Firm Innovation Systems: Perspectives of Researches on State-owned Key Enterprises

Abstract

Based on the origin of the innovation theory and the technological innovation models of Rothwell, this paper puts forward four-generations of evolutionary models using the firm innovation system: "Internal R&D-Oriented Innovation System", "Internal and External Collaborative Innovation System", "Highly StrategicOriented Innovation System" and "Ecological Innovation System". This paper dwells on the characteristics and relationship between each innovation system, and the role in the enterprise innovation especially the State-owned Key Enterprises innovation, so as to provide a theoretical and practical basis for the design and improvement of the Stateowned Key Enterprises innovation system.

Company innovation system: an exploration based on examples from Arcelik and Vestel

“…Third, we can identify the company innovation systems' characteristics, such as exploration-exploitation, the dynamics of the system and the fit between the innovation outputs and the system capabilities. Coriat & Weinstein (2002) and Chen et al (2015) indicate that external and internal innovation systems are intertwined, hence we should be careful to include the effects of external innovation systems on the company innovation system. Our case examples confirm and highlight this issue.…”

“…All the analytical and methodological aspects of innovation systems as identified by Carlsson et al (2002) should be addressed and clarified. Specific issues that come to mind are: the system definition/boundary, e.g., a strictly legal definition of the company versus a stakeholder involvement definition; the role of the system design principles (e.g., Van de Ven, 1986;Morgan 1986); the possible configurations of the system, archetypical, permanent or temporary (e.g., Teece, 1996;Chen et al, 2015); the governance and institutional characteristics of the system (e.g., Van de Ven, 1986;Teece, 1996); a definition of the elementary units of the system (e.g., Granstrand, 1998;Lakhal et al, 1999); the roles of resources (Granstrand, 1998) and capabilities (Coriat & Weinstein, 2002); the dynamic and evolutionary aspects of the concept (Carlsson et al, 2002).…”

“…Finally, Chen et al (2015) mention the concept of a 'firm innovation system'. Not unlike Teece (1996) they identify a number of archetypes of innovation systems, using Rothwell's (1994) five innovation generations as a starting point.…”

“…The use of Rothwell's (1994) generations also implies a generic evolution in how companies structure and lead their innovation systems over time. Specifically, Chen et al (2015) identify: 1) the internal R&D-oriented innovation system, with a dominant technology-push role of internal R&D, 2) the internal and external collaborative innovation system, with interconnected R&D, marketing and manufacturing functions, 3) the highly strategy-oriented innovation system, led from the business strategy by the CEO or Chief Innovation Officer, and 4) the ecological innovation system, which departs from the company level and sees the company as an actor in a business ecosystem.…”

“…In each of those fields, the innovation systems approach is widely accepted. Van de Ven (1986), Teece (1996), Granstrand (1998Granstrand ( , 2000; Lakhal et al (1999), Coriat &Weinstein, 2002 andChen et al, 2015 proposed various building blocks for conceptualizing the company as a system of innovation. Still, at the company level, the dominant textbook approach is to regard innovation as a process (see, e.g, Trott, 2011;Tidd & Bessant, 2013).…”