Democratizing Innovation by Eric Von Hippel

Innovation is rapidly becoming democratised. Users, aided by improvements in computer and communications technology, increasingly can develop their own new products and services. These innovating users — both individuals and firms — often freely share their innovations with others, creating user-innovation communities and a rich intellectual commons.

In Democratizing Innovation, Eric Von Hippel, Professor and Head of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Group at the MIT Sloan School of Management, looks closely at this emerging system of user-centred innovation. He explains why and when users find it profitable to develop new products and services for themselves, and why it often pays users to reveal their innovations freely for the use of all.

Download the book for free (Creative Commons License)

Related: Von Hippel interviewed in The Feature on his new book