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Although failure has been described as a significant trigger for the organizational learning process, current literature studies have provided limited insight into the organizational conditions that foster learning from failure. Interpreting the organizational failure as a missed opportunity for a firm to anticipate, recognize, avoid, neutralize or adapt to external environment generating diverse misfits, our study investigates how firms respond to different misfits within and in their environment. Using interviews and document analysis, we identify four types of misfits-managerial, cultural, technical, and political-and examine how firms respond to these misfits over time. Our research reveals that firms exhibit distinct patterns of response and learning depending on the type of misfit encountered. We also identify specific strategies and resources that firms utilize to anticipate, prepare for, and respond to misfits, such as developing innovative solutions and cultivating external networks. Lastly, we discuss the managerial implications of our findings and propose avenues for future research.

In this chapter it is argued that there are notable parallels between the different strands within ethics on the one hand, and the discipline of accounting on the other hand that, in teaching, can be drawn upon to enhance students’ understanding of the latter. Accounting, part of economics, draws on utilitarian ethics, but not solely so. Accounting, in addition, draws also on deontological and communitarian strands in ethics. The chapter suggests that the teaching of accounting - especially to non-economists - would benefit substantially from highlighting and developing these parallels with ethics.

If employees have access to additional relevant knowledge and information, they can be more innovative, which is a reason for many firms to ally. Key in an alliance is the sharing of existing and creating of new knowledge, but transferring knowledge inside an alliance is not obvious or easy. Knowledge exchanged within an alliance must be perceived as relevant in order for it to be used. If individuals in an alliance can readily perceive knowledge to be relevant, the right knowledge is transferred and is transferred in an efficient manner. Building on stickiness of knowledge and knowledge relevance theory, we examine the relationship between an individual's job experience as well as intrinsic motivation on the one hand, on their perception of the relevance of others' knowledge on the other hand. These relationships are positively moderated by an individual's favourable position and connection strength in the network of individuals engaged in the alliance, respectively. We find a weak but insignificant negative relationship between job experience and perceived knowledge relevance. Being well-positioned in a network brings out the positive effect of job experience, as expected, whereas connection strength does not further enhance the positive effect of intrinsic motivation.

The transition towards a circular economy within the construction industry continues to be a formidable challenge. One reason why the construction industry is not at the forefront of circularity is due to the complexity of ecosystem-level organizational forms. In the construction industry, the product-based organizational form characterizes an ecosystem structure with multilateral interdependencies among firms seems to be a more compatible approach towards circularity. Nevertheless, little research has been conducted into how the inter-organizational arrangements and interdependencies of actors within a product-based structure affect the orchestration and alignment between different firms during the implementation of new circular practices in the construction industry. Using an explanatory multi-grounded theory approach, this study investigates how product-based organizational forms affect partner alignment in construction ecosystems compared to project-based organizational forms during the implementation of new practices within the wider transition towards circularity. Based on a multiple-case study involving seven ecosystems, it is suggested that there is a positive connection between a construction ecosystem implementing a product-based approach and the extent of partner alignment being performed by the lead firms as well as a stronger iterative use of orchestration mechanisms to achieve partner alignment. The findings are relevant for both business ecosystems and sustainability scholars.

An important way for the agrifood industry to continue to feed a growing world population as well as reduce its environmental impact is to extensively adopt Information Technologies that will “datafy” the industry. While the promises of datafication are high, the realization is lagging behind. We identify and discuss from an institutional economics point of view three related issues that help explain needs run behind realization: supply of data is separated from use of data; data quality, interoperability and standardization; and data completeness.

