Open Innovation: Implications for the Effectiveness of Nigerian Tertiary Institutions

Abstract

The value and relevance of tertiary institutions, draws on their capacity for effectiveness in terms of research, human resource development and solutions to existing societal challenges. The noted decline in these areas raises concerns about the practicability and applicability of the ideologies, models and theories advanced by these institutions, given the changes that currently mark the social and economic features of societies. This paper, in response to this concern, addressed the relationship between open innovation and the effectiveness of tertiary institutions. Drawing on the systems theory, a perspective was advanced in line with the need for tertiary institutions – especially those in Africa, to increase their partnerships, alliances and collaborations with other institutions, parties and stakeholders as a basis for enriching their experiences, learning and enhancing their connectedness and integration within their context. It is the position of this paper that availing opportunities of partnerships and alliances with other institutions and business organizations, can be utilized in bridging extant disparities and gaps between the features of tertiary institutions and their contexts – enhancing their access to resources, funding, new ideas, information, technology and even human capital, necessary for their effectiveness and functional relevance within their various societies and contexts.