Networked foresight¬タヤThe case of EIT ICT Labs

Article history: Received 1 July 2013 Received in revised form 31 January 2014 Accepted 2 February 2014 Available online 21 February 2014 The objective of this article is to explore the value of networked foresight: foresight conducted in innovation networks for the benefit of the network and its partners with active contributions from the partners. Strategic management, specifically the dynamic capabilities approach and vast literature on corporate and strategic foresight argue that deficiencies like one-dimensionality, narrow-sightedness and myopia of closed corporate processes are remedied by incorporating external sources. A broad knowledge base promises to especially benefit foresight in multiple ways. Thus, created an analytical framework that integrates the dynamic capabilities approach with existing results on potential value contributions of foresight, enriched with existing findings in networked foresight and organizational design in the light increasing importance of interorganizational networks. We conducted a series of interviews and a survey among foresight practitioners in a network to explore the perceived value proposition of networked foresight for the network partners and the network itself. The analysis is based on data drawn from the EIT ICT Labs network of large industry corporations, small-and-medium sized companies, and academic and research institutes. Our study shows that network partners use the results primarily for sensing activities, i.e. data collection and to a lesser extend activity initiation. More sensitive and fundamental organizational aspects such as strategy and decision-making or path-dependency are less affected. Especially SMEsmay benefit substantially from network approaches to foresight whereas MNEs are more confident in their existing corporate foresight processes and results. The value for the network itself is substantial and goes beyond value creation potential for companies as discussed in literature. The development of a shared vision—relatable to organizational learning and reconfiguration capabilities—was identified as particularly valuable for the network. © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC-BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/).