Fixes that Fail in Collaborative Innovation: The Dynamics of Conflict, Decision-Making Speed, and Time Pressure

Collaborative innovation is increasingly employed to address grand societal challenges, including regional energy transition. However, the approach remains fraught with challenges. Bringing diverse stakeholders together in iterative, time-intensive innovation processes often triggers conflicts, requiring trade-offs between slower, participatory decision-making and faster, efficiency-driven approaches to meet deadlines. While prior research has identified key drivers, barriers, and best practices, the inherent dynamic complexity of collaborative innovation remains underexplored. Traditional linear models, which assume unidirectional causality among aspects like conflict, decision-making speed, and time pressure, overlook their nonlinear interactions, necessitating a systems perspective.
Drawing on rich qualitative data from a longitudinal case study, we address this gap by constructing a causal loop model to analyze the behavioural patterns and processual dynamics of a collaborative innovation initiative for the regional energy transition. Our model captures how the interplay between conflict, decision speed, and time pressure can both facilitate and frustrate collaborative innovation. For example, reducing participation and avoiding conflicts may initially expedite decisions but inadvertently escalate conflicts. Similarly, deadlines that foster deliberation and efficiency can result in premature consensus. We conceptualize this sustained tension between participation and efficiency—manifesting as sequences of ‘fixes-that-fail’—as a balancing act rather than an either-or dilemma. By integrating insights from planning and organizational theories, our study advances the understanding of collaborative innovation and offers practical guidance for stakeholders navigating its complexities.