Technological start-ups in the innovation system: an actor-oriented perspective

The functional approach of the Technological Innovation System (TIS) has become important in innovation theory to understand the dynamics of technological innovations. Until now, TIS has mainly been applied top-down from a policy perspective. The aim of this study was to investigate whether TIS can be used in the management domain, from an actor-oriented perspective, to explain the dynamics in which technological start-ups are involved when developing innovations. We interviewed the founders of 24 technological start-ups about their experiences with the developmental processes of their innovations. Our results highlight that the functions of TIS provide a useful framework to structure the interactions of technological start-ups. Especially the functions ‘Resource Mobilisation’ and ‘Legitimation’ appeared to be important functions for start-ups when developing an innovation. Our findings show that TIS is a promising framework for the strategic management domain that can offer guidance in the development of innovations.     

Combining the technological innovation systems framework with the entrepreneurs’ perspective on innovation

For their technological sustainability innovations to become successful, entrepreneurs can strategically shape the technological field in which they are involved. The technological innovation systems (TISs) literature has generated valuable insights into the processes which need to be stimulated for the successful development and implementation of innovative sustainability technologies. To explore the applicability of the TIS framework from the perspective of entrepreneurs, we conducted a case study in the Dutch smart grids sector. We found that the TIS framework generally matches the perspectives of entrepreneurs. For its use by entrepreneurs, we suggest a slight adaptation of this framework. The process ‘Market formation’ needs to be divided into processes that are driven by the government and processes that are driven by entrepreneurs. There should be a greater emphasis on collaborative marketing, on changing user behaviour and preferences and on the development of fair and feasible business models.     

Sectoral systems of environmental innovation: An application to the French automotive industry

This article seeks to show how a sectoral system approach may contribute to the analysis of the determinants of environmental innovations. By using Malerba's [F. Malerba: Sectoral systems of innovation and production, Res. Policy Vol. 102, 845-859, (2002)] concept of sectoral system of innovation and production, we develop a sectoral framework based on three building blocks: technological regimes, demand conditions and environmental and innovation policy. Within this framework, the sectoral patterns of environmental innovation result from the interplay between these three blocks. The conceptual framework is applied to the case of the French automotive industry, with a specific focus on the development of low emission vehicles. The analysis shows how technological regime and demand conditions lead to technological inertia, and so to a strong persistence of the dominant design. Finally, environmental and innovative policy are considered in an integrated way, so that we can study how they influence technological regime and demand conditions, and in the meantime how they are conditioned by these two blocks.     

技术创新系统的功能分析框架

近年来,以特定技术作为分析出发点的技术创新系统（TIS）思路被提出。该思路强调对创新系统运行及其目标实现具有重大作用的活动（activities）或过程（processes）,并称之为创新系统功能。系统功能之间既可以形成良性循环,加速系统的成长;也可能由于某个功能的缺失或不足而出现恶性循环,阻碍系统的发展,甚至使之崩溃。良性循环和恶性循环在一定的条件下会相互转化。在介绍和分析系统功能组合以及功能之间互动机制的基础上,提供了一个评估技术创新系统功能运行的分析框架,以期从功能的角度识别导致系统失灵的原因,为政策制定者提供干预目标。     

Conceptual confusion – an analysis of the meaning of concepts in technological innovation systems and sociological functionalism

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how conceptual confusion may be a significant obstacle to cross-disciplinary dialogue. We focus on the relationship between the framework of technological innovation systems (TIS) and sociological functionalism (SF). The paper argues that while there are similarities between the two schools of thought, in particular in the use of the terms ‘structure’ and ‘function’, these are more linguistic than substantive. We demonstrate this by assessing the validity of the spillover to TIS of four main points of critique raised against SF. We conclude by stating some lessons for improving cross-disciplinary communication.     

提高我国创新政策水平的综合思考

创新政策是自主创新战略顺利实施的重要保障。综合分析了我国创新政策目前存在的问题,并且指出创新政策研究和创新政策管理中存在的问题是导致这些问题的主要原因。国外创新政策研究方法、管理体系、监督机制与我国有较大的差异,对其进行了详细介绍和系统分析。最后建议从完善创新政策理论基础、建立创新政策研究方法体系、构建创新政策综合管理体系、优化创新政策制定实施过程的管理机制4方面提高我国创新政策的水平。     

The process and experiences with creating user-driven innovation programmes in the Netherlands1

In 2005 the Netherlands drafted a new innovation policy, consisting of a basic package for all entrepreneurs and a programme-based package aimed at supporting the Dutch industry in achieving global excellence in a limited number of (business) areas. The programme-based package is characterized by an integral approach, resulting in user-driven public–private innovation programmes. In the new approach, industrial foresight processes are integrated with actual policy implementation. In this paper, we include the lessons learned during the process that led to the first innovation programmes. Also, some unresolved issues in the new approach are discussed.     

