How do collaborative practices contribute to innovation in large organisations? The case of hackathons

Hackathons are breaking into the corporate world as collaborative practices that promise endless possibilities for innovation. Nevertheless, how these practices contribute to innovation in organisations remains implicit or is not stated directly in the literature. Additionally, most of the research on this topic is not framed in innovation literature and studies have mainly been conducted in the fields of medicine and software. In this regard, this article presents an inductive study on how hackathons contribute to innovation in large organisations. Drawing on a single case of a large company from a creative sector (mobile games), and based on analytical interviews and non-participant observation, the results suggest that hackathons contribute by promoting exploration activities, such as new external solutions, and by enhancing some preconditions for innovation, such as attracting talent or building a community of experts. This article aims to contribute to the existing research by positioning the results in the literature and by explaining contextual and relational factors not previously described. In addition, it presents insights on how hackathons may enhance innovation in corporations.