The role of the innovation catalyst in social innovation - an Italian case study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7433/s97.2015.08Keywords:
innovation catalyst, social innovation, ecosystem, Trentino, Triple Helix, social innovation pyramidAbstract
Purpose of the paper: Social innovation is emerging as a dominant discourse, especially in facing the issues posed by the current crisis. Due to its close link with the local area in which it takes place, social innovation is deeply rooted in the overall system, thus involving many different actors. These parties should work synergistically to support social innovation and this requires a connecting intermediary: the innovation catalyst. However, in spite of the existence of this kind of actor its role still hasn’t been formally included among the existing models of social innovation. To fill this gap, our work has been carried out by focusing on TrentoRise, an Italian innovation catalyst. Its aim is to understand the role that an innovation catalyst covers and its key features.
Methodology: A single case study analysis has been developed to apply a fresh and innovative framework, the Social Innovation Pyramid, to the case of Trentino ecosystem.
Findings: The analysis shows that an innovation catalyst is fundamental in developing a healthy and functioning innovation ecosystem; therefore, it should be included among the existing innovation models.
Research limitation: The research has focused on a single case study. Widening the sample may be an interesting avenue for further research.
Implication: The proposed model can be replicated in other areas and adapted to the characteristics of their districts.
Originality: Traditional innovation models do not include the figure of the innovation catalyst, which is the focal point of our work.
Key words: innovation catalyst; social innovation; ecosystem; Trentino; Triple Helix; social innovation pyramid
References
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MULGAN G. (2006), “The process of social innovation”, Innovations, vol. 1, n. 2, pp. 145-162.
MURRAY R., CAULIER-GRICE J., MULGAN G. (2010), The open book of social innovation, National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Art.
NELSON R. (2002), “National Innovation Systems: A Retrospective on a Study”, Systems of Innovation: Growth, Competitiveness, and Employment, vol. 2. Elgar Publishing: Northampton, MA.
NESTA (2007), Innovation in response to social challenges, http://www.nesta.org.uk/publications/innovation-response-social-challenges.
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PHILLS J.A., DEIGLMEIER K., MILLER D.T. (2008), “Rediscovering social innovation”, Stanford Social Innovation Review, vol. 6, n. 4, pp. 34-43.
POL E., VILLE S. (2009), “Social innovation: Buzz word or enduring term?”, The Journal of Socio-Economics, vol. 38, n. 6, pp. 878-885.
RANGA M., ETZKOWITZ H. (2013), “Triple Helix systems: an analytical framework for innovation policy and practice in the Knowledge Society”, Industry and Higher Education, vol. 27, n. 4, pp. 237-262.
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TARDIVO G., GOLINELLI G.M., BACCARANI C. (2011), “L’impresa e la conoscenza”, Sinergie, n. 76, pp. XI-XIV.
VRONTIS D., THRASSOU A., CHEBBI H., YAHIAOUI D. (2012), “Transcending innovativeness towards strategic reflexivity”, Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, vol. 15, n. 4, pp. 420-437.
VRONTIS D., THRASSOU A. (2013), Innovative Business Practices: Prevailing a Turbulent Era, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Cambridge UK.
WESTLEY F., ANTADZE N. (2010), “Making a difference: Strategies for scaling social innovation for greater impact”, Innovation Journal, vol. 15, n. 2, pp. 1-19.
YIN R. (2003), Case study research: Design and methods, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA.
ALMIRALL E., LEE M., MAJCHRZAK A. (2014), “Open innovation requires integrated competition-community ecosystems: Lessons learned from civic open innovation”, Business Horizons, vol. 57, n. 3, pp. 391-400.
BECCHETTI L., DE PANIZZA A., OROPALLO F. (2007), “Role of industrial district externalities in export and value-added performance: Evidence from the population of Italian firms”, Regional Studies, vol. 41, n. 5, pp. 601-621.
BRESCIANI S. (2009), “Innovation and creativity within firms. An empirical demonstration in the Piedmont area”, International Journal of Business Innovation and Research, vol. 3, n. 4, pp. 427-443.
BRESCIANI S. (2010), “Innovation within firms. A survey in the Piedmont area”, International Journal of Quality and Innovation, vol. 1, n. 2, pp. 138-152.
BRESCIANI S., FERRARIS A. (2012), Imprese multinazionali: innovazione e scelte localizzative, Maggioli, Milano.
BRESCIANI S., FERRARIS A. (2014), “The Localization Choice of Multinational Firms’ R&D Centers: A Survey in the Piedmont Area”, Journal of Promotion Management, vol. 20, n. 4, pp. 481-499.
BRESCIANI S., THRASSOU A., VRONTIS D. (2013), “Change through innovation in family businesses: evidence from an Italian sample”, World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, vol. 9, n. 2, pp. 195-215.
BRUNDIN E., WIGREN C., ISAACS E., FRIEDRICH C., VISSER K. (2008), “Triple helix networks in a multicultural context: Triggers and barriers for fostering growth and sustainability”, Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship, vol. 13, n. 1, pp. 77-98.
CARAYANNIS E.G., CAMPBELL D.F. (2009), “Mode 3 and Quadruple Helix: toward a 21st century fractal innovation ecosystem”, International Journal of Technology Management, vol. 46, n. 3, pp. 201-234.
