Peiran Su’s research while affiliated with Audencia Business School and other places

Whereas Patel and Pavitt’s (Econ Innov New Technol 3:77–95, 1994a) work has been modestly cited, its postulation of two archetypes for national innovation systems, i.e. dynamic and myopic national innovation systems, has hardly been used to advance insight in firm behaviour; in this chapter we explore this dichotomy and build a novel research instrument for characterising this behaviour with regard to technological activities (although we equate their original terminology with innovation). An exploration of the underlying postulations, background and domain assumptions leads to the development of elements for the instrument. At the same time, it demonstrates that firm behaviour has limitedly been discussed in the context of national innovation systems. Therefore, suggestions for research, including the use of research methods, build on the deliberations on this chapter. Furthermore, the thoughts on how to use the research instrument informed by systems theories indicate the multiple levels of analysis: decision making on and monitoring of innovation processes in firms and innovation networks, sectoral innovation systems, regional innovation systems and national innovation systems. In addition, decision making on and monitoring of innovation processes in firms and innovation networks is related in this chapter to two models derived from systems theories: the model for the dynamic adaptation capability and the model for management of innovation and organisational structures. Particularly, we advocate that data for using the research instruments to position firm behaviour in the continuum of dynamic and myopic national innovation systems can be aggregated to compare firms across sectoral, regional and national innovation systems; this will lead to answering the question whether firms’ perspectives on innovation are an expression of its individual approach to innovation management or whether they share traits related to managing innovation with other firms in an industrial sector, regional innovation system or national innovation system.