ABSTRACT

The preceding chapter provided numerous indications that the current user-innovation literature is incomplete. A suitable explanation for the difference between the amount of user-innovation in different industries was previously missing. We therefore attempted to fi ll this vacuum by suggesting that barriers exist that can burden user-innovation. These barriers will obviously differ in different areas. Until now the vast majority of user-innovation studies have merely scrutinized a particular industry at one moment in time and found users to be an important source of innovation. In this respect user-innovation was frequently impliedly treated as if it were a static construct. The few studies which explored how user-innovation changes over time-Hienerth 2006, Riggs and von Hippel 1993, Knight 1963-have however demonstrated the dynamic nature of this process. Our own study provides further support for this assertion. While the idea and fi rst prototype to CDENT originated at least partially from a user, subsequent developments were largely made by the manufacturer. In this part we will build on the previous one by providing some additional foundations for this allegation that the degree of user-innovation will change over time as the barriers to user-innovation and other relevant factors evolve. We will commence with a general discussion of the dynamic nature of userinnovation. An in-depth study of the evolvement of the seed industry with consideration of the barriers to user-innovation will follow. Finally, a summary of relevant infl uencing factors will be made.