Open innovation is a strategic phenomenon that has arisen in corporate life since the beginning of the 21st century. The management of this process involves a communicative dimension that both management and communication scholarship have overlooked over the last twenty years. At the same time, communication management in open innovation processes enacts the strategic nature of the discipline and practice. However, there is scant knowledge and evidence to be found in this discipline, despite the fact that the topic itself calls for deeper exploration of mainly a relational and communicative phenomena. We argue for the promotion of a comprehensive research agenda that entails delving into the theoretical and empirical challenges of the strategic communication discipline in open innovation. Likewise, this article responds to the call for greater interdisciplinary research. Findings include six research gaps, the examination of nine research lines, as it relates to discussion of specific methods/methodologies which would fill those gaps. Moreover, the proposed research pathways map out a starting-point for the future of this growing field of inquiry while also positioning strategic communication as a catalyst discipline and practice that will help to foster open innovation management and research.

The aim of this paper is to analyze the dual contribution of action research (AR) both for research as well as business practice, and how this methodology puts into practice a win-win collaboration between researchers and practitioners. In order to get this, we define three specific objectives: first, we develop an evaluation framework to assess the contribution of AR methodology for research and practitioners in the field of management. Second, we use this framework to evaluate the dual contribution of AR in the specific field of operations management (OM) through a systematic literature review, which allows to analyze a set of 62 papers. Third, we identify opportunities and challenges to enrich the dual contribution of AR studies in OM. Main findings show that the evaluation framework developed represents a tool that may be useful to assess the dual contribution of any study based on AR in the field of management. Besides, the analysis of AR in the field of OM highlights that most of the papers identified are focused on ¿theory building¿ (research) and ¿implementation¿ (practice) as there are studies that have used AR to develop contributions based on ¿theory testing¿ and ¿theory elaboration,¿ and also in terms of ¿diagnosis¿ and ¿proposals.¿ Finally, this study signals that, with the aim to assure research rigor and relevance of practitioners¿ contribution of AR studies, it is relevant to give one step ahead and to develop actions such as the use of AR as a metamethodology, to highlight those relevant findings in the whole AR cycle and to develop tools and mechanisms that strengthen its dual contribution, in terms of both research and practice.

Purpose This article proposes a theoretical framework that synthesizes the main factors explaining the strategic contribution of communication department to open innovation (OI) processes. Because there is little or no research literature on communication and OI, the purpose is to fill this gap. A literature review and empirical qualitative research were conducted to weigh the significance of the framework in practice. Design/methodology/approach An interdisciplinary literature review was necessary to identify the main factors that explain the communication contribution to OI. The analysis of three multinational case studies has helped to enrich the proposed framework. Six semi-structured interviews were conducted with in-company communication managers and innovation managers in order to capture their perceptions. Findings Communication emerges as a strategic function with the potential to be embedded in the whole OI process. The main conclusion is that it may play an increasingly central role in enhancing relationships with external partners. Moreover, it enacts its strategic role while facilitating the enhancement of the organization's overall communication capability - that is, trust, transparency and a coherently articulated narrative. Research limitations/implications This article has not been designed as a comprehensive overview of the topic, nor it is designed to be statistically representative or generalizable. The study was conducted with the intention of exploring the theoretical and practical contributions of communication department to OI, as well as to raise awareness among scholars and practitioners on this new but neglected topic for research. Its qualitative approach serves to assess the value of the framework proposed, and the key issues highlighted here require further research. Practical implications The theoretical framework proposed may enable innovation managers to identify the factors in which the communication function and its practitioners may play a role for facilitating OI processes. Likewise, communication practitioners may find it useful to foster their organizational role and capabilities within these processes. Originality/value This article underlines the significant contribution that the communication function may play in OI processes. Research on this topic has been neglected thus far, despite its significance for the competitiveness of companies and the economy as a whole.

This article discusses the study of the supply chain as an area from which companies can carry out social innovation activities. With this premise, it identifies the relevant factors that drive social innovation along the supply chain, including a corporate culture oriented toward social understanding, an integrated economic, social, and environmental strategy, and the regulation and cross-cutting nature of communication as an engine for these practices. Fi-nally, seven opportunities and six barriers to its implementation are discussed.

