Enhancing Exaptation Through Modularity on Online Open Design Platforms

Presenter Information

Yang Liu, University of Science and Technology of ChinaFollow
Hefu Liu, School of Management, University of Science and Technology of ChinaFollow
Zhao Cai, University of Nottingham Ningbo ChinaFollow
Weiquan Wang, City University of Hong KongFollow

Paper Number

2109

Paper Type

Completed

Description

Many firms are establishing online open design platforms (OODPs) to engage users in the process of product innovation. However, quite a lot of the derivative innovations are low in originality. Exaptation, referring to the serendipitous discovery of a new function from an existing trait, has been noted as a prominent but underestimated source of originality on OODPs. Drawing on modular systems theory, we posit that the modular structure of a design can significantly influence exaptation. We also posit that this relationship is contingent on the support of user toolkits. We empirically tested the model using a large data set of 52,802 digital designs from Thingiverse, the world’s largest online open design platform for 3D printing. Our analyses reveal nuanced relationships between modularity and exaptation under the support of user toolkits. We elaborate on how these findings contribute to open innovation literature and discuss what are the implications for practice.

Comments

15-Innov

Recommended Citation

Liu, Yang; Liu, Hefu; Cai, Zhao; and Wang, Weiquan, "Enhancing Exaptation Through Modularity on Online Open Design Platforms" (2021). ICIS 2021 Proceedings. 15.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2021/dig_innov/dig_innov/15