Spreading Bets or Going ‘All-In’? Navigating Consortia-led Digital Innovation Pathways

Posted: 18 Dec 2020

See all articles by Tomás Harrington

Tomás Harrington

University of East Anglia (UEA) - Norwich Business School

Nitin Joglekar

Boston University - Questrom School of Business

Jagjit Singh Srai

University of Cambridge - Department of Engineering

Date Written: November 23, 2020

Abstract

This paper explores the unique tensions and practical dynamics of pre-competitive consortia. As consortia can involve supply chain organizations, together with regulatory bodies and universities, participation is predicated by partners with markedly different outcome goals and risk dispositions. Some are willing to go ‘all-in’ for a long-term vision involving novel breakthroughs; others are focused on specific incremental gains. We draw from an eight-year dataset involving 98 entities, collaborating across five UK-based pharmaceutical sector consortia. We present case evidence from 14 projects where consortia are experimenting with a wide variety of digital initiatives, ranging from incremental to potentially game-changing (novel) innovations. A central issue here is the availability of alternative digital innovation pathways. So which pathway to take?

We follow an abductive approach to examine the nature of these pathways and how consortia are organizing efforts for specific innovation performance and allied risk outcomes. We find that sequential pathways are characterized by ‘tactical gains’. Here, ‘attractive’ cases determine the pathway choice, resulting in follow-on incremental activities. In contrast, simultaneous pathways require hypotheses development where immediate ROIs are not always apparent. Here, the consortium effect ‘de-risks risk conversations’, enabling partners to get internal buy-in. Navigating such pathways within consortia has theory and practice implications. For example, a surprising finding is the going ‘all-in’ approach, often seen as loaded with risk, can be appropriate from a risk mitigation perspective for novel projects. As is the case with emerging consortia-led Covid-19 vaccines, where steps that are normally taken sequentially are being carried out simultaneously.

Keywords: Consortia, Digitalization, Risk Mitigation, Project Management

Suggested Citation

Harrington, Tomás and Joglekar, Nitin and Srai, Jagjit Singh, Spreading Bets or Going ‘All-In’? Navigating Consortia-led Digital Innovation Pathways (November 23, 2020). Boston University Questrom School of Business Research Paper No. 3749950, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3749950 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3749950

Tomás Harrington (Contact Author)

University of East Anglia (UEA) - Norwich Business School ( email )

Norwich
NR4 7TJ
United Kingdom

Nitin Joglekar

Boston University - Questrom School of Business ( email )

595 Commonwealth Ave
Boston, MA 02466
United States

Jagjit Singh Srai

University of Cambridge - Department of Engineering ( email )

Institute for Manufacturing, Dept. of Enginee
17 Charles Babbage Road
Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB3 0FS
United Kingdom

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