Abstract
Collaborative innovation projects are boundary-crossing activities in which knowledge bases from practice and academia are combined for innovations in small firms. In this study, small firms gain access to academic knowledge resources through a structured and formalized regional program. From a process-perspective, we explore five case studies and identify elements of collaborative innovation projects between small firms, academic researchers, and independent third parties in a Danish regional program. The elements are categorized into interaction enablers, collaboration characteristics, main drivers, and main barriers. Our three major findings relate to the phases of a structured program, elements of collaborative innovation projects, and the facilitation
of interaction at two levels, i.e. meta-level and micro-level, by two types of brokers. The operator of the regional program facilitates the process at a meta-level and acts as a knowledge broker (e.g., Hargadon, 2003, 2014). The third party facilitates the process first hand and at a micro-level. We term this type of broker, a broker of human interaction, who ensures face-to-face interaction between the two primary actors, i.e. small firm and academic researcher(s). We find that the broker of human interaction supports the development of relational capabilities, i.e. the small firm’s capacity to purposefully create, extend, or modify its resource base by including the (knowledge) resources of external actors (e.g., Helfat et al., 2007). The two types of brokers acting at two different
levels have proven to be useful in overcoming some of the classical barriers firms face when interacting with academia. Essentially, the gap between the world of business and the world of academia has been mitigated by the structured and formalized interactions facilitated by brokers at both meta-level and micro-level. This study has practical implication for managers, as they can be guided by the elements of collaborative innovation projects and shift their mindset towards collaborating with different types of partners in a pursuit to recognize and shape opportunities with academia.
of interaction at two levels, i.e. meta-level and micro-level, by two types of brokers. The operator of the regional program facilitates the process at a meta-level and acts as a knowledge broker (e.g., Hargadon, 2003, 2014). The third party facilitates the process first hand and at a micro-level. We term this type of broker, a broker of human interaction, who ensures face-to-face interaction between the two primary actors, i.e. small firm and academic researcher(s). We find that the broker of human interaction supports the development of relational capabilities, i.e. the small firm’s capacity to purposefully create, extend, or modify its resource base by including the (knowledge) resources of external actors (e.g., Helfat et al., 2007). The two types of brokers acting at two different
levels have proven to be useful in overcoming some of the classical barriers firms face when interacting with academia. Essentially, the gap between the world of business and the world of academia has been mitigated by the structured and formalized interactions facilitated by brokers at both meta-level and micro-level. This study has practical implication for managers, as they can be guided by the elements of collaborative innovation projects and shift their mindset towards collaborating with different types of partners in a pursuit to recognize and shape opportunities with academia.
| Originalsprog | Engelsk |
|---|---|
| Tidsskrift | Danish Journal of Management & Business |
| Vol/bind | 80 |
| Udgave nummer | 1 |
| Sider (fra-til) | 25-44 |
| ISSN | 2246-3887 |
| Status | Udgivet - okt. 2016 |