#16 Innovation Collaboration in Soundhub Denmark.

The Thesis Talks

This work investigates the role of interorganizational proximities (IOP), knowledge attributes and organizational learning dynamics in innovation collaboration (IC) among startups and large firms. In the context where knowledge is seen as a pivotal resource in building and maintaining a sustainable competitive advantage, both large firms and startups aim to access new expertise which they cannot produce behind closed doors, through mutual collaboration. We have developed three main theoretical pillars, allowing for the construction of a deep understanding of the innovation collaboration between startups and large firms. Firstly, on an actor-level, by contextualizing IC and inquiring into the main motives different actors have for participating in IC. Secondly, on a level of dyad, investigating interorganizational proximities’ role in organizational learning and thirdly by testing the validity of Contractor and Ra’s (2002) theoretical framework, which heedfully brings together our interest in organizational learning dynamics in IC and types of IC governance. Using a critical-realist point of view, the aim of the thesis is to confirm or refute the aforementioned theory by comparing it to the observed results gathered on the case study of SoundHub Denmark, which is an example of IC between startups and large firms in sound tech sector. This “real life” case was explored through an empirical and qualitative investigation utilizing nine semi-structured interviews with experts involved in the SoundHub IC.