Seeking the stakeholder-oriented value of innovation: A CKI perspective

This work focuses on the management of the innovation process. It provides a more comprehensive approach for the analysis of the mutual relationships among Creativity, Knowledge and Innovation (CKI), thus going beyond the one-to-one basis of analysis prevailing in literature. Given the varied set of stakeholders concerned with innovation process outcomes, the need for adopting different perspectives emerges (i. e. macroeconomic, institutional, socio-cultural and corporate). A framework including a set of indicators grouped by perspective is proposed in order to help capture several outputs of innovation processes. This is a qualitative research paper based on the literature review and the development of theoretical remarks. The multiple-case study approach corroborates the theoretical analysis. The model aims to provide an operating tool for the management of innovation processes. It helps assessing the impact of innovation plans and operating actions at any level. The model may support decision-making and control tasks in operating contexts, providing a strategic tool for governments and managers. This paper may encourage academicians to (1) refine the CKI perspective and (2) improve the model’s capacity to predict and assess the impacts of innovation processes. The framework may help analyzing a CKI interaction system. It allows understand the dynamics between creativity vs knowledge resource policies (creativity-based approach vs knowledge-based approach) and innovation goals. The model also serves to deepen the circular nature of CKI interactions and their outcomes.