民主化创新
2007-1
知识产权出版社
埃里克·冯·希普尔
198
陈劲,朱朝晖
无
《民主化创新：用户创新如何提升公司的创新效率》作者密切关注以用户为中心的创新系统，对这一现象进行了详尽的阐述，并阐释了背后深层次的社会和经济因素。
总序第一章 引言和概述第二章 领先用户的产品开发第三章 用户为什么需要定制产品第四章 用户的“创新-购买”决策第五章 用户的低成本创新利基第六章 为什么用户常常无偿公开创新第七章 创新社团第八章 为用户创新修订政策第九章 创新的民主化第十章 应用：寻找领先用户创新第十一章 应用：用户创新和定制设计的工具箱第十二章 用户创新与其他现象和领域的联系参考文献
在不断发展的计算机和通信技术的帮助下，用户越来越善于为自己开发新产品和新服务，并采取多种形式把这些成果向他人无偿公开。作者密切关注这种新兴的以用户为中心的创新系统，对这一现象进行了详尽的阐述，解释了背后深层次的社会和经济因素。作者通过信息产品和物质产品领域的实例，提出制造商需要正视这一挑战，重新设计自身的创新流程，把握其中的机遇，通过各种可能的方式如提供设计工具箱的形式，参与这一伟大的创新变革。作者还呼吁政府调整有关政策，以消除用户创新的障碍，发挥用户创新对社会福利的积极效应。作者认为，这种民主化的以用户为中心的创新系统是值得消费者。企业和政府为之共同奋斗的。
无
This book talks about the trend that emerging with the quick development of technology; with the more empowered individual consumer, or user as called by the author. It talks about the trend that the center of innovation, which is traditionally held in the hand of profit seeking manufacturers, shifts to the general public. It talks about the trend that sharing without repayment is taking the place of seeking for big bucks. It talks about the trend that most business are feeling both the attraction and threat from the shifting power of technology and user participation. It talks about how firms standing on the frontier of this trend are experimenting various of ways taking advantage of the emerging power.
The beginning interesting fact discovered in the research about innovation is that in many area, a lot of people are actually customizing their tools in the process of using for better performance or fitness. These customizations make those consumers no longer simple consumers. They become innovating users.
Another important find from the past research is that users are the most active in the innovation frontier is of similar characteristics. Those users are called "lead users". Several authors have proposed ways to characterize lead user, and try to separate them out from the general population.
The author following buy an analysis why innovating by lead users is a economically rational way of getting things done rather than order from the manufacturer. The key here lies in the incentive, while manufacturer can enjoy the scale of economy due to the large volume of sales it can get by introducing a new product, it suffers from the large fixed cost of setting up the production. However, when talking about the individual innovator, they benefit from updating the current available product with which ever possible and the perfect knowledge about their needs. So, there lies the two economic reason, transaction cost, and information asymmetry.
The user goes far beyond self-satisfying innovating behavior, they share and they join together to discuss and progress. Sometimes, such sharing behavior develop to the formation of innovation community. And, when the development in information technology making all the real time sharing and discussing and social network real, the power of individual is set to change the way innovations are done. However, here lie a question that the author fails to answer, the incentives fo individual sharing for 'nothing'.
To harness this emerging trend and power. A set of infrastructure is needed to faciliting innovators in doing better job more freely. First, the author reexamined the implication of intellectural property laws which was intended for protection of innovation incentives. Researchers now understand that significant private rewards to innovation can exist independent of intellectual property rights grants. Second, user customization tools are also important. Beyond the examples given by the author, there are several new trend, the Google APIs and various other APIs, and the SDK system like Apple SDK. It seems that manufacturers, especially manufacturers of information products are finally getting some clues on how to exploit the user generated market.
The final parts of the book is devoted to some examples and potential research areas. Overall, this book opens the window to a serious treatment for the issue of user innovation. I still remember the cover story for TIME's person of the year for 2006 "You". And as times goes, the power of us is increasing. And it is never late to join in this power to help in build a world that is ours.