Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing

Purpose – In this study the authors seek to discuss and empirically analyze coordination mechanisms in innovation-generating business networks. Their aim is to explore how these coordination mechanisms, as well as the roles of actors, evolve during the development of such networks.

Design/methodology/approach – The paper analyses an in-depth single case study on the development of Finnish Mobile TV in an innovation-generating business network comprising a heterogeneous range of actors.

Findings – The findings suggest that coordination of innovation-generating business networks combines “management” and “orchestration”, both of which have their distinct roles throughout the development of the network. The latter is used throughout the case in question to communicate vision and build social capital, and the former to coordinate phases closer to commercialization.

Research limitations/implications – The study provides novel evidence in explicating how network coordination mechanisms of management and orchestration change as the innovation-generating business network evolves. However, there is a need to examine the issue further from different methodological standpoints in order to improve the generalizability of the results.

Practical implications – Managers will be able to use the lessons learned in designing different coordination mechanisms to ensure that the network evolves in the desired direction, and in considering the role of their companies in this development.

Originality/value – The paper enhances understanding of how coordination mechanisms evolve in different phases of innovation-generating business networks.