In recent years, the rapid growth of user-generated content has led to much research evaluating the patterns of online information exchange. These studies demonstrate that online communities are valuable data sources which provide rich, longitudinal data that would otherwise be difficult, if not impossible to access. Given the increased research interest, mining and analysing online social networks has become an important research domain, encompassing a variety of approaches. To analyse the large number of observations commonly found in online communities, we propose to first mine the data using a so-called Webscraper and then combine Social Network Analysis (SNA) with Sentiment Analysis to explore both content and relationships. The hands-on approach described in this article is targeted at researchers without a background in technical disciplines. Instead of focusing on some of the specific algorithms that facilitate the mining and analysis of online data, we describe how to use and combine out-of-the-box solutions to collect and analyse the online network data. Moreover, we document the steps taken and present important lessons learnt throughout the process of collecting and analysing data from an online health community with 108,569 registered users who contributed to 197,980 discussions with a total of 484,250 replies. In sum, our method proposes to: • Extract all relevant data from an openly accessible online community using a Webscraper. • Determine and visualise the relationships between users and the properties of the social network as a whole using Social Network Analysis. • Conduct Sentiment Analysis to detect the emotional tone of the online contributions, and to possibly infer further variables from the text such as the personality characteristics of users.

CONTEXT: Digital technologies nowadays play a major role in innovation within the agri-food domain. The evolution of IT systems has currently arrived at a level that involves complex systems integration and business ecosystems in which many stakeholders in different roles are involved. A new paradigm for digital innovation is needed that copes with this increased complexity. OBJECTIVE: This paper presents an empirically informed framework for analysing and designing viable, sustainable digital innovation ecosystems in the agri-food domain. METHODS: The research is based on a series of European large-scale public-private innovation projects from 2011 to 2021 with a total budget of 73 M€. They involved hundreds of stakeholders that were developing a large number of digital solutions through which a digital innovation ecosystem for agri-food was formed. In a longitudinal study, a conceptual framework was used to analyse these projects and describe how the digital innovation ecosystem has developed. Lessons learnt are translated into a number of design principles and an organizational approach to foster digital innovation ecosystems in agri-food. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The conceptual framework consists of 6 key concepts: (i) innovation strategy, (ii) innovation organization, (iii) innovation network that contains (iv) the innovation process and (v) the innovation object and finally (vi) an innovation infrastructure. Along these 6 concepts, lessons learnt and in total 21 design principles are derived from analysing the projects forming a basis for the organizational framework. At the core of this framework is a lean multi-actor approach to trials and use case development interacting with a set of multidisciplinary activities: (i) developing a common technical collaboration infrastructure, (ii) identifying value streams with user engagement, (iii) engaging the right partners and stakeholders at the right time supported by strategic project planning and dynamic managemen

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are pushed to introduce new technologies due to different requirements and changes in the business setting. The SMEs' transformation to exploit new technologies is challenging given their lack of resources and the complexity of technological transformation, which encompasses technology assimilation and business model innovation (BMI). Although studies recognize the complementarity of technology assimilation and BMI for benefiting from technology, the literature is fragmented, and the technological transformation phenomenon remains abstract, especially in the SMEs' context. To improve understanding of technological transformation in SMEs, a systematic literature review was performed on 165 peer-reviewed papers published from 1999 to 2022, building upon BMI and technology assimilation constructs. The descriptive analysis outlines the field's evolution in terms of research and technological trends. The content analysis shows that: most papers focus on factors; the literature falls short of providing theoretical conceptualization and guidelines for the technological transformation process; only a few studies are dedicated to assessing the outcomes of technological transformation in SMEs; and the papers suggest that SMEs present a low transformation level. Finally, we inductively built a framework for technological transformation and suggest five research avenues.

Formal institutions, most prominently laws, impact society and also the economy by changing actors’ behavior. How that impact can be conceptualized is in need of more elaboration. Klammer & Scorsone’s (2022) recent publication opens avenues on how to understand the ways in which institutions can over-instruct, under-instruct and ambiguously instruct the behavior of actors. Sources of and direction for institutional change can then be better understood.

