1 Introduction
2 Understanding of innovation ecosystems
2.1 Delineating innovation ecosystems from other ecosystems
2.2 Defining the innovation ecosystem concept
Author(s) (year) | Definition | Main focus |
---|---|---|
Adner (2006, p. 98) | “The collaborative arrangements through which firms combine their individual offerings into a coherent, customer-facing solution” | Value co-creation |
Rubens et al. (2011, p. 1743) | “The “creation nets” that provide a mechanism for “(a) goal-focused creation of new goods and services tailored to rapidly evolving market needs, (b) with multiple institutions and dispersed individuals, (c) for parallel innovation” | Co-innovation |
Jucevičius and Grumadaitė (2014, p. 125) | "A smart system that is explained by the characteristics of complex adaptive systems (mutual adjustments and flexibility ensured by the possibility of exploitation of both bottom-up and top-down developmental initiatives and pro-innovative actions)" | Co-evolution |
Autio and Thomas (2014, p. 3) | “A network of interconnected organizations, organized around a focal firm or a platform, and incorporating both production and use side participants, and focusing on the development of new value through innovation” | Value co-creation |
Dedehayir et al. (2016, p. 2) | "A heterogeneous constellation of organizations, which co-evolve capabilities in the co-creation of value" | Co-evolution |
Jucevicius et al. (2016, p. 430) | "A complex network of interactions between the actors from industry, government and academia that underlies the innovative activities and performance in the area" | Co-innovation |
Mazzucato and Robinson (2018, s. 3) | “The network of interconnected actors, organized around a particular value chain/industry where the actors include public agencies, firms, intermediaries and any other actor that contributes to the production and use of a product or service stemming from that value chain/industry” | Co-innovation |
Aarikka-Stenroos and Ritala (2017, s. 25) | A type of "ecosystem consisting of actors, technologies and institutions that enable innovation (…) characterized by innovation-driven goals and related uncertainties over value creation and capture" | Co-innovation |
Schroth et al. (2018, p. 3) | "The dynamic and co-productive space in which industrial R&D&I takes place, highlighting both interdependencies between organisations and the co-evolution of value" | Co-evolution |
Vasconcelos Gomes et al. (2018, p. 165) | "A theoretical perspective for investigating the phenomenon of managing uncertainties that affect external interdependent actors in a network of value co-creation. (…) A network of counterparties connected to jointly create value (…) fundamental to successful development and commercialization of a complex innovation" | Co-innovation |
Shaw and Allen (2018: 88; 90) | "The pathways of interlinked business models; the flow of services to a customer and resources related to that customer, which are recycled by business models linked into pathways; powered by value co-creation for stakeholders; innovation in the form of new business models that reuse scarce customer-related resources in new ways or in ways that co-create value more directly, e.g. organising around a common customer journey" | Value co-creation |
Dattee et al. (2018, p. 467) | “The collaborative arrangements through which firms combine their individual offerings into a coherent, customer-facing solution (Adner 2006, p. 98), usually based on a technology platform: a set of shared assets, standards and interfaces that underpins an activity system surrounding it (Gawer and Cusumano 2014; Thomas et al. 2014).” | Co-innovation |
Yaghmaie and Vanhaverbeke (2019: 2) | “A group of organizations that aim to jointly create and capture value from joint innovation activities” (technical or business related innovations) | Co-innovation |
3 Methodology
3.1 Literature review process
Author(s) (year) | Methodological approach | Timespan of analysed works | Source of analysed works | Types of analysed works | Number of analysed works | Leading line of analysis | Most frequently used words within the texta |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The scope: innovation ecosystems | |||||||
Durst and Poutanen (2013)b | Systematic | 2006–2012 | Web of Science, Proquest ABI, INFORM, EBSCO | Scientific articles including empirical findings | 9 | Success factors facilitating implementation of innovation ecosystems | Innovation (138); ecosystems (86); research (37); factors (26); review (22); different (19); study (17); success (17); systems (17); communities (14) |
Oh et al. (2016) | Interpretative, critical | ND | ND | ND | ND | Applicability of the ecosystem concept in the field of economics and management. A critical view on types, opportunities, challenges, benefits, limitations, etc. within innovation ecosystems | Innovation (131); ecosystem (117); system (43); research (21); industry (18); government (16); development (16); natural (14); different (13); support (12); technology (12) |
Dedehayir et al. (2016) | Systematic | 2003–2015 | ISI Web of Knowledge | Scientific articles and conference papers | 60 | The roles to be played by actors of innovation ecosystems in the birth phase of the IE life cycle | Ecosystem (337); roles (192); innovation (113); actors (89); value (79); activities (70); genesis (57); products (50); birth (46); leader (45) |
Ferasso et al. (2018) | Systematic, metasynthesis | 2009–2014 | Periodicals CAPES | Scientific articles including case study analysis | 6 | Analysis of conceptual frameworks adopted in prior case study-based studies aimed at determination of distinguishing features of innovation ecosystems. Additionally, identification of main contributions provided by qualitative works on IE | Innovation (210); ecosystem (164); organizations (105); research (105); papers (95); concept (80); case (61); contribution (41); resources (39); relationships (39) |
