Radical circles: The contribution of small groups of individuals challenging the dominant visions and transforming entire industries

The rising cost of R&D activities and the increasing complexity of technologies and markets have led to the widespread diffusion of collaborative and open innovation processes. As a consequence, different open innovation paradigms have become the protagonists of many innovation strategies. Although this type of approach is an optimal strategy to identify solutions to specific problems and introduce functional innovations (Verganti, 2017), it is less useful when a company wants to develop new visions. This study shows that radical circles, i.e., small groups of radical individuals, can support the development of new visions. This work is based on the examination of two radical circles that created two significant cultural movements: Memphis and Slow Food. Radical circles have particular characteristics, such as a yearning for rebellion, voluntary and closed participation, and peer criticism. We discuss the implications for companies seeking to introduce new visions.