Purpose: All firms' business models are based on their interdependencies with other parties in their ecosystems. The Internet of Things (IoT) is beginning to fundamentally disrupt the agri-food industry, forcing the ecosystem to change. When an ecosystem is transforming, the interdependencies among its actors can create friction. Technology providers and core actors should consider these interdependencies as they update their strategies for value creation and capture. The purpose of the present research is to consider what it might take for agri-food firms to capitalize on these interdependencies by moving from traditional business models to business models based on collaboration and open innovation. Design/methodology/approach: The present paper draws on data from four online focus groups that we created to discuss how to co-create the business models agri-food firms need in a constantly changing environment. The paper presents an application of phenomenon-driven research (PDR), an engaged methodology. The study method enables novel pathways to develop and implement innovative solutions. This study draws on the interaction of theory and practice and involves multiple stakeholders with varying roles in the agri-food ecosystem. Findings: The authors found that any open innovation setup in agri-food needs to constantly reconfigure itself to balance the needs of farmers and the needs of the market. This interplay can only support the IoT-enabled ecosystem if continuous interaction and negotiation occur among various stakeholders of the food system. When the farmers' needs and the market's needs are aligned, the space for developing a collaborative and open business model is prepared. Originality/value: The insights gained from this study inspire action and commitment to common goals when developing collaboration-based business models (CBMs). The paper offers insights for players in the agri-food industry who are considering CBMs in the course of digital transformati

Coopetition may help firms to respond collectively to technological change, and compete against disruptive innovation. Yet, coopetition often creates tensions, as coopetitors need to engage in persistently contradictory activities. While existing research focuses on dyadic coopetition, we know much less about multilateral coopetition; specifically, how tensions in multilateral coopetition arise and how they are managed in response to disruptive innovation. We use an in-depth case study of nine Dutch firms, who respond to digital disruption by introducing a new digital music platform, to analyse how tensions evolve in a multilateral coopetition entity. Our findings reveal two coopetitive tensions: a novel multilateral generalist–specialist contribution tension, and the well-known value creation–capture tension. The generalist–specialist contribution is an actor-activity-based tension that originates from the variable contributions of different vertical and horizontal coopetitors over time. Coopetitors try to resolve or balance this tension constantly via commensuration and orchestration of individual coopetitors' contributions, but the tension remains dormant and therefore re-appears. The second tension appears to stabilize over time as the coopetitive entity manages to balance the value creation–capture tension through an iteration of cooperation-inducing, competition-inducing and attendance to redirecting external events. The tensions are interlinked: the generalist–specialist contribution tension triggers subgroup coalition formation, which spurs the value creation–capture tension. We contribute to the coopetition literature by explaining how tensions emerge and are managed in multilateral coopetition, pointing to a new tension inherent in multilateral coopetition. Furthermore, we show how disruptive innovation uniquely shapes multilateral coopetition by inducing cooperative behaviour.

Efficient knowledge and information transfer within as well as across organizational boundaries are of a proven importance for survival and growth of firms. At the same time, however, on the one hand, knowledge available within organizations is not always used to its full capacity, at times at the considerable detriment of organizations involved. Furthermore, on the other hand, despite the recognized importance of an efficient interorganizational knowledge transfer, many collaborations have not delivered on their promises. Merges and acquisitions deals, for instance, are prone to fail. The goal of this article is to propose and illustrate a conceptual argument why knowledge and information transfer that crosses departmental and firm boundaries, and in doing so often also domain or disciplinary boundaries, is challenging.

The Stage-Gate process is a tool used by innovation managers to rationalize resource allocation the innovation process by breaking the innovation process into different stages, and determining progress and prospects at gates using pre-determined criteria. This study determines the performance impact of investing financial resources relatively heavily in the front-end or early stages of new product development (NPD) projects. Data was collected for NPD projects for one of the largest consumer electronics firms in the world. Investing relative more resources in front-end activities positively affects performance. The degree of newness of an NPD project positively moderates this relationship.

