An inter-organisational perspective on innovation within practice and policy

The inter-organisational network perspective posits that value in a market is often created within established business relationships. In this lecture, I first describe the concept of innovation from this perspective and then provide examples of how this perspective has influenced innovation practice. If companies assume that innovation must be integrated into established business relationships, it affects how they approach their innovation work. Similarly, the view of innovation influences how policy actors act to strengthen the innovation capacity of regions. If policy investments focus on developing new solutions but consistently ignore the market structures that enable their use, innovation policy risks remaining fairly toothless. Therefore, I highlight the need to nuance the concept of innovation with the help of an inter-organisational perspective.

The lecture is an obligatory teaching test for those applying for admittance as docent and it should be possible for students and others with basic academic education in the relevant field to follow it. The lecture lasts 40-45 minutes with subsequent discussion. The lecture will be given in English.