Actor Roles Shaping and Influencing Innovation in Smart City Development

Abstract

Innovation networks are organized and shaped by their members. This study investigates actors’ roles influencing innovation for smart city development. Combining actors’ roles with the innovation network literature and insights gained from two cases of smart city innovation, our empirical analysis shows four roles associated with smart city innovation network activities: i) coordinators, ii) contributors, iii) facilitators and iii) builders. These actor patterns recognize how actors collaborate in networks characterized by heterogeneous actors (public and private), the coexistence of individual and collective motivations, a certain degree of openness, and users’ participation. Furthermore, actors' ability to change their network position is dependent on a shared interpretation of network roles between the network actors. Hence, scholars and practitioners of innovation networks learn that the understanding of role patterns in smart city development can contribute to the building, utilization, and coordination of an open innovation network that positively impacts business and society.