Managing cross boundary collaboration for value creation: lessons from a 'Blue Growth' initiative

Cummins, Valerie; Verdin, Paul; Edmondson, Amy

Managing cross boundary collaboration for value creation: lessons from a 'Blue Growth' initiative

Files

11132_Cross-Boundary_Collaboration_for_Value_Creation_May_2018.pdf(248.34 KB)

Accepted version

Date

2018-06

Authors

Cummins, Valerie

Verdin, Paul

Edmondson, Amy

Publisher

Strategic Management Society, SMS

Abstract

New growth initiatives require collaboration across traditional sectors to develop eco-systems that can deliver sustainable sources of value. Collaborating across academic disciplines, the authors analyse a recent case of unprecedented collaboration between academia, government and industry in Ireland concerning marine innovation. Our analysis investigates: the effects of organizational structure and the characteristics of innovators; interpersonal dynamics that frustrate or enable cross-boundary teaming; and the role of senior executives in detecting, and responding to small deviations in expectations to avoid large-scale organizational failures. To leverage the potential benefits of cross-sector collaboration, we argue that leaders must engage in strategic error management. This paper extracts the value from the Irish case to find ways to avoid the mistakes of the relatively short-lived collaboration in future innovation efforts.

Keywords

Marine innovation , Error management , Cross-sector collaboration , Irish Marine and Energy Research Cluster (IMERC) , Blue Growth

Citation

Cummins, V., Verdin, P. and Amundsen, A. (2018) 'Managing Cross Boundary Collaboration for Value Creation: Lessons from a 'Blue Growth' Initiative', SMS Special Conference, Strategic Management, Oslo, Norway, 7-9 June.