Helping start-ups and public organisations to align: Co-producing the co-creation context in a public hospital

Abstract

ABSTRACT Incubation facilitates innovation performance and knowledge production for large organisations, while allowing start-ups to connect with potential users who hold valuable information. However, aligning the goals of parent organisations and hosted start-ups in co-creation partnerships remains a challenge, particularly in the complex and institutional context of public organisations. To fill the research gap, this paper draws on the co-production theory of support to explore how a large public organisation co-produces an adaptive context for co-creation with start-ups. Based on a 12-month ethnography in a public university hospital centre, the unique characteristics and complexities of co-creation initiatives in public organisations are explored by focusing on the multi-stakeholder nature of the innovation process. Following a processual approach, we unpack the evolving dynamics of managing tensions through the co-creation process. The article contributes to the understanding of public incubators, compensatory practices in asymmetrical co-creation relationships, and the co-production of incubation support in public organisations.