Conclusions
The goal of the multi-dimensional analysis is to identify missing resources for the implementation of innovation activities; and based on that to show how the procurement of these missing resources can be organised. Within this framework the following questions were dealt with:
- How to identify the demand for management support based on a multi-dimensional approach?
- How to organise management support in inter-organisational innovation processes?
How to identify the demand for management support based on a multi-dimensional approach?
The multi-dimensional procedure model allows the demand for support of different actors in inter-organisational innovation processes to be identified. Through the findings (in three case studies) the assumption is strengthened that the need for support from actors in inter-organisational innovation processes is determined by the interplay of several company features. The following factors have been highlighted which influence the degree of need for support:
- The size of the cooperation consortium,
- A lack of appropriate personnel with educational backgrounds and experience in the area of innovation / R&D,
- A lack of knowledge and no access to the new markets targeted (based on the markets of the agrifood industry),
- A lack of strategic alliances between steps in the value chain,
- A lack of experience in initiating, applying for and implementing publicly funded projects.
How to organise management support in inter-organisational innovation processes?
Participating actors in inter-organisational innovation processes (as well called service recipients) are integrated in core work groups and these turn in innovation networks. Innovation brokers act as service providers. Hereby the interaction between service recipients and service providers is relevant in order to be able to offer customer oriented services. For the procurement of missing resources for implementing innovation activities the innovation broker can fall back on a catalogue of management support service elements for resource procurement. An extract of the catalogue is following four aspects of inter-organisational innovation processes:
- Preparation of innovation activities (management support within the framework of the initiation and preparation of innovation activities described by eighteen individual service elements),
- Realisation of innovation activities (management support within the framework of the implementation of innovation activities described by six individual service elements),
- Dissemination (management support within the framework of the dissemination of knowledge described by nine individual service elements),
- Networking (management support within the framework of the networks described by four individual service elements).
In the case studies analysed, the main acting innovation broker cooperates with, for example, professional associations and lobbies that take on innovation broker functions in addition to their core business. In the Q-PorkChains case study the innovation broker (Industry Liaison Office) cooperates, for example, with the overall project coordination team. The members of the project coordination team originate from a university establishment (KU, AUA), which acts as a lead partner in the research project. The project management in the research consortia does not apply as a core business of universities. However the university took on innovation broker functions when acting as a lead partner. Yet the university has little experience in cooperating with economic actors. An exclusive innovation broker was brought into the project consortia for this area to support the economic partners with project execution.