Quantifying firms' innovation ecosystem orientation: Assessing the impact on innovation performance and triple bottom line collective benefits

Innovation ecosystems (IE) have gained prominence as drivers of business and sustainable development. Given their importance for social and economic development, they help address the increasing competition in globalized markets, the scarcity of natural resources, and the overall complexity of the innovation process. Despite their growing relevance, existing literature is characterized by theoretical ambiguity and methodological diversity. To address this, we propose a refined approach to measuring firms' IE orientation and clarifying its impact on innovation and collective benefits. We first conducted a qualitative content analysis to conceptualize the IE orientation. These insights informed a quantitative cluster analysis that was used to derive a classification variable. We then empirically tested this variable using survey data from 287 innovation managers to assess its relationship with innovation performance and collective benefits across economic, social, and environmental dimensions-aligned with the triple bottom line (TBL). Our findings from Southern European firms present a nuanced understanding of how IE orientation not only fosters enhanced innovation capabilities but also generates significant TBL benefits. This study underscores the potential role of IE in driving sustainable development within similar institutional contexts. By bridging the gap between theoretical conceptualization and empirical measurement, the study provides a more systematic and actionable understanding of IE.