Open innovation and sustainable value in cultural productions

In the field of innovation studies, open innovation (Chesbrough, 2008) identifies a participative model based on the involvement of lead users in the creative process. This approach is recalled by the experience of “Produzioni dal basso,” an independent web platform used to financially support artistic and cultural projects through micro-shares subscribed by a community of users. The model involves users in a participative context of production (Green 2007) and has been extensively applied to cultural products supporting the change from a mass market to a complex set of niches and different interests (Dal Pozzolo 2008; Anderson 2007). This paper is part of a research aiming to investigate the world of open innovation in cultural contexts. We propose a qualitative analysis (Cardano 2003) of three case studies : Malastrada.Film in film production, E.S.P. Esperimenti Scenici Permanenti in theatre, and Controprogetto in design. These represent different experiences of cultural production and, because of their diversity, they also identify different applications of the open approach. As a result, the concept of sustainable value emerges. This concept is defined under three main perspectives: the economic sustainability descending from the autonomous search for private funds; the context sustainability descending from the creative participation of co-authors; the process sustainability, emphasising the control of the artist/producer over the creative process. Each dimension contributes to define the open approach as an innovative model for sustainable cultural projects.