Transforming Business Ecosystems through Collaborative and Cluster Innovation : An International Benchmarking Analysis

How to Drive Innovation by Public Policy or Top Down Initiative? How to Build Epistemic Communities for Innovation Networks? Our paper deals with Local or National Systems of Innovation for Growth or Competitive Advantage of Firms and Nations, and more particularly with Innovation Ecosystems performance based on ethnomedothodology and interactionism approaches of innovation considering there is no hierarchy between technology and society as observed by Actor-Network Theory (Calon, Latour, 1981). Our major assumptions are to consider that (1) territories are Innovation Ecosystems (Creative Ecosystems), (2) Public policies tend now to promote creativity and innovation in their territories to increase their competitiveness and attractiveness (Becattini, 1978; Porter, 1990; Magnasco & Triglia, 1977, (3) Innovation Ecosystems result from social networks, norms, values, culture and social institutions interacting (Granovetter, 1985) , and (4) Successful innovators focus not only on Technologies (Technology-Driven Management) but also on the customer, value market and stakeholders research (Market-Driven Management) West, Lu, 2009 ; Narver & Slater, 1990 ; Jaworski & Kohli, 1993 ; Webster A., 1994 ; Greenlay & al., 2005 ; Lambin, 2005). We tend to observe how creative ecosystems can be driven as Business Ecosystem, Innovation Clusters or Competitiveness Clusters and we analyse risks and failures of each of them to propose a composite model of business ecosystem including epistemic communities, common knowledge and common strategic intents. We conclude that, in one hand, Close Network and Bottom-up Initative as US clusters have to Transform Competition to Coopetition, Respect of the firms' borders, Preserve key skills, Preserve key technologies (and property rights), Preserve the firms' borders, Respect cultural differences, Respect the management philosophy of each partner, and adopt a Fair sharing of value between partners. In the other hand, Distanced Network and Top-Down Initative as Competitiveness french Clusters have to Finance the operational realization of projects and Promote an Epistemic Community by Connecting of Formation and Research to the Business.