Este trabajo estudia la cultura organizacional (CO) como motor para impulsar la innovación social corporativa (ISC) en las empresas. Con una metodología basada en la revisión sistemática de la literatura, la principal contribución académica es el diseño de un marco teórico que permite dilucidar qué tipo de CO es la más adecuada para albergar la ISC, así como una propuesta original de factores clave para promover dicha cultura. Esta propuesta pretende también ser una guía para directivos y profesionales a fin de implantar culturas organizacionales proclives a la innovación social en sus empresas.

El Global Capability Framework for Public Relations and Communication Management (Fawkes et at., 2018) es la primera propuesta internacional que adopta el concepto de `capacidad¿ en la disciplina para describir el alcance y potencial futuro de una profesión cambiante y global. El resul tado, un marco global de 11 capacidades, producto de una investigación académica bienal (Delphi, encuestas, grupos focales y entrevistas) en la que participaron más de 1.400 expertos académicos y profesionales en nueve países de cinco continentes (Argentina, Australia, Canadá, España, Estados Unidos, Reino Unido, Singapur, Suecia y Sudáfrica). Dado que cada país cuenta con su propio marco de capacidades, en este artículo se presentan de forma inédita los marcos específicos de Argentina y España -únicos países de habla hispana en el proyecto- con sus listas de capacidades y análisis comparado. Como conclusión general, se revela una marcada orientación estratégica y social de la profesión, a la vez que se evidencian algunas diferencias significativas.

Although it was first developed in the field of psychology, action research is a methodology of growing importance in business and management contexts. In this research article, we focus on a significant aspect of action research: the variety of methodologies that can be used jointly in an action research study and its relationships. More specifically, the aim of this study is to underscore the definition of action research as a meta-methodology that encompasses different ways of carrying out empirical research. To this end, we perform a meta-analysis of articles discussing empirical research that used an action research methodology. The meta-analysis is based on a systematic review of articles published between 2000 and 2018. The main findings suggest that action research may be regarded as a multidisciplinary method and that it can be implemented jointly with other methodologies; not just qualitative methods but also quantitative research. Consequently, action research may now be defined as a meta-methodology or an umbrella process. In this way, action research is a tool whose implementation ought to be promoted in the business/management field as a way of enhancing relevant, rigorous empirical studies and serving as a framework reference in projects based on research and practice contribution as well as active collaboration between researchers and practitioners.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between the use of open innovation (OI) practices and firm performance, and the role of organizational mechanisms (OMs) (formalization and decentralization) as moderator variables. Design/methodology/approach - The authors build a theoretical framework to define a set of hypotheses that are then verified in an empirical study. These theoretical propositions are tested by using the data gathered from a survey addressed to 244 firms in Spanish low- and medium-technology industries. Findings - With regard to inbound practices, the practices oriented to cooperate with partners in a R&D context have a positive influence. The results show that outbound practices, either by direct generation of revenues from licensing payments or, more indirectly, through the indirect marketing and technical benefits that can stem from revealing have a positive effect on firm performance. Coupled practices, which are related to participation in clusters and innovation networks, have the highest impact on firm performance. In the industrial context examined, decentralization exerts a positive effect which enhances the effect of outbound practices meanwhile formalization reduces their positive effect. Practical implications - This study helps practitioners in low- and medium-technology firms to determine which OI practices are most beneficial to firm performance and how formalization and decentralization can influence the relationship between OI and firm performance. Originality/value - This study helps determine the influence of OI practices in terms of inbound, outbound and coupled types through an analysis of low- and medium-technology firms. The OI literature is enriched by the types herein of the role of OMs, which includes an analysis of how formalization and decentralization moderate the influence of OI practices on firm performance.

The concept of professional capabilities is new among scholars and practitioners in the strategic communication field where the competency concept has been the traditional scientific approach. The capability approach originated from human development theory developed by Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum and from professional studies, such as those of Stan Lester. However, it is a theoretical challenge to apply this concept to strategic communication. This article presents a Delphi study conducted in Spain within the framework of the international global research project Global Capability Framework for Public Relations and Communication Management. The researchers asked if there could be a global consensus on a core capability framework that reflects regional differences. Spain's first empirical research phase involved a Delphi study with a panel of experts composed of scholars, consultants and communication managers. The result is a core framework of 14 capabilities in which the strategic dimension is given greater importance than the operative or tactical nature of communication. In this regard, the experts prioritize a profession that demands strategic capabilities in order to influence the relationship between organizations and the social environment. The findings portray a multifaceted professional, with an emphasis on the management and consultant dimension.