Unlocking value from a vehicle pooling start-up initiative: a stakeholder perspective

Purpose - This paper aims to provide a qualitative analysis of the end result of the design and implementation process of a vehicle pooling platform. It analyzes Creativity vs Knowledge interaction patterns in the innovation process under the four different perspectives proposed in the theoretical framework of the CKI model (Palmieri and Giglio, 2013; Palmieri and Giglio, 2014). It aims to identify determining factors and impacts of the technology platform at urban, regional or national level. This application of the CKI model is geared to prove how its comprehensive slant supports the design, monitoring and assessment of innovation plans. Design/methodology/approach - This work is based on a case study approach and on a qualitative research involving literature review activities. Its design is compliant with the theoretical framework of the CKI model in order to identify the aforementioned four perspectives and capture the outcomes of the innovation process for all possible stakeholders. It utilizes a mixed methodology consisting of a panel of experts, geared to perform a qualitative assessment of the magnitude of impacts of the entrepreneurial initiative, and the participation observation methodology, for a complementary analysis of interaction patterns throughout the process. Originality/value - The study proposes a very recent theoretical framework to analyze entrepreneurial initiatives with a broader perspective than the prevailing one in literature. Applying the CKI model to the case study at hand proves how deep can be the impacts of a start-up initiative and helps deepening the impacts of Creativity vs Knowledge interaction patterns at the initial stage of the innovation process. Moreover, it provides a hitherto unexplored methodological approach consisting of a complementary analysis of interaction patterns in innovation processes by mixing the participation observation and the panel of experts methodologies. Practical implications - The end result of this study shows the real-world impacts of such a research project focusing on the value creation for different stakeholders and the community as a whole. It deepens also how Creativity vs Knowledge dynamics play as determinants and affect the end result of the innovation process. This work includes also a methodology tool for scholars since it is endowed with two complementary approaches - i.e. participation observation and panel of experts. Finally, this paper provides scholars with the first guide about the application of the CKI in order to conduct similar studies in other contexts.