Mid Sweden University

The scarcity of resources with the changing fiscal environment of more nations have increased the need for innovative solutions in most fields. Numerous bodies have as a result called for higher integration of ICT in organizational processes. Its adaption has in several cases democratized innovation processes. From this, open and/or social innovation has emerged. One type of open innovation is the ideation contest known as hackathon.

The aim of the paper is to identify factors leading to the success of hackathon contests. This has been done by examining six such contests held between the years 2012 and 2014. Structured interviews have been held with the owner/project manager of each contest. In addition, the authors attended five of the contests. This allowed for both making observations of the events from start till end, and also to hold very informal interviews with participants and event personnel. A total of six factors, reflecting the expectations held by both the hackathon organizers and its participants, were identified. Thereafter an analysis was conducted to see how the contests responded to the identified factors. Of the six examined contests, three are believed to have been successful, two unsuccessful and one is believed to have reached a moderate level of success. The results obtained showed that the identified factors are correlated to the success of such contests. However, the level of influence of each factor on the success of the contests differed in each case. As such, while each factor is of importance, they are all dependent on each another.

As a conclusion, the paper stresses the need for organizers of such events to take into consideration each of the mentioned six factors when planning a hackathon. Furthermore, this paper can be of interest to both researchers and practitioners seeking to better understand democratized methods for change efforts, such as with open innovation, social innovation and/or hackathons.