Managing Innovation Networks : Exploring Coopetition Dynamics in Innovation Ecosystems

Abstract: Companies increasingly rely on external partners when starting their innovation initiatives. Emergent innovation ecosystems of heterogeneous actors proved to be successful in leveraging combined competence for the creation of the new ventures. However, constantly changing environment of simultaneous competition and cooperation – coopetition, presents a challenge for the ecosystem management. Drawing on the network orchestration and coopetition research, I analyze management practices and coopetition dynamics in the digital creative industry in Northern Sweden. Based on the analysis, I offer two main contributions. First, I provide a detailed account of innovation ecosystem orchestration within the digital creative industry, including its chronological evolution and the challenges related to it. Second, the application of coopetition notion to the innovation ecosystem context brings forward tensions that should be further scrutinized in order to develop better management practices for such innovation networks.