Papers by Dimos Chatzinikolaou
International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, 2024
The “ecosystem perspective” seems to be gaining importance in energy research. This paper offers ... more The “ecosystem perspective” seems to be gaining importance in energy research. This paper offers a systematic review of 98 articles to shed light on the burgeoning interest in the “energy ecosystems” perspective. The growth in energy ecosystems research stems from several factors: the integration of approaches that connect energy flows with ecological concepts, the inclusion of emerging technologies and socio-technical nuances, and a significant uptick in academic publications over recent years. Our review identifies four pivotal trends shaping the energy ecosystems discourse: “industrial ecology and sustainable development,” “energy transition and socioeconomic evolution,” “business and innovation ecosystems in energy,” “distributed energy systems, smart grid innovations, and associated policy-regulation dynamics.” These trends underscore a pronounced emphasis on energy efficiency in the pertinent literature. Looking ahead, there’s a case for adopting a comprehensive macro-meso-micro framework, with a particular spotlight on the intricate roles of individual energy firms within these ecosystems.
Sustainability, 2024
This paper explores the intricate relationships among the evolution of the international politica... more This paper explores the intricate relationships among the evolution of the international political economy, the dynamics of business ecosystems, and the transformations in entrepreneurship within the European energy sector, with a specific emphasis on Greece, particularly the less developed region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace. The aim is to understand how geopolitical, economic, and technological dynamics interact across macro-, meso-, and microlevels, especially within the context of the ongoing global energy transition. A multi-method approach is employed, including interviews with 16 experts, a survey of 89 energy firms, and eight in-depth interviews with microfirm owners. A key finding is that an integrated and evolutionary macro–meso–micro framework is essential for understanding and addressing the complex dynamics across various sectors, especially in the energy sector. The study highlights the need for targeted support for smaller firms through a restructured energy policy to foster local entrepreneurship and innovation. It further emphasizes that understanding the evolution of the global energy system and its components is crucial for addressing sustainability in environmental and socioeconomic terms, as the emerging model of energy production and consumption is directly tied to the reshaping of socioeconomic development models in the new globalization.
Societies, 2024
This paper explores the combined impacts of certain geopolitical and geoeconomic shifts on the gl... more This paper explores the combined impacts of certain geopolitical and geoeconomic shifts on the global energy transition, focusing on developments related to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreements. The New Globalization Scenario Matrix (NGSM) and a correlative SWOT analysis in transnational terms are utilized to understand and conceptualize potential future global trends in the emerging new globalization. Findings suggest that the examined contemporary global events may enhance the overall performance of the global system, thereby accelerating energy transitions. Consequently, a re-envisioned approach to the International Political Economy (IPE) of energy is proposed, blending repositioned realism and liberalism to foster a realistic and innovative new global liberalism.
Encyclopedia of Human Geography, 2024
Growth poles remain a central idea in regional analysis, emphasizing how a leading industry in a ... more Growth poles remain a central idea in regional analysis, emphasizing how a leading industry in a region can generate either positive or negative spillover effects that shape the entire socioeconomic fabric. While the growth poles theory offers a structured approach to spatial development, its comparative evaluation with other spatial theories (such as clusters and business ecosystems) reveals nuances that influence regional growth differently. This approach typically views the socioeconomic system in regional terms, with a preference for top-down planning, aiming to reduce disparities between regions. One of its pivotal analytical strengths is its recognition of the structural importance of industrial concentration, which can elevate developmental outcomes on both national and international scales.
Journal of the Knowledge Economy , Jun 19, 2024
This study explores the challenges of integrating macro, meso, and micro in the articulation of a... more This study explores the challenges of integrating macro, meso, and micro in the articulation of advanced innovation policy and examines, respectively, dimensions of public business support, intermediary organizations, and knowledge transfer. It conducts an integrative review of the pertinent literature and a bibliometric analysis of 440 articles. It reveals three major obstacles that seemingly impede the effective integration of macro, meso, and micro in contemporary policymaking and socioeconomic analyses: entrenched boundaries between different thematic areas, methodological discrepancies, and the relative lack of integrated theoretical models. These factors contribute to the absence of unified functional hubs focused on microlevel interventions. The proposed Institutes of Local Development and Innovation (ILDIs) could mitigate these challenges as they are presented as multilevel policy instruments intended to provide support to businesses-particularly to those facing chronic and structural problems.
Journal of Sustainability Science and Management, 2024
Achieving green and sustainable development is a fundamental characteristic of the emerging new g... more Achieving green and sustainable development is a fundamental characteristic of the emerging new globalisation, evident at the organisational and broader socioeconomic levels. This conceptual research explores how the recent literature approaches the dimensions and methodologies of green organisations, introducing a mechanism for advising and reinforcing their green physiology in Stra.Tech.Man terms (strategy-technology-management synthesis). The Green Stra.Tech.Man Scorecard is an action research diagnostic tool for all organisational sizes, regardless of industry, ownership type, or location, integrating fundamental green organisational dimensions.
