In search of meaning: Everyday encounters for inter-organisational innovation

Paper in proceeding, 2017

This paper problematises the meaning of value co-creation in inter-organisational innovation when there are many different views of what is valuable about working together. Drawing on the observation of face-to-face interaction, the paper presents ethnographic snapshots that illustrate how people raise their views of the purposes and benefits of working together as they search for meaning in what they are doing. The paper outlines five main aspects of value that people raise during the relational moments of everyday encounters: ideas related to an organisation’s core business; outreach to potential employees; increasing awareness of corporate brand; personal development for participants; and transformation of wider society. The paper illustrates the importance of encounters in providing opportunities for sensemaking about the potential benefits of inter-organisational innovation. It is during such interaction that collaborating with others for innovation becomes meaningful.