Entrepreneurship through relationships – navigating from creativity to commercialisation

Abstract

This paper explores the role of relationships in the emergence of a network's value creation structure. The strategic navigation from creative exploration to global exploitation through the use of so‐called transformation networks is particularly highlighted. The creativity phase requires a creator with visionary leadership. The commercialisation phase, on the other hand, requires technology integration and global marketing excellence. Realising that this requires more than a bright inventor, the creator of Anoto brought in the right complementary assets at distinct phases of the commercialisation process. Our case illustrates how integrator and marketeer profiles were brought into a networked act of entrepreneurship for joint navigation across an ocean of relationships that gave birth to a global standard for digital writing. By combining theories on open innovation and networking, a theoretical framework is developed to analyse the different nature of the networks (or the value creation structure) in which complementary assets can be accessed, transferred and transformed into commercialised innovation. The analysis suggests that the value of complementary assets are embedded in and unlocked by three distinct types of networks: creativity networks, transformation networks and process networks. It also suggests that the ideal approach to accessing complementary assets shifts over the research and development management process, and happens through these three different types and levels of networks, requiring fundamentally different approaches to leadership and relationship management. Current literature describes open and networked innovation as a continuous – not dynamic – process of exploration and exploitation without any distinction of how types and structures of networks evolve and interact in the process.

The Role of Creativity in Entrepreneurship

“…Lee et al (2004) note that entrepreneurial activity not only requires both a supportive and productive business climate but that it also needs an environment where creativity and innovation can flourish. Having a strong and diverse knowledge base, well developed business and social networks and an ability to identify opportunities also contribute to successful entrepreneurial behaviour (Harryson 2008 Entrepreneurial creativity has been defined as the generation and implementation of novel, appropriate ideas to establish a new venture (Amabile 1997). This definition sits alongside much entrepreneurship literature on new venture formation (Hisrich 1992;Woo and Daellenbach 1994), but fails to follow the growth of the business over time.…”

Implications of Openness: A Study into (All) the Growing Literature on Open Innovation

“…Most of the efforts are focused on determining in depth the two dimensions of OI; the inside-out and the outside-out. Sandulli and Chesbrough (2009) The need to balance between the two dimensions is also outlined by Harryson (2008) and his networktheory based model as well as by Cassiman and Valentini (2009) and their attempt to relate the strategy to the structure of the firm and determine the relevant exploitation or exploration choice.…”

“…An answer to the challenge of excessive ambidexterity can be tackled by sound relationship management (He and Wong, 2004). In any way leadership should balance between exploration and exploitation by navigating successfully from creation to commercialization (Harryson 2008).…”

Measuring organizational innovative climates in technical institutes and university teachers

“…Dunn and Mott (2009), Gumusluoglu and Ilsev (2009) and Harryson (2008 suggested the importance of innovation leadership in a progress from a close system to an open strategy network system (Khaliq et al, 2011;Wang et al, 2010). O'Connor (2008) argued that appropriate culture, leadership context, and interface mechanisms within the mainstream organization are key factors of an innovation system.…”