Towards a network model of innovation in sport – the case of product innovation in nautical sport clusters

Abstract

International audienceSport and sport equipment are permanently subject to innovation. The current research on innovation sources in sport industries has focused on user innovation and firm-internal sources of innovation. This paper uses the network approach to analyze external links as sources of product innovation in nautical sport clusters. It addresses the question: how can sport organizations effectively use interorganizational links for innovation? An empirical study identifies and compares innovation practices in the Auckland sailing cluster in New Zealand with the Victorian surfing cluster in Australia. In total 52 firms, non-profit-organizations, and governing bodies were interviewed. In spite of much existing research focusing on internal firm resources and end users as sources of innovation in the sport sector, interorganizational linkages provide rich sources of innovation for organizations located in clustered sport industries. This research identifies 11 practices that can be imitated by other organizations located in sport clusters or similar settings. Eight practices occur in both clusters while three only occur in one of both. This paper contributes to knowledge on mechanisms for information and knowledge transfer that leverage innovation via interorganizational linkages

Examining the Innovation Process of a Graduate Apprenticeship Program for Sport Organizations

“…Lastly, Vincent from the RBO was a former student of the university and was familiar with the staff of the sport management program. An impact of this determinant was the provision of a connection between these sport organizations and the university, supporting Gerke's (2016) conclusion that industry-university linkages benefit sport innovations. Additionally, Nora was linked to the initiations of the GA through her self-described "relational-type" personality that carried into her perceived role as the lead salesperson for the innovation.…”

“…Involved and interested external parties (Hoeber & Hoeber, 2012) and external communication (Greenhalgh et al, 2014) are also important. Related to higher education, Gerke (2016) found industry-university linkages to be beneficial for sport innovations. Inter-organizational relationships play a role as determinants of sport innovation.…”

Unlocking innovation in the sport industry through additive manufacturing

“…The Demand Pull innovation, on the other hand, is driven by the consumer. This means the profitability of the innovation in terms of fulfilling the consumers' needs and desires is the main driver of the innovation process (Gerke, 2016). Here, external factors "pull" the innovations into the market.…”

Innovation configurations in sport clusters: The role of interorganizational citizenship and social capital

“…Innovation is at the heart of sport, whether it is to achieve better performance, to develop new technologies for spectators, to facilitate mass participation (Gerke, 2019), to obtain scarce resources, to increase service quality (Hoeber & Hoeber, 2012), to develop new services (Winand et al, 2016) or to develop sport entrepreneurship (Ratten, 2011). Innovation studies in sport deal with 1) technological innovations and different sources for the latter including the firm (Desbordes, 2001), the user (Hyysalo, 2009) and networks (Gerke, 2016);…”