TY - JOUR
T1 - Innovation labS trategy
T2 - Unfolding the multifaceted role of strategic intent
AU - Osorio, Ferney
AU - Giones, Ferran
AU - Dupont, Laurent
AU - Camargo, Mauricio
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 The Authors
PY - 2025/3
Y1 - 2025/3
N2 - Innovation labs play a critical role at the intersection of science, industry, and society, fostering collaborative efforts to drive knowledge exchange and innovation. Despite these labs' growing presence, our understanding of the strategic mechanisms guiding their development remains limited. This study addresses this gap by examining how the enactment of strategic intent influences the evolution of innovation labs. Through a multiple-case study of three university-based labs, we uncover two strategic intent stances—amalgam and shield—that shape lab trajectories in stable and changing contexts. Further, we identify the multifaceted functions of strategic intent, showing how it integrates diverse goals or preserves the lab's ethos under varying external pressures. Our findings offer a practical framework to help innovation lab managers, decision-makers, and other stakeholders navigate complex environments and guide strategic decision-making. This research also advances the understanding of intra-organizational processes in innovation labs, providing both theoretical and practical insights into their sustainability and long-term impact.
AB - Innovation labs play a critical role at the intersection of science, industry, and society, fostering collaborative efforts to drive knowledge exchange and innovation. Despite these labs' growing presence, our understanding of the strategic mechanisms guiding their development remains limited. This study addresses this gap by examining how the enactment of strategic intent influences the evolution of innovation labs. Through a multiple-case study of three university-based labs, we uncover two strategic intent stances—amalgam and shield—that shape lab trajectories in stable and changing contexts. Further, we identify the multifaceted functions of strategic intent, showing how it integrates diverse goals or preserves the lab's ethos under varying external pressures. Our findings offer a practical framework to help innovation lab managers, decision-makers, and other stakeholders navigate complex environments and guide strategic decision-making. This research also advances the understanding of intra-organizational processes in innovation labs, providing both theoretical and practical insights into their sustainability and long-term impact.
KW - Innovation intermediaries
KW - Innovation lab
KW - Multi-case study
KW - Organizational evolution
KW - Strategic intent
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85214557190&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.technovation.2025.103170
DO - 10.1016/j.technovation.2025.103170
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85214557190
SN - 0166-4972
VL - 141
JO - Technovation
JF - Technovation
M1 - 103170
ER -