CMR Special Issue:

The 21st century has brought a shift from proprietary control to open innovation and other firm strategies for openness, including open business models, open strategy, and open source software.

In this special issue, we seek further evidence on this larger question: What impact has openness had on the shape of firms and industries? Please see the full CFP below for complete details on the relevant themes and literature.

Papers intended for the special issue should be submitted to the April 2026 festschrift conference, according to the policies listed there. Papers accepted for the conference will receive developmental feedback from the attendees and the special issue editors prior to journal submission.

The proposed schedule is as follows:

• February 1, 2026: Deadline for electronic submission of papers to the conference

• March 1, 2026: Notification of authors regarding acceptance to the conference

• April 20-21, 2026: Special Issue Conference held at Luiss Business School

• August 1, 2026: Deadline for emailing revised papers to guest editors

• Fall 2027: Publication of special issue of California Management Review

For questions regarding the special issue, please feel free to contact the corresponding guest editor† or either of the other guest editors:

• Oliver Alexy, Technische Universität München

• Marcus Holgersson†, Chalmers University of Technology, cmr@chesbrough2026.com

• Christopher Tucci, Imperial College London and NEOM

• Wim Vanhaverbeke, Antwerp Management School

• Joel West, Keck Graduate Institute

See below for the Call for Papers (revised March 17) which has full details.

Last updated April 3, 2025