Inter-organizational network configurations for ski areas innovations
Abstract
Purpose
Unlike industrial innovations, service innovations cannot be protected by patents or designs. Thus, the implementation of innovation networks is often crucial to generate a sustainable competitive advantage. The focus in this paper is the main forms of inter-organizational networks that have led to service innovations. More precisely, the purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between the characteristics of inter-organizational networks and the type of service innovations developed.
Design/methodology/approach
A typology of service innovations and a network analysis framework allowed us to examine the innovations implemented by two major French ski areas: Portes du Soleil and Paradiski. In total, the authors analyse the structure of 12 innovation networks.
Findings
The results show that, depending on the type of innovation implemented, networks differ in terms of type of partners involved and geographical scope. However, regardless of the innovation developed, it seems necessary to have a central actor to orchestrate the various partners and to use an economic regulation mode.
Practical implications
This paper gives advice to managers involved in touristic innovations management about the network they may build. For example, ski resorts that want to develop new offers must be open to external partners (companies that do not belong to the tourism industry and/or are not geographically localized in the resort).
Originality/value
The research documents characteristics of services innovation networks, a type of industry little studied as innovation researchers focused mainly on manufacturing firms.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the LABEX ITEM (Innovation and Mountain Territory) for supporting their research. The Labex ITEM aims at developing research initiatives on the logic of the territories, particularly their adaptability and innovation processes induced by different forms of change over the past decades to the most current.
Citation
Favre-Bonté, V., Gardet, E. and Thevenard-Puthod, C. (2016), "Inter-organizational network configurations for ski areas innovations", European Journal of Innovation Management, Vol. 19 No. 1, pp. 90-110. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJIM-04-2014-0039
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited