The National Systems of Innovation Approach and Innovation by SMEs

The National Systems of Innovation (NSI) approach is a young but successful approach to help to understand how innovation and interactive learning evolve in national economies and how they propel economic prosperity and international competitiveness. The NSI approach has been embraced by policy makers all around the world, because this approach offers them the potential to derive more appropriate leads for innovation policy. In the Netherlands too, the drafting of innovation policy is increasingly based on the NSI concept. The main aim of this study is to add to the understanding of the NSI approach. The research questions addressed in this study include: What are the main concepts, value added and shortcom-ings of the approach? And: How does the NSI approach offer policy makers the potential to derive more appropriate leads for innovation policy towards SMEs?

The effects of trust on performance of high-tech business relationships

We investigate the effects of trust propensity, cognition based trust and affect based trust on relationship performance in terms of openness, conflicts and success. Data from a field study of 391 Dutch firms in high tech industries support the research model. Trust that derives from affection is key and outweighs cognition based trust and trust propensity. Openness increases success that in turn fosters the development of affect based trust. The results provide preliminary but convincing evidence for the value of relational capital in durable business relationships that strive for the development of new technological knowledge.

Contractual Alliance Governance: Impact of Different Contract Functions on Alliance Performance

Recent research on alliance governance has emphasized that contracts can have both a control and coordination function. In this paper, we test the impact of these different contract functions on alliance performance. Conducting structural equation analyses on a sample of 270 Dutch technology alliances, we disentangle the relationship between different contract functions, partner cooperation and alliance success. Our data show that different contract roles have a different impact on partner cooperation within the alliance. In addition, we find strong indications that the presence/absence of prior trustful collaboration and the number of alliance partners moderate the relationship between contract functions and partner cooperation. Finally, our data provide evidence that contract functions indirectly influence alliance success via partner cooperation

Learning towards system innovation.Evaluating a systemic instrument.

In this paper we develop an analytical framework for studying learning processes in the context of efforts to bring about system innovation by building new networks of actors who are willing to work on a change towards sustainable development. We then use it to evaluate two specific intervention programmes carried out by a self-proclaimed ‘system instrument’. The framework integrates elements from the Innovation Systems approach with a social learning perspective. The integrated model proposes essentially that these kinds of systemic instruments can serve to enhance conditions for social learning and that such processes may result in learning effects that contribute to system innovation by combatting system imperfections. The empirical findings confirm the assumption that differences in learning can be explained by the existence or absence of conditions for learning. Similarly, the existence or creation of conducive conditions could be linked to the nature and quality of the interventions of the systemic instrument. We conclude that the investigated part of the hypothesised model has not been refuted and seems to have explanatory power. At the same time we propose that further research is needed among others on the relation between learning, challenging system imperfections and system innovation.social learning, system innovation, systemic instruments, system imperfections, innovation systems

Sustainable Entrepreneurship in the Dutch Construction Industry

This article discusses the strategies that sustainable entrepreneurs use to interact with their environment in the Dutch construction industry. The Dutch construction industry is under great pressure to move towards sustainability, and entrepreneurs are believed to be able to play a large role in this transition by introducing new products and new business practices. But how can entrepreneurs prosper in an environment that is not geared up towards such a change? And which strategies do they use to bend conditions in their favor? In this article we make use of the Market and System Failure Framework to analyze the pressures that entrepreneurs are confronted with when introducing sustainable innovations. We recognize that these pressures can be seen as bottlenecks, but that market and system failures can also create entrepreneurial opportunities. We interviewed 16 entrepreneurs in the Dutch construction industry to determine the influences they experienced from their environment and the strategies they use to deal with these. We conclude that we can distinguish between system building and following entrepreneurs, where the former aims to build a new system to challenge the old one, whereas the latter rather makes use of existing structures to build a business. We find that both strategies can be successful and that overall, the entrepreneurs confirm the belief that sustainability on people, planet and transparency aspects, can contribute very well to the long term profitability of the businesses the entrepreneurs are running. These in-depth insights into the influences from the context on the one hand, and the entrepreneurs’ strategic reactions on the other hand, contribute to our understanding of the interactions between entrepreneurs and the system context. This can help us to more effectively stimulate and support innovating entrepreneurs to contribute to the transition towards sustainability

Trust, contract and relationship development

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