How to orchestrate R&D networks? The role of orchestration subprocesses and collaborative practices over time

Abstract

Although R&D networks have been increasingly used by companies to foster innovation through collaboration, there are still challenges regarding how to successfully orchestrate such projects. The goal of this study is to analyse how a hub firm orchestrates an R&D network through collaborative practices. We based our study on the three orchestration subprocesses proposed by Dhanaraj and Parkhe, namely, to foster knowledge mobility, guarantee innovation appropriability, and maintain network stability. To achieve our goal, we analysed the collaborative practices in an R&D network in the semiconductor industry in France. The case consists of an R&D network among 26 companies to create a new transistor. The data include 65 interviews and 192 documents. The study contributes to the literature on network orchestration by showing that specific collaborative practices performed by a hub firm enable a fourth orchestration subprocess—network reconfiguration—which is necessary in long‐lasting and complex R&D networks and also affects the other three subprocesses. Network reconfiguration consists in disassociating and attracting new members to the R&D network to cover knowledge demands, and is performed by the hub‐firm through specific collaborative practices. The results can benefit practitioners by showing which collaborative practices may be useful for a hub firm throughout the development of an R&D network.

Innovation ecosystem strategies of industrial firms: A multilayered approach to alignment and strategic positioning

“…In line with the existent literature on ecosystem strategies, we recognized that certain companies aimed at becoming keystones (Iansiti & Levien, 2004) or hub firms (Valkokari et al, 2017) by engaging in orchestration activities (Dhanaraj & Parkhe, 2006) such as creating platforms (Gawer & Cusumano, 2014), setting up technology campuses, attracting new members (Faccin et al, 2020), building consortia and facilitating regional networks. We also found companies with more adaptive strategies, a category that received less attention in the literature so far (Radziwon & Bogers, 2019).…”

“…In an ecosystem, the innovation processes of heterogeneous actors towards new value creation require alignment, that is, agreement about purposes, knowledge flows, rules of engagement and complementary contributions of the different actors (Adner, 2017; Jacobides et al, 2018; Walrave et al, 2018). This may be coordinated by a single actor in the role of system orchestrator (Gawer & Cusumano, 2014), hub firm (Faccin et al, 2020) or keystone (Iansiti & Levien, 2004), but this is not a necessity (Aarikka‐Stenroos & Ritala, 2017). Ferdinand and Meyer (2017) argue that innovation ecosystems can also be held together by a community of different organizations.…”

Universities and Regional Engagement

“…Such actions occur, for example, through meetings with interested parties, conferences to create initial impulses, and joint efforts to obtain necessary legislation. This approach combines with the network theory literature, which conceptualizes network orchestration as several actions carried out by a central organization in an intentional and determined way to achieve a common objective to create and extract value from the network (Dhanaraj & Parkhe, 2006;Paquin & Howard-Grenville, 2013;Faccin et al, 2020).…”

Universities as orchestrators of the development of regional innovation ecosystems in emerging economies

“…The process of network stability is the dynamic “which aims for a nonnegative growth rate while allowing for entry and exit of network members” (Dhanaraj & Parkhe, 2006, p. 661). The reputation of a hub‐firm discourages members from breaking network ties and, therefore, contributes to maintaining stability (Faccin et al., 2020).…”

“…To perform the processes of network orchestration, some collaborative practices must be institutionalized among members (Dyer & Singh, 1998), and institutionalization is also a key activity that can be performed by the hub‐firm (Faccin et al., 2020). Authors who have discussed orchestrators’ activities have focused on firm networks (Hara et al., 2015; Nambisan & Sawhney, 2011), but they have explored neither the spillover effects into the broader regional ecosystem nor the role of the university as a hub‐firm.…”