Abstract

This case study is about open innovation at Mozilla Corporation (Mozilla), the maker of the popular Web browser — Firefox. Open innovation was a core part of the Mozilla DNA. The organization’s philosophy was to make the Web open and participatory and create a portfolio of free, open source products and technologies. The case discusses in detail the open source innovation model at Mozilla and its advantages. The organization used open source software and invited developers and volunteers to be part of the innovation process and develop new products. The case describes how Mozilla successfully managed its various projects that had active contributions from the developer community, both in strategic decision making and project execution. The case also highlights the key challenges faced by Mozilla in managing open innovation. It concludes by discussing how Mozilla needs to come up with an appropriate strategy in order to gain competitive advantage and increase the market share of its flagship browser, Firefox. This case is aimed at MBA/MS level students as part of the Information Technology curriculum. It can also be used in Managing Networked Businesses and core Strategy curriculum.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Understand the open source innovation process at a software company.
• Analyze the pros and cons of open source innovation.
• Study Mozilla’s open source innovation model.
• Identify the kind of leadership required to manage open source projects.
• Explore ways in which Mozilla could overcome the new challenges in open source innovation.

Keywords

Open source innovation model, Managing open innovation, Open source innovation process, Open innovation value network, Managing Networked Businesses, Mission, Roles and Leadership, Decision-making, Rapid release development cycle, Global web browser market, Competition, Competitive advantage, Mozilla, Firefox, Chrome