Designing an Open Innovation Orchestrator: The Case of Australia’s Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Hub (ARM) Hub

The impetus for this paper was a unique opportunity: the practical, real-world application of open innovation (OI) paradigms in the creation of a model for a new orchestrator organisation. The Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Hub will be a not-for-profit company based in Queensland, Australia, with a mission to accelerate innovation-led economic growth in Australian manufacturing. It will function as a network orchestrator for the manufacturing sector. While scholarly attention to OI continues to grow, in light of the model’s ability to generate real-world value using open rather than closed innovation approaches, we are unaware of any case studies examining the application of OI principles to the creation of a new orchestrator: a company that occupies a central, catalytic role in an innovation ecosystem. Addressing this gap, this paper identifies the key OI considerations in the establishment of the ARM Hub. The authors examine a range of sources, synthesising the extant literature on OI and orchestrators, and drawing upon empirical knowledge gathered in a practical, design-led workshop with the Hub’s academic stakeholders. The result is a set of guiding principles for the ARM Hub as it prepares to launch in early 2020. This study will be of interest to scholars of OI as well as innovation managers, policy makers and investors; and to businesses seeking to navigate contemporary open innovation practices through a design thinking approach.