Innovation ecosystems: What makes them responsive during emergencies?

Sreevas Sahasranamam; Vivek Soundararajan

doi:10.1111/1467-8551.12553

Innovation ecosystems: What makes them responsive during emergencies?

Sreevas Sahasranamam, Vivek Soundararajan

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

1 Citation (SciVal)

Abstract

In this paper, we examine what makes an innovation ecosystem responsive during emergencies. We studied the innovation ecosystem within Kerala (India) during emergencies that led to two emergency-oriented innovations, namely KeralaRescue (developed for Kerala Floods 2018) and CoronaSafe (developed for COVID-19), drawing on insights from strategic agility and institutional theory literature. We identified the enactment of three meta-capabilities of agility by the innovation ecosystem, which made it responsive during the emergencies, namely, eco-centric strategic sensitivity, eco-centric resource fluidity and eco-centric collective commitment. Further, we found that cognitive, structural and symbolic institutional arrangements facilitated the enactment of these eco-centric strategic agility meta-capabilities within the innovation ecosystem during the emergency. Our paper advances theory on innovation ecosystems and strategic agility, and generates implications for innovators and policymakers, developing solutions for COVID-19 and other emergencies.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	369-389
Number of pages	21
Journal	British Journal of Management
Volume	33
Issue number	1
Early online date	2 Nov 2021
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.12553
Publication status	Published - 31 Jan 2022

Keywords

COVID-19
Emergency
Innovation ecosystem
Strategic agility
Institutions
India

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Business, Management and Accounting(all)

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1111/1467-8551.12553

Cite this

@article{6f4a5584af5b428dabb4c68fd85d76ff,

title = "Innovation ecosystems: What makes them responsive during emergencies?",

abstract = "In this paper, we examine what makes an innovation ecosystem responsive during emergencies. We studied the innovation ecosystem within Kerala (India) during emergencies that led to two emergency-oriented innovations, namely KeralaRescue (developed for Kerala Floods 2018) and CoronaSafe (developed for COVID-19), drawing on insights from strategic agility and institutional theory literature. We identified the enactment of three meta-capabilities of agility by the innovation ecosystem, which made it responsive during the emergencies, namely, eco-centric strategic sensitivity, eco-centric resource fluidity and eco-centric collective commitment. Further, we found that cognitive, structural and symbolic institutional arrangements facilitated the enactment of these eco-centric strategic agility meta-capabilities within the innovation ecosystem during the emergency. Our paper advances theory on innovation ecosystems and strategic agility, and generates implications for innovators and policymakers, developing solutions for COVID-19 and other emergencies.",

keywords = "COVID-19, Emergency, Innovation ecosystem, Strategic agility, Institutions, India",

author = "Sreevas Sahasranamam and Vivek Soundararajan",

note = "Funding Information: The authors would like to thank Sahil Sameer for his research assistance support towards this project. The authors would also like to thank the interview respondents for their access to data and time. The authors are also grateful for funding support from the Scottish Funding Council Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) pump priming grant. The authors would also like to thank the three anonymous reviewers for their constructive feedback, strengthening this manuscript. ",

year = "2022",

month = jan,

day = "31",

doi = "10.1111/1467-8551.12553",

language = "English",

volume = "33",

pages = "369--389",

journal = "British Journal of Management",

issn = "1045-3172",