The process and experiences with creating user-driven innovation programmes in the Netherlands

In 2005 the Netherlands drafted a new innovation policy, consisting of a basic package for all entrepreneurs and a programme-based package aimed at supporting the Dutch industry in achieving global excellence in a limited number of (business) areas. The programme-based package is characterized by an integral approach, resulting in user-driven public-private innovation programmes. In the new approach, industrial foresight processes are integrated with actual policy implementation. In this paper, we include the lessons learned during the process that led to the first innovation programmes. Also, some unresolved issues in the new approach are discussed.     

创新型企业创新管理模式研究——基于广州市企业创新现状

创新管理模式是影响企业自主创新能力的关键因素,但对创新型企业创新管理模式的研究仍十分有限。首先,基于广州市66家创新型（试点）企业的经验数据,概述了创新型企业创新发展的动态与特点。其次,根据切克兰德软系统方法论将创新管理分为思想、技术、产品、市场与组织创新管理五个维度,构建了创新型企业创新管理模式的概念框架。再次,运用这一概念框架分析了广州市典型创新型企业创新管理实践。最后,从抽象系统、活动系统与物理系统三个方面提出促进企业创新管理水平提升的对策建议。     

知识密集型服务业创新影响因素研究

从服务创新和知识管理的视角,提出知识密集型服务业创新影响因素的分析框架。针对知识密集型服务业进行抽样调查以获取数据,利用因子分析法、回归分析方法对影响知识密集型服务业创新的因素进行实证研究。结果显示:外部资源、内部资源、共享环境、隐性知识、创新保护措施和技术组织缺陷是影响知识密集型服务业产品创新的主要因素;而影响过程创新的因素除了包括上述六类因素外,成本风险也是重要的影响因素。最后,提出了提高知识密集型服务业创新能力的相关建议。     

创新系统视角下创新政策效应研究* ——基于中国省级面板数据的分析

本文遵循维佐利克和哈克特（Wieczorek and Hekkert）的研究思路,构建了创新政策的作用路径模型,并在创新政策体系框架下,利用超效率DEA模型和面板数据模型,研究了创新政策对创新系统绩效的影响。研究结论表明,“政府财政科技拨款”、“政府采购政策”、“知识产权保护政策”与我国创新系统绩效呈显著的正相关关系;“研发税收优惠政策”、“金融支持政策”、“基础设施政策”与我国创新系统绩效无显著的相关关系;“教育投入政策”、“开放政策”与我国创新系统绩效之间有显著的负相关关系。据此本文提出相应的政策建议。     

Developing transition pathways for a low carbon electricity system in the UK

This paper describes the approach to developing transition pathways for a low carbon electricity system in the UK, being pursued in a major new inter-disciplinary research project. The project aims (a) to learn from past transitions to help explore future transitions and what might enable or avoid them; (b) to design and evaluate transition pathways towards alternative socio-technical energy systems and infrastructures for a low carbon future; and (c) to understand and, where appropriate, model the changing roles, influences and opportunities of large and small ‘actors’ in the dynamics of transitions. The paper describes the approach, which builds on the work of Dutch researchers on transitions and transition management using a multi-level framework of niches, socio-technical regime and landscape, as well as on other parts of the innovation systems literature. It also describes its application to several outline transition pathways to a low carbon energy system in the UK. The pathways embrace both the evolution of the physical and institutional infrastructure changes and the roles of both large actors, e.g. multinational energy supply and distribution companies, national governments, major investors, and small actors, e.g. households, innovators and entrepreneurs.     

