Keywords

1 Introduction

The “Entrepreneurial Discovery” process of RIS3 is an attempt to support the proactive participation of all the regional “entrepreneurs” (RE) (enterprises, universities, research institutes, consulting organizations, institutional authorities etc.) in the strategic orientations of their region. However there is a lack of operational propositions (tool, methodology...) to instrument the implementation of the ED process [1]. Thus, this ED engenders the same limitations of past policies: the usual regional “leaders” (big companies, high-tech start-up, big laboratories etc.) are often solicited during the launch of RIS3 policies whereas the smaller actors (SMEs, individuals, association, laypersons etc.) are rarely taken into consideration and feel unable to contribute to the definition of the economic orientations of their regions.

Therefore, one of the major challenge for the RIS3 is to find new ways to foster the collaboration between all the RE in order to facilitate the active involvement of a broader set of regional stakeholders into an open and more inclusive ED process. Previously, we developed the WeKeyInnovation (WKI) [2] which is an open and collaborative wikiplatform to share information about existing innovation supports and to stimulate the identification of all the RE. As a complementary approach, we analyzed how the Collaborative Business Model (CBM) processes [3] could be used for the design of innovative copropositions leaded by RE at the territorial level [4]. However, the literature doesn’t address the question of the preparatory stage of CBM processes but some works emphasize on the potential to gather the right partners before to start any CBM processes [5]. Indeed, it is difficult to find mechanisms to help RE to identify the appropriate partners to achieve a successful collaboration. Thus, this paper is focused (Sect. 2) on the need to improve the “Matching” efficiency between RE as a necessary pre-step of CBM processes. Then, we present in Sect. 3 a deep characterization of RE profiles directed to support the comprehension of their respective expectations. In Sect. 4 we propose a conclusion and some perspectives toward visual representations of RE profiles to support their potential of “Matching”.

2 Enhancing the Matching Potential of RE to Increase CBM Efficiency

2.1 A More Comprehensive Profile Characterization to Enhance the “Matching” Potential of RE

Our main assumption is that achieving a better characterization of RE profiles before their participation to any networking or collaborative event increases the probability of matching among them. During this preparatory phase of CBM, it is a critical issue to enhance their mutual understanding and maximize their chances of collaboration. Moreover, getting a more comprehensive knowledge about the different aspects of each RE profile and their expectations when they meet during specific events is also strategic:

  • for organizers of networking events (business meeting, seminar, workshop, conference...) to better prepare their affair with a more efficient consortium of participants;

  • for RE participants that better explicit and specify their true needs concerning the event. They can also decide to attend or not to the different proposed events and identify, “filter” and match with more appropriate profiles of potential partners.

Indeed, we will face a plurality of RE profiles attending to the same event depending on:

  • each RE individual socio-demographic characteristics (age, gender, education etc.), personality traits (need for achievement, risk predisposition etc.), values orientation (continuity, openness to change, self-enhancement) [6, 7];

  • and according to its affiliated organization features (size, sector, structure etc.), its organizational culture (hierarchical, results-oriented, group-oriented etc.) [8, 9], its environmental confines (stability, uncertainty, hostility...), the hierarchical structure of its motivations or success criteria and its instantaneous strategic expectations in a specific context or regarding to the topic of one meeting [10, 11].

Previous works have been considered only unidirectional influencing factors that led to an increasing number of entrepreneurs’ typologies or taxonomies [12, 13] which were strongly criticized because they were inappropriate to grasp entirely such a complex and multidimensional phenomenon [14]. Moreover, this set of heterogeneous entrepreneur’s typologies and taxonomies led to the multiplication of contradictory results, classification or prescriptions which are impossible to compare [15] and casting doubt on the existence of homogeneous entrepreneurs’ profiles. The limits are even stronger if we study this phenomenon through the perspective of RIS3 “entrepreneurs” i.e. the RE because it implies to consider a broader set of unusual socio-economic actors than in others entrepreneurship researches.

We present in the next section a methodology proposition to support a more detailed characterization of RE profiles in order to facilitate their matching and enhance their potential of collaboration.

3 Toward a More Comprehensive Characterization of RE Profile: A Configurational and Multidimensional Approach to Support Their Potential of Collaboration

3.1 From Entrepreneur to RIS3 “Regional Entrepreneur” Characterisation

The characterization of ED is an increasing challenge because the two founding concepts of RIS3, the RE and the ED process broadens the scope of the fields and the range of socio-economic stakeholders to consider. RIS3 is open to all individuals and all types of organizations embedded in the society at regional level. In this context, studies which focused on specific aspects of the entrepreneurial dynamics are too narrow to grasp the full dimensions of the heterogeneous set of RE potentially affected by the ED process of RIS3.