Journal of Global Responsibility, 2024
Purpose
This study aims to analyze the emergence of a new structural configuration of globalizati... more Purpose
This study aims to analyze the emergence of a new structural configuration of globalization, with the 2008 global financial crisis serving as the first symptom of this change. By introducing the “Evolutionary Structural Triptych” (EST), this research seeks to understand the basic components of the new evolutionary trajectory of global capitalism post-2008. The study places emphasis on its interdependent and coevolving economic, political and technological dynamic facets.
Design/methodology/approach
This research introduces the EST framework, critically contrasting it with conventional understandings in international political economy (IPE) to provide a comprehensive and structured analysis of global developments after 2008. It traces the phases of global capitalism since Second World War, examines the central dynamic dimensions during each evolutionary phase, identifies the basic patterns and delves into the foundational elements of the emerging era of globalization.
Findings
The analysis reveals three key findings. First, the emerging restructured globalization indicates a need for a new balance in the contemporary world system; however, this balance cannot be achieved within the architecture of the old system. Second, the new era of globalization necessitates a re-equilibrated approach across different dimensions of geopolitical stability, economic development and innovation. This approach should emphasize sustainability, adaptability, resilience and inclusivity and lean toward responsible, open and organic innovation models for a revamped global structure. Third, while many current IPE theories tend to compartmentalize aspects of the new globalization, the EST advocates for a holistic perspective that integrates politics, economics and technology within the framework of global trends. This perspective bridges existing gaps and offers actionable insights for a dynamic and inclusive global future.
Originality/value
The paper presents the EST as a novel analytical instrument in the realm of the modern IPE. This tool uniquely places technology and innovation at the forefront, parallel to economic and political spheres, to comprehend the progression of globalization. In doing so, it highlights the intertwined relationship of these structural dimensions in shaping the future of the subject of the IPE.
The Japanese Political Economy, 2024
The emerging new global socioeconomic system is marked by a complex tapestry of multifaceted chal... more The emerging new global socioeconomic system is marked by a complex tapestry of multifaceted challenges, significantly reshaping the past global architecture. In the context of international political economy, the current era might be more accurately described as “new globalization.” This field has recently begun to integrate the effects of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which erupted in February 2022, into its analytical framework. This military showdown exemplifies the complex and interrelated political, economic, and technological challenges inherent in the emerging new globalization. This paper delves into the potential ramifications of the Russo-Ukrainian War on the unfolding trajectory of new globalization, utilizing the analytical approach of the “Evolutionary Structural Triptych” (EST). This critical review of pertinent literature suggests that the war may increase the likelihood of diminished returns during the current phase of the emerging new globalization.
Journal of Wine Research, 2023
This study explores the physiological evolution of entrepreneurship in the Robola PDO wine sector... more This study explores the physiological evolution of entrepreneurship in the Robola PDO wine sector in Cephalonia, Greece, utilizing the Stra.Tech.Man Scorecard as a diagnostic tool. Focusing on micro-firms producing and marketing the Robola PDO wine variety, the research provides insights into the executives’ self-assessments of their strategic, technological, and management adaptation efforts from 2017 to 2021. The findings indicate that these firms exhibit a strong strategic ambition to improve their competitiveness, but encounter obstacles in technology and networking operations, as well as limitations in developing their human resources and their overall management methodologies. Furthermore, the study reveals that the companies’ innovation potential was enhanced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study highlights the potential for developing a sophisticated regional wine brand and underscores the role of innovative entrepreneurs and government support in fostering a competitive and sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Societies. Vol. 12, No. 6, p. 187., 2022
This paper explores the directions of adaptation for socioeconomic organizations in the current g... more This paper explores the directions of adaptation for socioeconomic organizations in the current global crisis and restructuring. We carry out an integrative and critical review, presenting the main questions—and possible directions of response—concerning how the post-COVID-19 era, the fourth industrial revolution, and new globalization seem to affect contemporary labor relations. We focus on the different levels of their manifestation (macro, meso, and micro levels), emphasizing worsening inequality trends in the work environment and the resulting organizational readaptation that seems to be required nowadays. The restructured labor markets can benefit from the diffusion of institutional innovations based on integrated social partnership schemes at the macro–meso–micro levels. We emphasize organizational adaptation at the microlevel, as the innovation and change management mechanisms it enables, presupposes, and harnesses are imperative for exiting any crisis.
