Developing a coevolutionary account of innovation ecosystems

Abstract

Whilst research in innovation ecosystems has focused on the connectivity, interdependence, and coevolution of actors, technologies, and institutions, there has been a gap in the study of these relationships between actors, with little explanation given on how mutually interdependent parties adapt. In this paper, we draw further on the ecological metaphor to present a view of innovation ecosystems as complex adaptive systems, where patterns of change emerge from microlevel coevolutionary interactions between actors. Drawing on this view, we explore related implications for our understanding of ecosystem boundaries, coevolutionary rules of interaction, and how ecosystems are energized through innovation. Specifically, we contribute to the literature by developing a novel account of innovation ecosystems where actors are bound together through changing modes of coevolution. Drawing on this account, we explore key theoretical and practical implications for our understanding of ecosystem actors, rules of interaction, and the wider innovation ecosystem. We conclude that innovation both maintains and drives change within the innovation ecosystem, by altering the microlevel rules of interaction and coevolutionary relationships between actors.