Collaborative Spaces as Intermediaries for Small Business Innovation

Abstract

The rapid pace of technological change has been pushing firms to make their innovation processes more open. However, both inbound and outbound processes are complex to manage, especially for small businesses. These firms have their innovation activities constrained by missing capabilities, financial resources, and market reach. However, the existence of innovation intermediaries may overcome these issues by fostering collaboration among different stakeholders and thus bridging the gap between technological opportunities and user needs. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to analyze how collaborative spaces intermediate small business innovation. A multiple case study comprising five collaborative spaces was carried out. Results indicate how each type of collaborative space may facilitate innovation according to their intermediation roles, type of governance, main members/users, type of knowledge produced, and the core elements of attraction they offer.