IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i24p10520-d462890.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Sustainability of Cluster Organizations as Open Innovation Intermediaries

Author

Listed:
  • Anna Maria Lis

    (Faculty of Management and Economics, Gdańsk University of Technology, 80-233 Gdańsk, Poland)

  • Marita McPhillips

    (Faculty of Management and Economics, Gdańsk University of Technology, 80-233 Gdańsk, Poland)

  • Adrian Lis

    (Department of Management, Collegium Civitas, 00-901 Warszawa, Poland)

Abstract

The purpose of the paper is to identify the most important open innovation practices used by cluster organizations (COs). To reflect these practices, the paper uses the concept of the trajectory of relationship development in COs, applied in the Interizon cluster organization. Additionally, this paper introduces the potential sustainability-related implications of open innovation adoption in cluster organizations. An in-depth direct interview and secondary data analysis were the basic techniques used for data collection. The study demonstrates that cluster organizations can play the role of open innovation intermediaries, implementing a set of different open innovation practices, depending on the level of advancement of cluster cooperation. The use of these practices leads to the development of ever stronger relationships between cluster members, thus conditioning access to the increasingly valuable resources of information and knowledge which are most relevant for the future sustainability-pursuing context. The good effects of multidimensional cooperation in the studied cluster organization prompted the authors to formulate a recommendation for sustainable diversity in the CO. The research goes beyond the state-of-the-art knowledge in the concept of industrial clusters by exposing a broader view on cooperation developed within cluster organizations. The study links the issue of clustering with the concept of open innovation, shedding new light on the processes of supporting knowledge and information flows in COs. Additionally, it contributes to developing a broader comprehension of the context dependencies of open innovation for potential sustainable innovation.

