Governance in value creating constellations of the future cultivating horizontal coordination

Purpose and goal

The project has had two purposes. To develop and consolidate knowledge about how innovation systems can be developed. And to support process leaders in six Innovation platforms for sustainable attractive cities in their leadership and dealing with strategic issues. Both objectives have been met with margin. The knowledge that should be further developed has proved to be robust in the meeting with the six cases the innovation platforms provides. Regarding the leadership of the six process leaders (in practice many more people), they have confirmed the importance of the support the got.

Expected results and effects

The project has contrubuted to a significantly developed understanding of how innovation systems can be created and consolidated. Both in terms of knowledge and leadership skills. The project has shown how governance models (structures, processes and relationships) constitute the context of innovation activities. The project has also contributed to knowledge about Innovation platforms as an example of Innovation Systems. In this way, the project has contributed, in some cases indirectly, to different results and accomplishments in each participating city/municipality.

Planned approach and implementation

The method in use has been tested in previous projects. It proved to be solid also in this project. Workshops with the participating process leaders, and their associates, was carried out throughout the project period. At these, a method was applied to facilitate individual’s (process leaders) joint learning with the rest of the group. Interviews have been carried out as a complement based on identified so-called critical incidents. The material was analysed thematically (grounded theory approach). Workshops and conferences have been used to confirm the results and conclusions.