Suggesting socio-cultural values are selectors of institutions and institutional practices, and institutions in turn are selectors of (economic) behaviors, we investigate what explains the persistence of institutions that were aligned with past socio-cultural values when the values subscribed to in society have fundamentally changed. What, in other words, explains the persistence of obsolete institutions? We do so by investigating the labor market situation for academics in post-communist societies in Europe.

Actors, including economists, carry a responsibility for their actions and the consequences thereof seems obvious. In economics and among large numbers of economists this notion that economists should be responsible for their actions and the consequences thereof is not shared widely, as the financial crisis of 2007–8 and its aftermath indicated. We address related issues: economics has not really allowed conceptual space for the concept of responsibility. Responsibility, as commonly understood, is a duty or obligation of one particular individual towards others, such as individuals or institutions including the state. Individuals can thus be ‘held responsible’ for how their (lack of) actions affect others in a broad sense. We define responsibility as one’s self-limiting and self-assumed obligation towards others to be aware of how one’s actions have consequences for others–consequences which one is obliged to factor in when deciding upon an action. In this sense, we build on the work of Young ([2006]. Responsibility and Global Justice–a social connection model. Social Philosophy and Policy, 23 (1), 102–130.). Failure to factor in the consequences of one’s actions on others trying to avoid damage to others, even more than seeking others’ benefit, is a failure to behave responsibly. We discuss what this entails for the discussion about a professional code of conduct for economists. A code of conduct (rather than a law), i.e. a set of agreed upon rules to guide preferred behaviours of economists about what it means to act responsibly, will only prescribe to the extent that economists choose to have it affect their behaviour.

Purpose: All firms' business models are based on their interdependencies with other parties in their ecosystems. The Internet of Things (IoT) is beginning to fundamentally disrupt the agri-food industry, forcing the ecosystem to change. When an ecosystem is transforming, the interdependencies among its actors can create friction. Technology providers and core actors should consider these interdependencies as they update their strategies for value creation and capture. The purpose of the present research is to consider what it might take for agri-food firms to capitalize on these interdependencies by moving from traditional business models to business models based on collaboration and open innovation. Design/methodology/approach: The present paper draws on data from four online focus groups that we created to discuss how to co-create the business models agri-food firms need in a constantly changing environment. The paper presents an application of phenomenon-driven research (PDR), an engaged methodology. The study method enables novel pathways to develop and implement innovative solutions. This study draws on the interaction of theory and practice and involves multiple stakeholders with varying roles in the agri-food ecosystem. Findings: The authors found that any open innovation setup in agri-food needs to constantly reconfigure itself to balance the needs of farmers and the needs of the market. This interplay can only support the IoT-enabled ecosystem if continuous interaction and negotiation occur among various stakeholders of the food system. When the farmers' needs and the market's needs are aligned, the space for developing a collaborative and open business model is prepared. Originality/value: The insights gained from this study inspire action and commitment to common goals when developing collaboration-based business models (CBMs). The paper offers insights for players in the agri-food industry who are considering CBMs in the course of digital transformation

This Special Issue presents the seven best papers from the 30th IFAMA 2020 World Congress, reflecting the richness and quality of the agri-food business and management scholarship that IFAMA facilitates and promotes. They reveal the diversity of research topics and current practices related to the most pressing agri-food business and management issues. Whether the papers discuss vegetable producers cooperatives in Cambodia, innovation intermarries and enhancing collaboration in Sweden, or information nudges in ornamental plant labeling in the United States, the papers in this Special Issue illustrate the need for variegated professional and academic skills and expertise represented in IFAMA.

This chapter investigates the process of institutional field formation of circular economy (CE), by looking at how rulemaking and taking emerge in ‘contracts’ necessarily for supporting circular business. In this process, it focuses on the role of institutional intermediaries and thus use the literature on institutional field formation and the role of institutional intermediaries in that process for theoretical guidance. CE entails profound institutional processes to foster socio-economic transitions beyond business strategies and practices. The chapter theorizes about the emergence and formation of CE as institutional field and focuses on the role of institutional intermediaries through a qualitative case study approach. It then presents how circular value proposition elements and professional regulatory principles, ostensibly at odds with one another, are reconciled to make CE business activities feasible. Based on this evidence and analysis, the chapter presents findings on the role of the intermediary in the process of rulemaking and taking, and the formation of a regulatory landscape for CE.

