Smartocracy: Context entanglement of the smart city idea and bureaucracy in Russia

Collaborative innovation is at the heart of smart city development, yet also notoriously challenging due to fundamental differences between public and private sector actors that need to collaborate, while dealing with high levels of uncertainty. Whereas existing practice-based work on collaborative innovation describes various relevant antecedents, barriers and success factors, this prior work potentially underestimates the true complexity of collaborative innovation initiatives. Therefore, scholars have increasingly called for a more dynamic, theoretical understanding of collaborative innovation. In response to these calls, our study draws on institutional theory to build a dynamic understanding of collaborative innovation for smart city development. Specifically, we conduct a longitudinal in-depth case study to develop a causal loop model, grounded in rich qualitative data, to capture and theorize the key behavioural patterns of a collaborative innovation initiative for smart city development. The model describes how the dynamic interplay between uncertainty, adherence to own institutional logics and governance complexity can both enable and undermine collaborative initiatives. We contribute by developing a dynamic theoretical perspective on collaborative innovation, one that promotes cross-fertilization at the intersection of the smart city theory, organization theory and collaborative innovation literature. Moreover, our findings highlight the important role of organization theory, specifically institutional logics, in explaining the collaborative dynamics of smart city development.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

A Dynamic Perspective on Collaborative Innovation for Smart City Development: The role of uncertainty, governance, and institutional logics

Dolmans

Galen

Walrave

et al. 2023

“…later significantly shaped by cross-functional teams’ were observed in seven European cities (Lekkas & Souitaris, 2023, p. 1653). Likewise, in a case study of Russian cities, the organisation progressed from a formal core, through a ‘shadow culture’ stage, and to a final stage characterised by standardisation (Khodachek, Aleksandrov, Nazarova, Grossi, & Bourmistrov, 2023, p. 1640). While these studies have confirmed similar trajectories of organisation, our contribution lies in the different ways in which ecosystem capabilities were aggregated across levels during smart city development.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing Capabilities in Smart City Ecosystems: A multi-level approach

Gupta

Panagiotopoulos

Bowen

2023

Smart city projects require complex coordination of resources, but research on how capabilities form at the city-ecosystem level remains scarce. This article develops a multi-level approach to capability development in smart city ecosystems through an empirical study of London’s city data. We analyse the London case to discover how two ecosystem-level capabilities – data provisioning and data insights – developed through global, configural and shared aggregation processes. We find that the emergence process changes as the smart city ecosystem develops, requiring different coordination and resource mobilisation mechanisms at various stages. We contribute to the capability development and smart city literatures by focusing on ecosystem-level capabilities linked to collective city-level outcomes rather than the capabilities of the leading city authority. Insights from the study are of value to city authorities considering how to scale up and organise smart city initiatives in support of urban development goals.

“…The findings of Khodachek et al (2023) and Lekkas and Souitaris (2023) have important implications for organization studies. One notable contribution is the recognition that bureaucracy and smart city development are not necessarily conflicting forces but can complement each other (Byrkjeflot & du Gay, 2012).…”

Section: Smart City Studies and Organization Studies: Research At The...mentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Specifically, Khodachek et al (2023) introduce the concept of context entanglement that binds the smart city concept and bureaucracy. They argue that the complexity of the smart city concept necessitates the involvement of bureaucracy as a translating machine capable of dealing with the intricate governance dimensions that characterize smart city efforts.…”

Section: Temporal Structuring Of Organizational Arrangementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Khodachek, Aleksandrov, Nazarova, Grossi, and Bourmistrov (2023, this issue), together with Lekkas and Souitaris (2023, this issue), examine the role of bureaucracy in the context of smart city project organizing. This research contributes to the debate on the changing nature of bureaucracy by acknowledging its ability to adapt, shape and coexist with the smart city concept.…”

Section: Smart City Studies and Organization Studies: Research At The...mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Organizing for Smart City Development: Research at the crossroads. Introduction to the Special Issue

Mora,

Appio,

Foss

et al. 2023

Worldwide, smart city projects have emerged as a response to urban crisis conditions with the aim of leveraging digital technologies for urban innovation and sustainable development. However, these projects involve complex organizational challenges that have received little attention in existing smart city research, particularly in the exploration of interorganizational collaboration. The disconnect between organization studies and smart city research means that these two knowledge fields have yet to maximize the valuable insights that each one can offer to the other. To address this gap, this Special Issue seeks to foster cross-fertilization. Elaborating on the contributions in our Special Issue, we present potential and actual research crossroads conceptual and theoretical arenas in which collaborative efforts between organization studies and smart city research can thrive. We aim to bridge knowledge gaps and generate mutual benefits by stimulating interdisciplinary encounters. This approach offers opportunities for empirical research that can expand organization studies and their theories while deepening our understanding of organizations, organizing, and the organized in smart city projects, thereby contributing to theoretical and practical advancements.