Driving research on eco-innovation systems:Crossing the boundaries of innovation systems

Sustainability is now a part of all areas of today's society and has become a cornerstone of economic,social,and environmental prosperity.Its pivotal role means that sustainability has also influenced the innovation process.Over the last few decades,new innovationrelated concepts linked to sustainable development have emerged in the form of environmental,green,sustainable,and eco-innovations;nevertheless,technological and innovation developments still occur within the boundaries of an innovation system.Innovation systems possess unique characteristics that shape activities,actions,and decisions.The separate bodies of literature on eco-innovation and innovation systems are extensive;however,the status of the literature on the intersection of these two topics is less clear.This study provides an overview of the scientific literature in the area where ecoinnovation and innovation systems meet,and a bibliometric analysis shows that the joint study of eco-innovation and innovation systems is an unexplored knowledge field.Thus,the main authors and documents that provide the foundation of the literature on ecoinnovation and innovation systems were identified,and theoretical knowledge was grouped into four clusters according to thematic areas:Cluster 1 related to eco-innovation;Cluster 2 related to innovation systems;and Clusters 3 and 4,which include the elements that constitute and interact within eco-innovation systems.We hope that this study will encourage scholars to conduct research on eco-innovation systems,which could have positive implications for the design and implementation of new policies and instruments to achieve sustainable development.

A configurational approach to innovation performance:The role of creativity

In this study,we analyze new ways of conceptualizing improvements in firms'innovation by implementing the"right-factors configuration,"illustrated through an analog of a recipe and its ingredients.Specifically,we research the multiple combinations of three ingredients(creativity,innovation networks,and resources)required to accomplish the innovation recipe.Using a sample of firms from a Spanish science and technology park,we apply qualitative comparative analysis(QCA)-specifically,fuzzy-set QCA(fsQCA)-to test the importance of each component in technological and non-technological innovation.First,the results suggest a map of combinations of innovative ingredients with eight possible patterns.Second,they show that the only ingredient needed is the combination of a creative climate and creative intensity.Finally,the methods of obtaining technological and non-technological innovations differ.The implications for management and policymakers are discussed,and directions for future research are highlighted.