We propose to analyze the supply chain not (just) as interconnected firms where products move from primary production, through processing, down to final consumer (user), but rather as collaborating firms that exchange information in order for each to function. This opens the analysis of supply chains up for institutional economic analysis and also allows one to acknowledge that information can be used strategically. Yet, information exchange can also be hampered because of a supply chain’s structure—we focus on this. The difficulty of exchanging information is particularly important when an industry and its supply chain newly emerges or is disrupted. In such circumstances the way in which information is presented and used is not institutionalized yet in a way that works for the parties involved. We show the relevance of this approach to understanding supply chains by referencing the agrifood supply chain as it is on the cusp of being disrupted by the extensive use of Information Technology.

Innovation is about individuals collaborating to share existing knowledge and create new knowledge. Increasingly these collaborations cross organisational boundaries, like in R&D alliances. Many of these alliances are coopetitive, partners cooperate, but also compete with each other. Although knowledge sharing in coopetitive settings has been studied on the firm and the unit level, the micro (individual) level is underresearched. We consider individual alliance-related work performance of alliance members in a (moderately) coopetitive R&D alliance, drawing on social network theory and the organisational coordination perspective. We examine the influence of individual alliance members’ position and level of activity in the alliance advice network on their work performance. We also examine the substitutive role of the alliance formal network, representing the official channels of knowledge sharing. We suggest that individuals’ work performance is better explained by their position in the formal network, rather than in the advice network.

In this article we suggest an institutional economic approach to classifying government policies, thus offering suggestions to improve the expected outcomes of government policy as well. We elaborate the argument for industrial policy-government policy to directly influence investment and resource allocation decisions by private companies. By adopting dimensions for industries that are stable over time, we can suggest which policies are suitable for which industries.

This study examines individual knowledge sharing in a coopetitive R&D alliance. R&D is increasingly carried out in an R&D alliance setting, where individuals share highly specialized tacit knowledge crossing firm boundaries. A particular challenging setting is the coopetitive R&D alliance, where partner firms partially compete and individuals may leak competitive knowledge. This setting has been studied on the level of the partner firm. We want to deepen insights by examining the individual level. Drawing on the motivation-opportunity-ability framework, we study the influence of individuals’ job experience (ability) on their performance in the alliance. We also examine effects of two- and three-way interactions between job experience, a central position in the social alliance network (opportunity) and intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. We find a positive association of job experience with individual performance, a positive interaction between job experience and extrinsic motivation and a positive three-way interaction between job experience, central network position and intrinsic motivation, and discuss the impact of these findings.

How markets and firms function is critically related to what knowledge and information is exchanged between whom, how quickly. Exchange of (symbolic) information needs to be properly institutionalized in order to be understood by others, on the one hand, but, on the other hand, cannot avoid being ambiguous to some degree as well (Dolfsma et al. 2011). Ambiguity allows for the dissent that allows for innovation in the broadest sense of the term. Institutionalization of communication is community-specific. The tension between institutionalization of and ambiguity in communication explains why innovations cannot depart too much from what is known and accepted in a community to be (ultimately) accepted as a legitimate novelty. The view of markets and firms as settings for institutionalized communication and knowledge exchange offers a perspective that institutional economists are well positioned for to offer insights on.

