The Systems Approach to Innovation Studies

The academic literature, and business practice, reveals a shift in the way analysts understand innovation processes. This shift is not revealed as a cohesive trend, rather it comprises contributions from a wide range of academic disciplines and empirical evidence. Building on Edquist (1997) this paper ties together the diverse new ideas which stress a systems approach to successful innovation. The paper presents an up-to-date overview of this fast moving field, with a view to assisting public policy makers and business managers in designing more effective innovation processes.