Anssi Smedlund

Assessing intellectual capital creation in regional clusters

To provide a theoretical model of the dynamics of intellectual capital creation in regional clusters and in inter‐organizational networks. The model has been constructed on the basis of earlier studies, especially systems theoretical interpretation of organizations as knowledge systems, and then applied to the examination of a regional cluster operating in the mechanical wood processing industry in Eastern Finland. Intellectual capital in regional clusters is created by three main knowledge creation activities, each of which corresponds to a specific type of an inter‐organizational network. First, production networks aiming at efficiency and replication should function according to mechanistic system logic, focusing on the enactment of rules and regulations. Development networks aiming at continuous incremental development, on the other hand, are most successful when adhering to an organic mode, which emphasizes participation, tacit knowledge sharing, dialogue and mutual adjustments. Finally, innovation networks seeking to produce new intangible assets benefit from a dynamic systems model, where entropy and spontaneous knowledge flows form the basis for mastering radical change. Model should be applied to more cases to ascertain its validity. Provides means for understanding, assessing and managing creation of knowledge‐based value in inter‐organizational collaboration. Addresses three gaps in existing research: it focuses on regional intellectual capital; it examines the ways in which intellectual capital is created as a dynamic process; it provides means for understanding the future potential of a region.

The roles of intermediaries in a regional knowledge system

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to provide a tool to map the critical roles of intermediate organizations. To clarify the concept of intermediate organizations in a regional context, especially from the network dynamics point‐of‐view. Design/methodology/approach – Regional dynamics are presented as networks of production, development and innovation in the regional cluster. The intermediaries are divided into national, regional and local level actors. The roles of the intermediaries from the network dynamics point‐of‐view are then illustrated with examples from a case study in a medical technology cluster located in a sparsely inhabited area in Finland. Findings – According to the results of the case study, the regional intermediaries have the most important role in the creation and supporting of the network dynamics. The most critical roles include forming shared innovation strategies between the actors and attracting anchor tenants to the region. Research limitations/implications – The characteristics of the case region are discussed in a generic sense with the concepts of social capital and communities of practice. Practical implications – Conceptually, the article provides an approach to reducing the complexity of the regional networks to a more understandable level. The model provides a tool for the decision makers in a region to define the critical roles of the intermediaries from the network dynamics point‐of‐view. Originality/value – The novel approach introduced in this paper addresses three gaps in existing research: it helps to define the concept of an intermediary in a regional context; it shows that the intermediaries have a much broader role in a region than just knowledge transfer and that the roles of the intermediaries differ on national, regional and local levels.

The role of KIBS in the IC development of regional clusters

Purpose – The paper seeks to introduce the concept of knowledge‐intensive business services (KIBS) in the context of regional networks and to analyze the roles of KIBS in regional development, especially from the viewpoint of regional intellectual capital.Design/methodology/approach – Regional networks are presented as the networks of production, development and innovation in the region. Drawing from recent literature, the roles of KIBS in regional networks are discussed.Findings – It is argued that networks for production emphasize explicit knowledge, networks for development emphasize tacit knowledge, and networks for innovation emphasize emergent, potential knowledge. It is further stated that KIBS provide the timely information needed in production networks, transfer best practices that support learning in development networks, and function as sources of innovation and facilitators of innovation processes in innovation networks.Practical implications – The paper provides an approach to reduce the comp...

Social network structures for explicit, tacit and potential knowledge

The purpose of this conceptual article is to develop argumentation of the knowledge assets of a firm as consisting of three constructs, to extend the conventional explicit, tacit dichotomy by including potential knowledge. The article highlights the role of knowledge, which has so far not been utilized in value creation. The underlying assumption in the article is that knowledge assets can be thought of as embedded in the relationships between individuals in the firm, rather than possessed by single actors. The concept of potential knowledge is explained with selected social network and knowledge management literature. The findings suggest that the ideal social network structure for explicit knowledge is centralized, for tacit knowledge it is distributed, and for potential knowledge decentralized. Practically, the article provides a framework for understanding the connection between knowledge assets and social network structures, thus helping managers of firms in designing suitable social network structures for different types of knowledge.

Platform Orchestration for Efficiency, Development, and Innovation

Platform research has expanded from management of technology domains towards the service of a business. Any kind of venue -- physical or virtual - enabling a one-sided, two-sided or multi-sided market can be thought of as a platform. Digital platforms compete against each other and some become successful while others fade away. Platform cannot be managed in a goal-oriented fashion because the number of actors and relationships between them increases beyond the ability of what the platform owner can handle. However, a platform can be orchestrated by designing and facilitating processes taking place among participants. In this conceptual paper, we review the literature on platforms and participant roles. We present four platform categories and three platform orchestration modes. In conclusion, we suggest that winning platform requires simultaneous orchestration of efficiency, development and innovation in order to attract and lock-in participants, facilitate transactions, and create novel offerings.

Digital Health Platform Complementor Motives and Effectual Reasoning

Multi-sided markets mediated with digital platforms are taking over many sectors of the economy and society. In the healthcare sector, Apple Healthkit and Google Fit are emerging digital platforms for managing fitness data and developing a connected market. Technology firms should consider platform complementor roles as alternatives to so-called traditional means of entering markets. As complementors, they can use not only the stable technological core maintained by the platform owner, but also dynamic elements being co-created among participants. Accumulating end-user data, processes, user experience and emerging social community in the platform increase uncertainty and challenge complementors to continuously adapt their decision making. This paper reports results of an interview study on digital health-platform complementor motives, and argues that complementors need effectual logic instead of causal logic in contributing to an emerging digital platform.

Firm Strategies in Open Internet of Things Business Ecosystems: Framework and Case Study

We present a typology of strategies employed by firms using the Internet of Things (IoT). The IoT is a distributed network of connected physical objects. As these devices exchange data with each other instead of through an intermediary, the IoT increases complexity of business ecosystems, and opens up new business opportunities. When the platform owner does not own the data and technology is mostly open source, other actors can use and build on them. In addition to platform owner’s strategy, we propose a framework with three additional strategies, based on whether the firms’ offering integrates into the specific industrial value chain or contributes to the IoT ecosystem, and whether the firm offering is by nature stand-alone or systemic. With a multiple case study design, we explore this framework in the setting of 23 firms in a large research project context. The descriptions of the identified IoT strategies support our framework.