This paper identifies practices that can facilitate knowledge transfer in university–industry (U–I) research partnerships by systematically reviewing extant literature. We aim to contribute to the theoretical development in the field of academic engagement and propose that knowledge transfer provides a valuable perspective. We started our review with identifying barriers and facilitators of knowledge transfer. Extant literature identified knowledge differences and differences in goals resulting from different institutional cultures as important barriers to knowledge transfer. They result in ambiguity, problems with knowledge absorption and difficulties with the application of knowledge. Trust, communication, the use of intermediaries and experience are found as facilitators for knowledge transfer that help to resolve the identified barriers. Our analysis offers practical advice for the management of academic engagement. Finally, we identified questions for future research based on inconsistencies in extant research and open questions we encountered during our analysis.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review and assess the different strategies that what we call Info-firms can deploy in the markets that they serve. In many markets, a firm’s competitive advantage is derived from its information position. Firms that actively and extensively collect customer information may develop a number of strategies to increase their competitiveness. We refer to such firms as info-firms – for some firms, this is all that they do: collect and sell data about consumers. Info-firms can target either customers or other firms, and they target either existing or adjacent markets. A 2 × 2 matrix characterizing strategies is introduced. Some strategies are known, but their effects are more pronounced on online markets because of the overwhelming amount of data available, while other strategies that are discussed are new. The strategies that info-firms develop and use change the dynamics in value chains substantially. The strategies adopted affect the market and value chain dynamics and determine which parties in the market are likely to benefit (most). Design/methodology/approach: This is a conceptual paper. Findings: The strategies that info-firms develop and use change their dynamics in value chains substantially. Some strategies are known, but their effects are more pronounced on online markets because of the overwhelming amount of data available, while other strategies are new. Research limitations/implications: Drawing on an economic theory, an evaluation of the strategies that info-firms develop is offered, identifying which parties stands to gain the most. Practical implications: The effects of the use of strategies used by info-firms have been largely overlooked, and yet, strategies adopted affect the market and value chain dynamics and determine which parties in a market are likely to benefit (most). Originality/value: The classification of strategies that info-firms can develop, and the likely effects on the market dynamics and economic

This book is devoted to government failures, which imply that the government cannot fulfil its key obligations related to formulating rules. Representing the interests of society, the government establishes rules as frameworks within which market actors should act. However, while market failures have been discussed intensively in the economic literature, government failures are often neglected by scholars. In this book, the author tries to fill this gap through detailed consideration of the meanings of and reasons for government failures. The Journal of Economic Sociology publishes the first chapter, "Introducing Government Failure", and the second chapter, "How Market and Society Relate". In the first chapter, the author formulates the research problem and describes the structure of the book. The second chapter investigates how market and society are interrelated from three theoretical perspectives, as follows: society and markets as separate entities, markets embedded in society, and society within the market. The author also explores how markets and governments may contribute to social welfare. The case of healthcare reforms is used for this purpose.

Evolutionary economics has developed into an academic field of its own, institutionalized around, amongst others, the Journal of Evolutionary Economics (JEE). This paper analyzes the way and extent to which evolutionary economics has become an interdisciplinary journal, as its aim was: a journal that is indispensable in the exchange of expert knowledge on topics and using approaches that relate naturally with it. Analyzing citation data for the relevant academic field for the Journal of Evolutionary Economics, we use insights from scientometrics and social network analysis to find that, indeed, the JEE is a central player in this interdisciplinary field aiming mostly at understanding technological and regional dynamics. It does not, however, link firmly with the natural sciences (including biology) nor to management sciences, entrepreneurship, and organization studies. Another journal that could be perceived to have evolutionary acumen, the Journal of Economic Issues, does relate to heterodox economics journals and is relatively more involved in discussing issues of firm and industry organization. The JEE seems most keen to develop theoretical insights.

Purpose: to provide a view and analysis of the immediate field of journals which surround a number of key heterodox economics journals. Design/methodology/approach: Using citation data from the Science and Social Science Citation Index, the individual and collective networks of a number of journals in this field are analyzed. Findings: The size and shape of the citation networks of journals can differ substantially, even if in a broadly similar category. Heterodox economics cannot (yet) be considered as an integrated specialty: authors in several journals in heterodox economics cite more from mainstream economics than from other heterodox journals. There are also strong links with other disciplinary fields such as geography, development studies, women studies, etc.