HCL Technologies: Driving Innovation Through Ecosystem Innovation Platform

HCL Technologies Ltd., one of the big four information technology companies in India, had established a corporate entrepreneurship function within its enterprise technology office (ETO). As part of its aspiration to scale up its corporate entrepreneurship activities, the ETO had adopted an ecosystem innovation strategy, and in 2020, the ETO team was deliberating how to standardize and institutionalize its corporate entrepreneurship practices, enhance the platform technology, and build a culture of innovation to leverage the newly adopted ecosystem innovation strategy.

This case can be used in any course on managing corporate entrepreneurship and innovation, strategic management of technology enterprises, or managing technology and innovation for undergraduate-, graduate-, or executive-level participants. It asks students to position themselves as leaders and members of the enterprise technology office and decide on an appropriate ecosystem innovation strategy. It describes the key activities that were initiated and rolled out by the corporate entrepreneurship function to scale up innovation and entrepreneurship within HCL Technologies. After working through the case and assignment questions, students will have the opportunity to do the following:<ul><li>Describe how to build an innovation ecosystem approach and innovation platform strategy as a part of a corporate entrepreneurship and innovation management process, and explain why such an approach and strategy are important.</li><li>Explain how to manage goal conflict among innovation stakeholders.</li><li>Describe how corporations use a platform approach to manage and scale up their corporate entrepreneurship activities.</li></ul>

• Corporate Entrepreneurship
• Platform Technology
• Innovation Ecosystem
• Managing Innovation Process