Ecossistemas de inovação: evolução, tendências e diretrizes de avaliação do relacionamento entre atores

Abstract

Awareness of the pivotal role that innovation plays as a mechanism for economic development has sparked substantial interest among researchers, practitioners, and government bodies in understanding the dynamics of Innovation Ecosystems (IEs). These structures are crucial for promoting innovation, collaboration, and global competitiveness, acting as engines for sustainable growth. Despite recognizing the importance of IEs for socioeconomic advancement, the existing literature still lacks a solid foundation that comprehensively and critically articulates the constitutive elements, relational dynamics, and governance models of these structures. In this context, this dissertation aimed to contribute to the advancement of knowledge in the field, starting from the research question: How has the theoretical evolution of research on innovation ecosystems occurred? What theoretical bases can underpin the development of an analytical framework that assists organizations in operating more effectively in these ecosystems? To address this question, two articles were developed that make up the second part of the dissertation and a theoretical framework that integrates the first part of the work and presents a comprehensive review, providing a theoretical basis for understanding concepts related to IEs, covering everything from historical roots to the typology and etiology of ecosystems. In the first article “Innovation Ecosystem: Evolution and Trends in Scientific Literature”, a comprehensive mapping of the current state of IE research was conducted, establishing a solid base for future investigations. The results highlighted cross-cutting themes that emerge in the works of different authors and constitute an underlying thematic line that interconnects various aspects of IEs,such as the dynamics of the relationships among ecosystem actors, governance models, digital innovation ecosystems, and promising methodological approaches. In the second article "Guidelines for analyzing the relationship between actors of Innovation Ecosystems," a theoretical framework was developed that differs from prescriptive approaches by emphasizing dynamic and interactive structures. An innovation of the study is the adoption of a consistent methodological orientation. The four key categories representing the elements of an IE (Culture, Context, Markets, and Institutions) were identified and developed through their properties and dimensions. Thus, each property is composed of dimensions that vary on a continuum between two opposite poles, reflecting the spectrum of variations within a single characteristic. These results can serve as a guide for researchers, managers, and public policy makers, not only to diagnose the current stage of an IE but also to identify areas that can be further developed and refined with the aim of promoting a more cohesive and dynamic innovative environment.