La aparición de los ecosistemas de innovación: metamorfosis y coopetición en nanotecnología

Recent research on ecosystems underscores their configuration and contribution to value creation. Scholars have described various phases of ecosystem evolution but have not studied the processes that underlie their emergence. We rely on the case of nanotechnology in Israel to introduce a grounded theory for the emergence of an innovation ecosystem. Our theory reveals how government, academic institutions, and scientists interact in the creation of such ecosystem. Specifically, our Impede-Dislodge-Promote framework suggests how resource scarcity, conflicting agendas of these actors, and deficient bureaucracy impose bottlenecks that prevent the ecosystem from emerging. The innovation ecosystem begins to emerge only once these conditions are relaxed via metamorphosis of organizational structures and coopetition among the actors. Finally, we identify enabling and governing devices that legitimate the innovation ecosystem, facilitate its emergence, and direct its evolution trajectory. Our theory complements research on the strategy, structure, operations and post-formation dynamics of ecosystems, while extending perspectives on interfirm coopetition.