The Innovation Ecosystem as a Source of Value Creation

5Coherence and Interdependencies

Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.

Henry Ford, 1863–1947

5.1. Introduction

In the previous chapter, we highlighted the roles of the actors and their search for coherence through their diversified activities. We know that the actors set up mechanisms of co-specialization and dependence that are governed by complementarity, the mobility of the actors and the modularity of their activities that privilege membership as a mode of control for all the actors.

This chapter aims at deepening the links of pool and reciprocal interdependencies that these actors build to understand the design situations in which they find themselves. They seek to reinforce their capacities and to develop new ones, particularly relational capacities. The latter create meaning in these design situations and act upon the actors’ behaviors. The search for coherence in the innovation ecosystem is based on two modes of learning in action that combine pool and reciprocal interdependencies.

5.2. Towards a search for coherence between design situations and capabilities

5.2.1. Design situations and capabilities

Understanding the search for coherence of the innovation ecosystem begins with an understanding of the design situations within the ecosystem and then of its dynamics through the behaviors of actors. The evolution of ecosystems and of the practices of innovation actors means that the innovation ecosystem places ...