ABSTRACT
This chapter considers where ideas for radical new products, services and business models originate. It examines the complexity of innovation sources utilised by entrepreneurial organisations and the networks of external stakeholders that need to be mobilised as a source of novel problems in addition to a reservoir of potential solutions. New external stakeholders were introduced, as upstream key suppliers were involved in the innovation process, together with the pre-existing downstream interactions with active customers. Insightful managers acknowledge that the barrier can be overcome by building strong networks and incorporating external stakeholders in the innovation process. Interacting with external stakeholders has been captured under the umbrella term 'open innovation', where an organisation opens the boundaries of its innovation process to others. External stakeholders clearly play a central role in the development of new products, services and even in creating and supporting new business models.