CARAYANNIS E.G., CAMPBELL D.F. (2010), “Triple Helix, Quadruple Helix and Quintuple Helix and how do knowledge, innovation and the environment relate to each other? A proposed framework for a trans-disciplinary analysis of sustainable development and social ecology”, International Journal of Social Ecology and Sustainable Development, vol. 1, n.1, pp. 41-69.
CHESBROUGH H. (2003), Open Innovation: the new imperative for creating and profiting from technology, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, M.A.
COOKE P., GOMEZ URANGA M., ETXEBARRIA G. (1997), “Regional innovation systems: Institutional and organisational dimensions”, Research policy, vol. 26, n. 4, pp. 475-491.
DEL GIUDICE M., DELLA PERUTA M.R., CARAYANNIS E. (2010), Knowledge and the Family Business, Springer, New York, ISBN 978-1-4419-7352-8.
EISENHARDT K.M. (1989), “Building theories from case study research”, Academy of Management Review, vol. 14, n. 4, pp. 532-50.
ERIKSON R.S., MACKUEN M.B., STIMSON J.A. (2002), The macro polity, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
ETZKOWITZ H., LEYDESDORFF L. (2000), “The dynamics of innovation: from National Systems and “Mode 2” to a Triple Helix of university-industry-government relations”, Research policy, vol. 29, n. 2, pp. 109-123.
EUROPEAN COMMISSION (2008), Strategy for ICT research and innovation unit, Information Society and Media.
FORAY D. (2009), The new economics of technology policy, MA: Elgar Publishing, Northampton.
FERRARIS A., SANTORO G. (2014) “Come dovrebbero essere sviluppati i progetti di Social Innovation nelle Smart City? Un’analisi Comparativa”, Impresa Progetto - Electronic Journal of Management, n. 4, pp. 1-15.
FREEMAN C. (1988), “Japan: A new national innovation system?”, in Dosi G., Freeman C., Nelson R.R., Silverberg G., Soete L. (eds.) Technology and economy theory, Pinter, London.
GIUNCHIGLIA F. (2013), Innovazione sociale - La nuova frontiera, Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science, Trento.
HARRIS M., ALBURY D. (2009), “The Innovation Imperative: Why radical innovation is needed to reinvent public services for the recession and beyond”, Discussion paper, The Labe, Nesta, London.
HEUNKS F.J. (1998), “Innovation, creativity and success”, Small Business Economics, vol. 10, n. 3, pp. 263-272.
ISTAT (2013), Rilevazione sull’innovazione delle imprese, Istituto Nazionale di Statistica.
JOHNSON W.H. (2008), “Roles, resources and benefits of intermediate organizations supporting triple helix collaborative R&D: The case of Precarn”, Technovation, vol. 28, n .8, pp. 495-505.
KRAUSE D.E. (2004), “Influence-based leadership as a determinant of the inclination to innovate and of innovation-related behaviors: An empirical investigation”, The Leadership Quarterly, vol. 15, n. 1, pp. 79-102.
MAGGIONI V., DEL GIUDICE M. (2006), “Relazioni sistemiche tra imprenditorialità interna e gemmazione d’impresa: una ricerca empirica sulla natura cognitiva delle nuove imprese”, Sinergie, n. 71, pp. 171-197.
MILBERGS E. (2005), “Innovation ecosystems and prosperity”, Center for Accelerating Innovation. http://www. innovationecosystems. com.
MULGAN G. (2006), “The process of social innovation”, Innovations, vol. 1, n. 2, pp. 145-162.
MURRAY R., CAULIER-GRICE J., MULGAN G. (2010), The open book of social innovation, National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Art.
NELSON R. (2002), “National Innovation Systems: A Retrospective on a Study”, Systems of Innovation: Growth, Competitiveness, and Employment, vol. 2. Elgar Publishing: Northampton, MA.
NESTA (2007), Innovation in response to social challenges, http://www.nesta.org.uk/publications/innovation-response-social-challenges.
OECD (2010), SMEs, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, http://www.oecd.org/document/16/0,3746,en_2649_33956792_44938128_1_1_1_1,00.html.
PHILLS J.A., DEIGLMEIER K., MILLER D.T. (2008), “Rediscovering social innovation”, Stanford Social Innovation Review, vol. 6, n. 4, pp. 34-43.
POL E., VILLE S. (2009), “Social innovation: Buzz word or enduring term?”, The Journal of Socio-Economics, vol. 38, n. 6, pp. 878-885.
RANGA M., ETZKOWITZ H. (2013), “Triple Helix systems: an analytical framework for innovation policy and practice in the Knowledge Society”, Industry and Higher Education, vol. 27, n. 4, pp. 237-262.
SMART CITY INDEX (2014), Confrontarsi per diventare Smart, Rapporto di ricerca Between.
TARDIVO G., GOLINELLI G.M., BACCARANI C. (2011), “L’impresa e la conoscenza”, Sinergie, n. 76, pp. XI-XIV.
VRONTIS D., THRASSOU A., CHEBBI H., YAHIAOUI D. (2012), “Transcending innovativeness towards strategic reflexivity”, Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, vol. 15, n. 4, pp. 420-437.
VRONTIS D., THRASSOU A. (2013), Innovative Business Practices: Prevailing a Turbulent Era, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Cambridge UK.
WESTLEY F., ANTADZE N. (2010), “Making a difference: Strategies for scaling social innovation for greater impact”, Innovation Journal, vol. 15, n. 2, pp. 1-19.
YIN R. (2003), Case study research: Design and methods, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA.
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2015-08-29
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