Suggested Citation

  • Anna Maria Lis & Marita McPhillips & Adrian Lis, 2020. "Sustainability of Cluster Organizations as Open Innovation Intermediaries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-16, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:24:p:10520-:d:462890
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/24/10520/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/24/10520/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ovuakporie, Oghogho Destina & Pillai, Kishore Gopalakrishna & Wang, Chengang & Wei, Yingqi, 2021. "Differential moderating effects of strategic and operational reconfiguration on the relationship between open innovation practices and innovation performance," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(1).
    2. Meine Pieter Van Dijk & Árni Sverrisson, 2003. "Enterprise clusters in developing countries: mechanisms of transition and stagnation," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(3), pages 183-206, July.
    3. De Silva, Muthu & Howells, Jeremy & Meyer, Martin, 2018. "Innovation intermediaries and collaboration: Knowledge–based practices and internal value creation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 70-87.
    4. Kern, Florian & Rogge, Karoline S. & Howlett, Michael, 2019. "Policy mixes for sustainability transitions: New approaches and insights through bridging innovation and policy studies," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(10).
    5. Nestle, Volker & Täube, Florian A. & Heidenreich, Sven & Bogers, Marcel, 2019. "Establishing open innovation culture in cluster initiatives: The role of trust and information asymmetry," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 563-572.
    6. Dahlander, Linus & Gann, David M., 2010. "How open is innovation?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(6), pages 699-709, July.
    7. Ekaterina Turkina & Boris Oreshkin & Raja Kali, 2019. "Regional innovation clusters and firm innovation performance: an interactionist approach," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(8), pages 1193-1206, August.
    8. Howells, Jeremy, 2006. "Intermediation and the role of intermediaries in innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 715-728, June.
    9. Richard Shearmur & David Doloreux, 2016. "How open innovation processes vary between urban and remote environments: slow innovators, market-sourced information and frequency of interaction," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(5-6), pages 337-357, May.
    10. Knockaert, Mirjam & Spithoven, André & Clarysse, Bart, 2014. "The impact of technology intermediaries on firm cognitive capacity additionality," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 376-387.
    11. Edler, Jakob & Yeow, Jillian, 2016. "Connecting demand and supply: The role of intermediation in public procurement of innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(2), pages 414-426.
    12. Sonderegger, Petra & Täube, Florian, 2010. "Cluster life cycle and diaspora effects: Evidence from the Indian IT cluster in Bangalore," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 16(4), pages 383-397, December.
    13. Ki‐Hoon Lee & Ji‐Whan Kim, 2011. "Integrating Suppliers into Green Product Innovation Development: an Empirical Case Study in the Semiconductor Industry," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(8), pages 527-538, December.
    14. Asplund, Fredrik & Björk, Jennie & Magnusson, Mats & Patrick, Adam J, 2021. "The genesis of public-private innovation ecosystems: Bias and challenges✰," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    15. Mercedes Delgado, 2020. "The co-location of innovation and production in clusters," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(8), pages 842-870, September.
    16. Radziwon, Agnieszka & Bogers, Marcel, 2019. "Open innovation in SMEs: Exploring inter-organizational relationships in an ecosystem," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 573-587.
    17. Leckel, Anja & Veilleux, Sophie & Dana, Leo Paul, 2020. "Local Open Innovation: A means for public policy to increase collaboration for innovation in SMEs," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    18. Daniel Nepelski & Vincent Roy & Annarosa Pesole, 2019. "The organisational and geographic diversity and innovation potential of EU-funded research networks," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 44(2), pages 359-380, April.
    19. Marcel Bogers & Ann-Kristin Zobel & Allan Afuah & Esteve Almirall & Sabine Brunswicker & Linus Dahlander & Lars Frederiksen & Annabelle Gawer & Marc Gruber & Stefan Haefliger & John Hagedoorn & Dennis, 2017. "The open innovation research landscape: established perspectives and emerging themes across different levels of analysis," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(1), pages 8-40, January.
    20. Petra Sonderegger & Florian Taübe, 2010. "Cluster life cycle and diaspora effects: Evidence from the Indian IT cluster in Bangalore," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/206767, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    21. Barbara Jankowska & Marta Götz, 2017. "Internationalization intensity of clusters and their impact on firm internationalization: the case of Poland," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(6), pages 958-977, June.
    22. Ron Adner & Rahul Kapoor, 2010. "Value creation in innovation ecosystems: how the structure of technological interdependence affects firm performance in new technology generations," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(3), pages 306-333, March.
    23. Lyu, Yibo & He, Binyuan & Zhu, Yuqing & Li, Li, 2019. "Network embeddedness and inbound open innovation practice: The moderating role of technology cluster," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 12-24.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Leckel, Anja & Veilleux, Sophie & Dana, Leo Paul, 2020. "Local Open Innovation: A means for public policy to increase collaboration for innovation in SMEs," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    2. Sengupta, Abhijit & Sena, Vania, 2020. "Impact of open innovation on industries and firms – A dynamic complex systems view," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    3. Lingyan Meng & Md Qamruzzaman & Anass Hamad Elneel Adow, 2021. "Technological Adaption and Open Innovation in SMEs: An Strategic Assessment for Women-Owned SMEs Sustainability in Bangladesh," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-22, March.
    4. Lu, Qinli & Chesbrough, Henry, 2022. "Measuring open innovation practices through topic modelling: Revisiting their impact on firm financial performance," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    5. Abi Saad, Elie & Tremblay, Nathalie & Agogué, Marine, 2024. "A multi-level perspective on innovation intermediaries: The case of the diffusion of digital technologies in healthcare," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    6. Shi, Xianwei & Liang, Xingkun & Luo, Yining, 2023. "Unpacking the intellectual structure of ecosystem research in innovation studies," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(6).
    7. Dziurski Patryk & Sopińska Agnieszka, 2020. "Does industry matter? Drivers and barriers for open innovation in high-tech and non-high-tech industries—Evidence from Poland," International Journal of Management and Economics, Warsaw School of Economics, Collegium of World Economy, vol. 56(4), pages 307-323, December.
    8. Omar Carrasco-Carvajal & Mauricio Castillo-Vergara & Domingo García-Pérez-de-Lema, 2023. "Measuring open innovation in SMEs: an overview of current research," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 17(2), pages 397-442, February.
    9. Schäper, Thomas & Jung, Christopher & Foege, Johann Nils & Bogers, Marcel L.A.M. & Fainshmidt, Stav & Nüesch, Stephan, 2023. "The S-shaped relationship between open innovation and financial performance: A longitudinal perspective using a novel text-based measure," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(6).
    10. De Silva, Muthu & Howells, Jeremy & Meyer, Martin, 2018. "Innovation intermediaries and collaboration: Knowledge–based practices and internal value creation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 70-87.
    11. Scaliza, Janaina Aparecida Alves & Jugend, Daniel & Chiappetta Jabbour, Charbel Jose & Latan, Hengky & Armellini, Fabiano & Twigg, David & Andrade, Darly Fernando, 2022. "Relationships among organizational culture, open innovation, innovative ecosystems, and performance of firms: Evidence from an emerging economy context," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 264-279.
    12. Alberto Bertello & Alberto Ferraris & Paola Bernardi & Bernardo Bertoldi, 2022. "Challenges to open innovation in traditional SMEs: an analysis of pre-competitive projects in university-industry-government collaboration," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 18(1), pages 89-104, March.
    13. Mei, Liang & Zhang, Tao & Chen, Jin, 2019. "Exploring the effects of inter-firm linkages on SMEs' open innovation from an ecosystem perspective: An empirical study of Chinese manufacturing SMEs," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 118-128.
    14. Caloffi, Annalisa & Colovic, Ana & Rizzoli, Valentina & Rossi, Federica, 2023. "Innovation intermediaries' types and functions: A computational analysis of the literature," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    15. Radziwon, Agnieszka & Bogers, Marcel, 2019. "Open innovation in SMEs: Exploring inter-organizational relationships in an ecosystem," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 573-587.
    16. Marzi, Giacomo & Fakhar Manesh, Mohammad & Caputo, Andrea & Pellegrini, Massimiliano Matteo & Vlačić, Božidar, 2023. "Do or do not. Cognitive configurations affecting open innovation adoption in SMEs," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    17. De Silva, Muthu & Howells, Jeremy & Khan, Zaheer & Meyer, Martin, 2022. "Innovation ambidexterity and public innovation Intermediaries: The mediating role of capabilities," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 14-29.
    18. Ileana Palaco & Suk Kyoung Kim & Min Jae Park & Jae Jeung Rho, 2022. "Exploring capabilities of international technology transfer intermediaries between emerging and developed countries," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 47(1), pages 307-352, February.
    19. Andrei Andreia Gabriela & Dincă Violeta-Mihaela & Mitan Andreea & Vătămănescu Elena-Mădălina, 2021. "Connecting the Dots: Exploring the Knowledge-based Antecedents of SMEs’ Profitability and Development via International Ventures," Management & Marketing, Sciendo, vol. 16(3), pages 167-186, September.
    20. Zofia Gródek-Szostak & Marcin Suder & Rafał Kusa & Anna Szeląg-Sikora & Joanna Duda & Marcin Niemiec, 2020. "Renewable Energy Promotion Instruments Used by Innovation Brokers in a Technology Transfer Network. Case Study of the Enterprise Europe Network," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-13, November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:24:p:10520-:d:462890. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.