policy},
year = {2014},
doi = {10.1016/j.respol.2014.08.001},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2014.08.001}
}
TY - JOUR TI - “Open” disclosure of innovations, incentives and follow-on reuse: Theory on processes of cumulative innovation and a field experiment in computational biology AU - Kevin Boudreau AU - Karim R. Lakhani JO - Research Policy PY - 2014 DO - 10.1016/j.respol.2014.08.001 UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2014.08.001 ER -
Details
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.respol.2014.08.001
- Countries
- United Kingdom, United States
- Regions
- Europe, North America
- Categories
- innovation-theory, innovation-networks, general-innovation
- Added
- 2026-04-28