Gomes et al. (2018) | Systematic, hybrid | 1993–2016 | Web of Science | Scientific articles | 125 | Evolution and development of IE concept including differentiation of IE from business ecosystems. Identification of the leading theoretical lenses, seminal publications and the most influential authors. Identification of the leading and most promising research streams | Ecosystem (469); innovation (313); business (163); articles (119); value (95); network (87); research (85); management (74); firms (73); concept (71) |
Yaghmaie and Vanhaverbeke (2019) | (grey) Systematic | 2004–2018 | Google Scholar | Articles and graduate theses | 33 | Analysis of application contexts used in prior works on IE, e.g. industries, the level of analysis, the main actors and success factors. Extensive, comparative summary of prior research | Ecosystem (273); innovation (237); orchestration (78); studies (69), value (67); actors (66); Adner (60); partners (52); management (50); firms (50) |
The scope: ecosystems | |||||||
Valkokari (2015) | Critical | ND | ND | ND | ND | Differentiation of business, knowledge and innovation ecosystems. Analysis of the main features and interlinks among them. Adopted typology of ecosystems: business, innovation and knowledge | Ecosystem (169); different (43); innovation (39); business (39), actors (36); knowledge (31); research (25); interaction (24); types (24); relationships (15); management (15) |
Aarikka-Stenroos and Ritala (2017) | Systematic | 1999–2016 | 4 journals: JBR, JBIM, IMM, JBBM | Scientific articles | 71 | The main themes, conceptualisations and research approaches in prior works using “ecosystem” in B2B investigation. Implications of the ecosystem concept for strategic management and network management in particular. Adopted typology of ecosystems: business, innovation, entrepreneurial, platform and service | Ecosystem (370); business (166); network (152); actors (108); research (108); management (97); approach (83); studies (73); innovation (70); value (65) |
Tsujimoto et al. (2018) | Interpretative, quasi-systematic | 1995–2014 | Scimago Lab | Scientific articles | 90 | Identification of the main research streams within the concept of ecosystems. Adopted typology of ecosystems: none—ecosystems considered in general terms | Ecosystem (248); research (88); concept (75); management (72); papers (69); actors (63); innovation (59); network (47); studies (47); industrial (46) |
Scaringella and Radziwon (2018) | Systematic | 2004–2015 | Web of Science, and Scopus | Scientific articles and monographs | 104 | Ecosystem archetypes, the leading reference theories and types of ecosystems applicable in management studies. Discussion of ecosystems in the context of other regional and geography-related ways used in interorganisational cooperation, innovation, and regional development. Adopted typology of ecosystems: business, innovation, entrepreneurial/entrepreneurship and knowledge | Ecosystem (341); innovation (149); knowledge (148); territorial (117); approach (115); local (87); industrial (87); business (81); firms (71); research (70) |
3.2 Thematic analysis and aggregation
4 The typology of innovation ecosystems
4.1 Innovation ecosystem types
Criteria category | Typology criteria | Types of IE | Characteristics |
---|---|---|---|
Genesis and existence of innovation ecosystem | Ecosystem birth | Intentional (deliberate, planned) | Purposefully created by focal firms or market players with above-average market power. The moment of an ecosystem's birth depends on the focal firm’s decision |
Emergent (implicit) | Emerging spontaneously. Non-intentional ecosystem emergence requires time counted in decades, thus it is hard to identify the moment of its birth | ||
Governance mechanism | Orchestration (hierarchy) | The ecosystem is orchestrated by the dominant actor, usually a producer. Such type of IE is usually tightly and autonomously managed by the hub firm | |
Collectively coordinated (heterarchy) | Governance mechanisms are driven collectively by a set of actors—usually companies with access to strategic resources. Such a type of IE is usually loosely managed | ||
Self-coordination | The actors do not pay attention to ecosystem coordination. Such a type of IE is usually not managed but rather coordinated ad hoc | ||
Life cycle stage | Emerging | Ecosystems in the birth phase. In a more detailed view, this stage can be divided further into the preparation, formation and operation phases (Dedehayir et al. 2016) | |
Developmental | Developing in terms of the number of actors engaged in co-realized innovation processes | ||
Mature | Both the innovation ecosystem activity and its structure are stabilised, thus the dominant actors' behaviours are rather co-adaptative and co-evolutionary | ||
Declining | The number of actors and innovation co-creation relationships decreases. The co-adaptative and co-evolutionary behaviours of actors get weaker. The focus of value creation is (if at all) paid rather to incremental innovations, while the co-innovation processes concentrate more on later stages | ||
Death | The innovation ecosystem does not exist—some of the actors are operating on the market as they are trying to take the final benefits from collectively implemented innovation processes under the historic innovation ecosystem (e.g. the case of the IE operating in the Detroit district—Arena et al. 2018) | ||
Structure of innovation ecosystem | Actors | Symmetrical | Actors manifest a similar involvement in co-innovation processes |
Asymmetrical | |||
Centralized | There is a dominant actor (the focal firm) undertaking a leadership role, the essence of which is the orchestration of the innovation ecosystem | ||
Decentralized | There is no dominant/focal actor | ||
