Beyond Organisational Borders: The Soft Power of Innovation in the Health Sector; Comment on “What Managers Find Important for Implementation of Innovations in the Healthcare Sector – Practice Through Six Management Perspectives”

Document Type : Commentary

Author

Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Centro de Estudos Internacionais, Lisbon, Portugal

Abstract

Health is not just a physiological state, it is also a relational phenomenon. This means health is a collective challenge, often a cross-border one. Diplomacy in the health sector has progressively received more attention from formal actors (national states, international organisations, etc) but after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) challenge, this attention became a global emergency mobilising an expansive set of knowledge-seeking players (industry, research networks, civil society, etc). This paper comments on and leverages the contribution by Palm and Feschier on innovation management at the organisational level to address a complementary dimension: the internationalization process, and the need for a particular set of skills and routines to make innovations travel through different markets and regulatory contexts. Our argument is that marketing (knowing about customers) and diplomacy (understanding framing institutions) constitute a set of dynamic capabilities (soft power) that are critical for the effective internationalization of innovation.

Keywords

References

  1. Palm K, Persson Fischier U. What managers find important for implementation of innovations in the healthcare sector–practice through six management perspectives. Int J Health Policy Manag. 2021. doi:34172/ijhpm.2021.146
  2. Castellaci F, Grodal S, Mendonça S, Wibe M. Advances and challenges in innovation studies. J Econ Issues. 2005;39(1):91-121. doi:1080/00213624.2005.11506782
  3. Caraça J, Lundvall BÅ, Mendonça S. The changing role of science in the innovation process: from Queen to Cinderella? Technol Forecast Soc Change. 2009;76(6):861-867. doi:1016/j.techfore.2008.08.003
  4. Costa CM, Mendonça S. Knowledge-intensive consumer services. Understanding KICS in the innovative global health-care sector. Res Policy. 2019;48(4):968-982. doi:1016/j.respol.2018.10.026
  5. Wilson EJ. Hard power, soft power, smart power. Ann Am Acad Pol Soc Sci. 2008;616(1):110-124. doi:1177/0002716207312618
  6. Ittelson P, Mauduit JC. Science & Diplomacy: How Countries Interact with the Boston Innovation Ecosystem. Washington, DC: DiploFoundation; 2019.
  7. Yu X, Si S. Innovation, internationalization and entrepreneurship: a new venture research perspective. Innovation. 2012;14(4):524-539. doi:5172/impp.2012.14.4.524
  8. Griset P. Innovation diplomacy: a new concept for ancient practices? Hague J Dipl. 2020;15(3):383-397. doi:1163/1871191x-bja10036
  9. Filippetti A, Frenz M, Ietto-Gillies G. Are innovation and internationalization related? An analysis of European countries. Ind Innov. 2011;18(5):437-459. doi:1080/13662716.2011.583461
  10. Santos AB, Bogers ML, Norn MT, Mendonça S. Public policy for open innovation: opening up to a new domain for research and practice. Technol Forecast Soc Change. 2021;169:120821. doi:1016/j.techfore.2021.120821
  11. Leijten J. Exploring the future of innovation diplomacy. Eur J Futures Res. 2017;5(1):20. doi:1007/s40309-017-0122-8
  12. Freixanet J, Rialp A, Churakova I. How do innovation, internationalization, and organizational learning interact and co-evolve in small firms? A complex systems approach. J Small Bus Manag. 2020;58(5):1030-1063. doi:1111/jsbm.12510
  13. Varela C, Costa CM, Godinho MM. Diplomacia científica: do conhecimento académico ao soft power político. Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa; 2017. p. 60-61.
  14. Costa CM. Internacionalização como contexto para novas políticas de ciência e tecnologia. Parcerias Estratégicas. 2015;19(39):27-34.
  15. Mendonça S. Diplomacia científica e tecnológica, comunicação de inovação e empreendedorismo. Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa; 2016. p. 46-47.
  16. Costa CM. The words of the belt and road initiative: a Chinese discourse for the world? In: Leandro FJ, Duarte PA, eds. The Belt and Road Initiative: An Old Archetype of a New Development Model. Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan; 2020. p. 23-44. doi:1007/978-981-15-2564-3_2
  17. Castaldi C, Mendonça S. Regions and trademarks: research opportunities and policy insights from leveraging trademarks in regional innovation studies. Reg Stud. 2022;56(2):177-189. doi:1080/00343404.2021.2003767
  18. Mendonça S, Damásio B, Charlita de Freitas L, Oliveira L, Cichy M, Nicita A. The rise of 5G technologies and systems: a quantitative analysis of knowledge production. Telecomm Policy. 2022;46(4):102327. doi:1016/j.telpol.2022.102327
International Journal of Health Policy and Management

Articles in Press, Corrected Proof
Available Online from 27 June 2022

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 21 March 2022
  • Revise Date: 05 June 2022
  • Accept Date: 26 June 2022
  • First Publish Date: 27 June 2022

Share

How to cite

Statistics