Markku Sotarauta

The Strategic Leadership Relay

Markku Sotarauta

How to Keep Regional Innovation Journeys in Motion?

Markku Sotarauta 2

This talk is about…

•  the place of leadership in regional innovation journeys,

•  processes of (institutional) change

But it is also about… •  a missing face and a prospective centre for

human spare parts

Markku Sotarauta 3 3Markku  Sotarauta  

Markku Sotarauta 4 Leadership studies in the

regional innovation system context

•  Three perspectives in mind o  the process perspective that informs a study on dynamism of

innovation systems and secures a temporally conscious approach,

o  network perspective that informs about the social relationships of the actors in and beyond the regional development world and

o  governance perspective that informs about the wider systemic issues framing and molding both the actual systems and journeys as well as forms of leadership

Markku Sotarauta 5 To put it simply

Leadership is about creating a way for people to contribute to

make something different happen and

about pooling the most relevant resources, competences and powers

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Institutional and resource power •  Power to act and decide – direct power exercised by official actors •  Power to create institutions and formulate official strategies •  Power to direct resources

Interpretive power •  Power to create and reshape interpretations •  Power to affect development view (more or less detailed system of

beliefs and values)

Network power •  Power to influence interaction processes

 (Sotarauta,  M.  2009.  Power  and  Influence  Tac9cs  in  the  Promo9on  of  Regional  Development:  An  Empirical  Analysis  of  the  Work  of  Finnish  Regional  Development  Officers.  Geoforum.  40:5.  pp.  895-­‐905)

Markku Sotarauta 7 Need a new jaw?

One size fits one!

Markku Sotarauta 8 Need a new jaw?

One size fits one!

Markku Sotarauta 9

I - Seeds of change (1997-2000)

Prof. Hovatta joins Regea

UTA professor TUT professor

Reg dev organisations

Informal discussions

II – Collective Interpretation (2001-2004)

III – Launch of activity (2004-2007)

IV – Institutionalization (2008-)

Existing expertise

Business plan

No business

Tissue bank

Research project

Regea (2005)

Endowed professorship

(City of Tampere)

Breakthrough treatments (2006/2007)

Situation now •  Commercialization •  Changing university

hospital routines •  BioMediTech (UTA and

TUT)

Excitement, collective

interpretation (excl research

community) Leadership of UTA and

Univ. hospital

Global expectations

Diminish

Planning group

discussions with all relevant parties

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0Markku  Sotarauta  

Institutional & resource power

Policy knowledge

Interpretive power

Network power

Process knowledge

Seeds of change

Substance knowledge

Markku Sotarauta 11 1

1Markku  Sotarauta  

Institutional & resource power

Policy knowledge

Interpretive power

Substance knowledge

Network power

Process knowledge

Collective Interpretation

Markku Sotarauta 12 1

2Markku  Sotarauta  

Institutional & resource power

Policy knowledge

Interpretive power

Network power

Process knowledge

Substance knowledge

Launch of activity

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3Markku  Sotarauta  

Institutional & resource power

Interpretive power

Substance knowledge

Network power

Policy knowledge

Process knowledge

Institutionalization

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Conclusions

1.  Leadership is a multi-scalar and multi-actor process o  Not a solo activity, no ‘heroic leadership’ - individuals do play a

role and take a lead

2.  Leadership is a relay of power and knowledge in time o  Different actors surface in different phases of development o  Constellation of different skills, competencies, knowledge and

power

3.  Leadership makes a difference o  It may be one of the factors that explains how and why some

localities are able to adapt to the complex and rapidly changing social and economic circumstances of the modern world

o  Lack of it may be one of the factors in failures

Markku Sotarauta 15