Innovation co-creation relationships | Ego-centric (firm-centric; hub-based) | IE considered from the perspective of the focal firm responsible for the product launch and its direct (one-way, bidirectional and multidirectional) innovation co-creation relationships maintained with other actors of IE | |
Eco-centric | IE considered from the perspective of different actors and either their direct or indirect (one-way, bidirectional and multidirectional) innovation co-creative relationships with the companies responsible for the product launch | ||
Leading innovation focus within innovation ecosystem | Innovation scope | Microscopic | The main focus is placed on the elements/implementation/outcomes of co-innovation, collaborative innovation or open innovation at the organisational level |
Middlescopic | The main focus is placed on the elements/implementation/outcomes of co-innovation, collaborative innovation or open innovation at the industry/regional level | ||
Macroscopic | The main focus is placed on the elements/implementation/outcomes of co-innovation, collaborative innovation or open innovation at the national/international level | ||
Innovation type | Focused on disruptive innovation | Targeting market-breaking innovations (e.g. IE related to NASA) | |
Focused on radical innovation | Targeting pure innovations based usually on new technologies | ||
Focused on incremental innovation | Targeting innovations based on changes, adjustments or development of existing solutions | ||
Focused on social innovation | Targeting social innovations focused on meeting social needs in a better way than before | ||
Focused on path-breaking innovations | Targeting innovations breaking simultaneously current technology, market structure and the way of meeting social needs | ||
Intensity of co-innovation process | Narrowed to co-Discovery | A priority importance of cooperation, a domination of exploitation of innovation co-creation relationships and the highest impact on value co-creation at the Discovery stage of the innovation process | |
Narrowed to co-Development | A priority importance of cooperation, a domination of exploitation of innovation co-creation relationships and the highest impact on value co-creation at the Development stage of the innovation process | ||
Narrowed to co-Deployment | A priority importance of cooperation, a domination of exploitation of innovation co-creation relationships and the highest impact on value co-creation at the Deployment stage of the innovation process | ||
Narrowed to co-Delivery | A priority importance of cooperation, a domination of exploitation of innovation co-creation relationships and the highest impact on value co-creation at the Delivery stage of the innovation process | ||
Narrowed to co-Dissemination | A priority importance of cooperation, a domination of exploitation of innovation co-creation relationships and the highest impact on value co-creation at the Dissemination stage of the innovation process | ||
Adopting a multi-stage co-innovation focus | Multi-stage cooperation across the innovation process, exploitation of innovation co-creation relationships at different stages of the innovation process, a dispersed process of value co-creation among different stages of the innovation process | ||
Range of innovation ecosystem | Technological scope | High-tech | Operating around the industry (industries) classified as a high technology industry according to regulations developed by the OECD |
Medium-tech | Operating around the industry (industries) classified either as a medium–high or medium–low technology industry according to regulations developed by the OECD | ||
Low-tech | Operating around the industry (industries) classified as a low technology industry according to regulations developed by the OECD | ||
Mono-platform | Operating around one technological platform | ||
Multi-platform | Operating around more than one technological platform | ||
Spatial range | City-based/innovation districts | In the physical sense, the structure of IE does not extend beyond one city or industrial district. Usually, this type of ecosystem is led by municipal authorities | |
Local | In the physical sense the structure of IE is local | ||
Regional | In the physical sense the structure of IE is regional | ||
National | In the physical sense the structure of IE is national | ||
International | In the physical sense the structure of IE is international but not global | ||
Global | In the physical sense the structure of IE is global | ||
Physical scope | Digital (clicks only) | Operating only in cyberspace (e.g. IE related to blockchain technology, IE related to InnoCentive.com or other crowdfunding platforms). Among the digital innovation ecosystems are mobile digital ecosystems operating through mobile applications | |
Bricks & clicks | Operating in both virtual and non-virtual reality | ||
Performance of innovation ecosystem | Innovation performance | Successful (strong) | Capable of reaching goals |
Unsuccessful (weak) | Having problems with reaching the goals | ||
Promising | Forming/developing ecosystems with a high innovation potential as these cover actors with high innovation capabilities and organisational innovativeness, hence the value chain in the market is well integrated | ||
Economic performance | Profitable | Consistently transforms technology and other inputs into innovation competitive on the market. This type of IE is also labelled as healthy (Autio and Thomas 2014) | |
Unprofitable | Having problems with delivering competitive innovations | ||
Strategic performance | Sustainable | The actors (organisational ones in particular) are characterized by an appropriate level of proximity, e.g. organisational proximity, cognitive proximity, social proximity, institutional proximity and geographical proximity | |
Unsustainable | The actors are missing from the multidimensional fit, which leads to tensions, communication problems and an increase in the risk to co-innovation processes |