Abstract
Innovation and change represent a necessary response to the challenges that new technologies pose to the electricity production sector, forcing producers to come up with new solutions and models of production, mainly enabled by innovations in telecommunications and digital technologies. In this competitive scenario, many firms have decided to harness the entrepreneurial power through formalized engagement with start-ups. However, most corporates do not know where to start, given the mushrooming array of open innovation programs nowadays available. The study analyzes the case of one leading Italian utility operating in the electricity sector, which has recently embraced, at different organizational level and involving different business units, a transformation of its organizational processes, adopting an open approach to innovation. The study aims to address the emergence of new (and open) business models in the utility sector, developing an understanding of the new organizational structures and processes the company here analyzed is adopting (and shall adopt) to harness the power of open innovation.