新疆地质遗迹景观旅游开发战略和思路初探

从政策、管理、技术等角度探讨新疆地质遗迹景观旅游开发的战略和思路,提出通过类型创新、功能创新、形象创新和体系创新开发新疆地质旅游产品谱系,实现旅游产品创新战略;通过突出特色,打造精品、打造跨区域的地质生态文化旅游圈实现地质遗迹景观资源保护开发的品牌战略;通过构建产业链,实现新疆地质遗迹景观旅游开发的产业化发展战略。通过完善地质旅游产品谱系,打造旅游品牌;加强区域之间旅游协作,利益共享;完善地质旅游产业发展机制;加强旅游线路和旅游通道建设;建立人力资源保障机制等思路来促进新疆地质遗迹景观旅游开发。     

A role for public procurement in system innovation: the transformation of the Greater Manchester (UK) waste system

The transformation of socio-technical systems to more sustainable states is more policy induced than market driven. Reflecting this, the potential for governments to direct system transformation has been widely debated. However, this debate concentrates on supply side policies and under analyses the potential for public buyers to steer system innovation. This paper draws from ideas on system innovation, transition management and public procurement to explore how a major public buyer was able to do just this. The paper describes the transformation of the Greater Manchester (UK) waste system from a relatively simple landfill model to a highly complex, multi-technology solution of intensive recycling, composting and energy production. The paper draws three main conclusions: (1) it is possible to orchestrate system innovation through public procurement in certain circumstances; (2) this involves developing the required interdependencies between technologies, institutions and practices; (3) system transformation can be orchestrated from within the incumbent regime.     

创新管理及未来展望

指出研究者们从不同视角理解创新的内在规律以及过程,提出技术经济学科应继续将创新作为学科研究重点,并引入多学科的研究视角。梳理了创新管理的发展趋势,即从产品创新和工艺创新走向商业模式创新、从封闭创新走向开放创新乃至协同创新、从渐进式创新走向突破型创新、从基于技术的创新走向基于科学的创新、从国家创新体系走向创新生态系统建设。     

Strategic niche management of social innovations: the case of social entrepreneurship

Strategic niche management (SNM), a tool to understand and manage radical socio-technical innovations and facilitate their diffusion, has always departed from a technical artefact. Many radical innovations, however, do not revolve around such an artefact. Social entrepreneurship is a new business model that combines a social goal with a business mentality and is heralded as an important new way to create social value such as sustainability. This study examines if and how SNM can be applied to such a social innovation. It identifies theoretical and practical limitations and proposes solutions. The main conclusion is that SNM can be used to analyse radical social innovation, although it requires rethinking the initial entry point for research and management. Exemplifying quotes are proposed as an alternative. Second, this paper suggests using values to describe niche–regime interaction as a better way to anticipate future niche–regime interactions.     

Sources of technological innovation: Radical and incremental innovation problem-driven to support competitive advantage of firms

A fundamental problem in the field of management of technology is how firms develop radical and incremental innovations that sustain the competitive advantage in markets. Current frameworks provide some explanations but the general sources of major and minor technological breakthroughs are hardly known. The study here confronts this problem by developing a conceptual framework of problem-driven innovation. The inductive study of the pharmaceutical industry (focusing on ground-breaking drugs for lung cancer treatment) seems to show that the co-evolution of consequential problems and their solutions induce the emergence and development of radical innovations. In fact, firms have a strong incentive to find innovative solutions to unsolved problems in order to achieve the prospect of a (temporary) profit monopoly and competitive advantage in markets characterised by technological dynamisms. The theoretical framework of this study can be generalised to explain one of the sources of innovation that supports technological and industrial change in a Schumpeterian world of innovation-based competition.     

What drives technology transitions? An integration of different approaches within transition studies

This paper aims to provide a deeper understanding of transition drivers by reviewing four major strands of inquiry in transition studies: Multi Level Perspective (MLP); Strategic Niche Management (SNM); Transition Management (TM); Technological Innovation Systems (TIS). To the best of our knowledge, none of these contributions have so far provided a clear-cut classification of main drivers of transitions, as evidenced by the difficulty of practitioners in reaching goals as entrepreneurs, or policy makers in supporting economic growth. We believe that these theoretical streams share views relating the origin and drivers of transitions and that the analysis of the multi-level developments and systemic sub-processes by using the Integrative Propositional Analysis (IPA) allows for a more comprehensive identification of transition drivers. By mapping causal relationships within each perspective and by developing an integrative framework that takes in due account of overlaps between theories, we derived a new conceptual structure for the identification of transitions’ drivers.     

创新管理对粮食企业的影响

随着市场经济的到来,企业在管理对象、管理内容、管理方式和管理功能上发生重大变革,只有建立“科学创新”的管理模式才符合现代粮食企业全面发展的要求。由于粮食企业长期受计划经济的影响,若不克服种种不利因素,不排除各种障碍,粮食企业在更加激烈的竞争中将难以生存。因而在粮食企业构建以科学创新的管理模式,也是企业管理走向科学化和现代化的必然趋势,对于增强粮食企业经济效益,提高企业社会效益有着非常重要的意义。