Based on others studies which encompassed the use of classifications and quantitative analysis [16], our goal is to support RE during the process of identification-selection of potential partners. It requires to foster the matching efficiency which occurs between RE as a pre-step of any CBM attempt. The objective is only to bring them more information regarding to each RE characteristics and contextual expectations. Our purpose is to facilitate their mutual understanding in order to offer them an increased range of choices and possibilities of collaboration with unexpected regional actors. However, the challenges are multiple and it implies therefore to define which information to get, the adequate ways to collect it, and to choose the proper supports to use to make it accessible to all RE.

3.2 Embracing a Configurational Approach

We need to think in terms of crossed variables because the characteristics of RE profiles form a unique combinations of interconnected dimensions. We embrace a configurational approach [17,18,19] to overcome the shortcomings of past studies that restricted their analysis to one dimension of the entrepreneur’s profiles or to precise aspects of entrepreneurship. The configurational approach enables to grasp much of the multiple areas interacting in the characterization of RE profiles. The definition of unique configurations of variables copes with the aim of this study because:

  • It brings a more comprehensive understanding of the interrelated dimensions embedded into each unique RE profile and its specific expectations,

  • It lets at the same time the possibility for further analysis of separated sets of different aspects (e.g. personality traits, organizational features, resources, environment etc.).

A strong literature review had been made to settle this configurational analysis of RE profiles. We selected the areas that correspond to the most often cited dimensions which influence their decisions and their behaviors. We gathered in (Fig. 1) the most complete set of items that have demonstrated constant significance in the relevant research or that were the most often cited in the literature review.

3.3 The Combination of Generic and Contextual Dimensions of RE Profiles

We suggest to use both generic and contextualized information as an interesting alternative to get a more comprehensive understanding of each specific RE profile. Hence, all the items and RE profiles aspects that we gathered in the literature review were grouped into two distinct but complementary sets of “Generic” and “Contextual” dimensions (Fig. 1). The “generic dimensions” are RE characteristics which remain stable or that evolve very slowly in the long-term whereas the “contextual” ones are more inclined to change depending on each particular context [20].

To cope with this challenge, the “context-dependent” dimensions are listed as a set of possible dialogical (i.e. antagonistic but complementary) orientations [21]. RE will have to precise their expectations regarding to those dialogical orientations before to participate to any specific event. It is precisely the arbitration between pertinent and rival values which is guiding their attitudes and their behaviors in different acts, at different moments and in different contexts [22].

Fig. 1.
figure 1

Generic and contextual dimensions of Regional Entrepreneurs profiles

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This consideration of each RE positioning can help them to clarify their oppositions but it also facilitates the identification of common or complementary interests. This effort toward a better mutual understanding between RE makes it easier to match and start a dialogue or a collaboration with a broader set of potential unexpected partners.

The combination of such a complementary set of characteristics and the hybridization of the generic and the contextual dimensions of RE profiles in a configurational approach is a promising path to facilitate their interaction and to increase their possibilities of collaboration at regional level. However, this list is not exhaustive and it is still adjustable by and for all organizers-facilitators regarding to the topic and the goals of each event. It also requires to be completed to further improvements, reductions or extensions directed by complementary researches and empirical testing.

Fig. 2.
figure 2

An example of radar-charts to give a visual representation of RE profile

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4 Conclusions and Further Perspectives

As a conclusion, the goal of our study is to get a better profile characterization of each RE to facilitate their mutual comprehension and increase their probability of “Matching” successfully. The aim is to enhance the “collaboration” between RE at regional level and to support a broader participation of smaller actors in the flow of the “bottom up” propositions of the ED process of RIS3. This work is also opening a research perspective for the design of new tools to support the recognition and the comprehension of each personalized RE profile or expectations in order to facilitate their “matching” (Fig. 2). This paper highlighted several shortcomings in different levels and areas of regional innovation strategy. We underlined first the limits of the actual ED process and the need for its instrumentation within heterogeneous European regions. Secondly we presented the use of the CBM approach as a suitable strategic tool to support the collective participation of a broader set of RE within the RIS3. However we pointed out the necessity to focus on the preparatory stage of those CBM processes in order to increase their efficiency. Third, we emphasized on the necessity to get a comprehensive characterization of RE profiles. We presented a table embracing a configurational approach which combine both generic and contextual dimensions of RE profiles.

This contribution aims to grasp much of the multiple dimensions which characterize each single and unique RE profile. The main objective is to:

  • Include a broader set of unexpected RE which have not previously been consulted about the RIS3 initiative;

  • Reach a more comprehensive view of their respective and instantaneous expectations;

  • Facilitate their mutual understanding and their interactions;

  • Support the identification of potential partners and foster their probability of “matching”;

  • Enhance the potential of collaboration between all RE in the long term to feed a continuous dynamic of co-constructed propositions within the ED process of RIS3.