Επιστήμη και Κοινωνία: Επιθεώρηση Πολιτικής και Ηθικής Θεωρίας [Science and Society: Review of Political and Ethical Theory]. No. 42, pp. 119-154. , 2022
The present study aims to examine and summarize some of the fundamental contributions of evolutio... more The present study aims to examine and summarize some of the fundamental contributions of evolutionary economic thought. It begins by presenting some of the central traits of the main theoretical antecedents of evolutionary economics, from its foundation to date, identifying the conceptual prerequisites for a specific analysis to fit into its framework and methodology. Next, the presentation focuses on relevant recent analytical contributions and the evolutionary theory of the firm. Finally, it presents the Stra.Tech.Man approach that analytically synthesizes the spheres of business strategy, technology, and management to interpret the phenomena of adaptation and innovation of contemporary organizations through an evolutionary perspective. In this context, the Stra.Tech.Man approach is an alternative basis for reframing business dynamics through an evolutionary perspective. In particular, this paper presents some central findings of recent studies in the less developed Greek region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, demonstrating that this evolutionary approach has analytical value and interpretive utility.
Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies, 2022
Purpose
This paper aims to explore how the owners of less competitive micro-firms (MFs) perceive ... more Purpose
This paper aims to explore how the owners of less competitive micro-firms (MFs) perceive the “crisis–innovation–change management” triangle. It examines whether their understanding of these overarching entrepreneurship theory principles is inadequate compared to the relevant scientific literature.
Design/methodology/approach
This qualitative analysis follows principles based on the inductive method and grounded theory, thickly describing the results from research conducted in a sample of 38 tertiary-sector MFs in the Eastern Macedonia and Thrace region – one of the least developed and competitive areas across Europe. It triangulates the data with 11 respective small firms.
Findings
MF owners perceive the crisis as an ostensibly exogenous phenomenon, innovation as something quasi-unattainable – although vaguely significant – and change management as a relatively unknown process. This understanding lies somewhat distant from the extant literature that examines the structural nature of crises, the innovational power to exit profound restructurings and the rebalancing requisite for building new overall organizational methods to survive this internal–external transformation. In essence, the triangle crisis–innovation–change management is a blind spot for the examined MF owners as they ignore its significance as an adaptation mechanism – contrary to several direct competitors.
Social implications
Based on the reluctance of these individuals to cultivate their systematic business knowledge, it seems unrealistic that they would seek to pay the necessary high price for business consulting in the future. An ideal solution would be to build public entrepreneurship clinics to provide these less dynamic and adaptable organizations with free preliminary or in-depth counseling. The Institute of Local Development-Innovation could aim to provide free consulting services to reinforce organizational physiology by coordinating different socioeconomic actors.
Originality/value
To the best of our knowledge, this empirical research is one of the first to test the comprehension of weaker MFs – less competitive and developed in organizational terms – to the triangle crisis–innovation–change management.
Journal of Economic Integration. Vol. 37, No. 3, pp. 458-483. , Sep 1, 2022
The present evolutionary phase in international economic and political relations involves the ana... more The present evolutionary phase in international economic and political relations involves the analysis of a "new globalization" and the profound reshaping of multipolarity. This article examines the fundamental elements of the newly emerging globalization morphology from a critical standpoint on the key aspects of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). It aims to discern why such free trade agreements are significant expressions and imprints of the unfolding new multipolarity. It focuses on crucial dimensions of such international socioeconomic agreements for deepened global cooperation and development. For the analysis, we distinguish between the structures of the previous globalization regime and some evolutionary dimensions of the gradual transition to a "new globalization" (e.g., the RCEP). We contend that such agreements enrich regional economic and social integration and can expand globalized transnational flows, thereby boosting efficient cooperation for reconstructing future dynamics of international economic development.
International Journal of Global Environmental Issues. Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 39-58., 2022
A growing number of policymakers and scholars refer to the current COVID-19 pandemic crisis as a ... more A growing number of policymakers and scholars refer to the current COVID-19 pandemic crisis as a turning point in the evolution of globalisation. Following these interpretations, a relative theoretical deficiency in analysing the contour of the newly emerging global development perspective is identified. We explore the post-war evolution of world capitalism (from World War II and beyond), focusing on the following pillars: the formation of international regimes, the generation of main types of innovation, and the successive articulation of world development and crisis phases. The current transition period of the post-COVID-19 era constitutes, in its essence, a mutational crisis of the global accumulation regime and mode of regulation, accelerating the transition towards a 'new globalisation'. The generation and application of functional, institutional, and organically perceived business innovation seems to constitute the main component for a sufficiently re-stabilised new global development trajectory.
Cyprus Review. Vol. 33, No. 1, pp. 127-166., 2021
In this study, we aim to determine how the global turmoil of COVID-19 acts as a catalyst for glob... more In this study, we aim to determine how the global turmoil of COVID-19 acts as a catalyst for global transformations. After examining recent sociological and economic implications of this pandemic crisis, we analyse specific theoretical frameworks that can be helpful to illuminate some of the features of the current global evolutionary readjustment from an elliptic point of view. These theoretical approaches are the techno-economic paradigm shift, the notion of ‘endless transition’, the fourth industrial revolution analytical framework, and the approach of ‘new globalisation’. Finally, we identify that the current pandemic crisis has caused a ‘stroke’ to the world economy that accelerates developments and radically intensifies the pre-existing challenges. Especially for the less developed, stable, and resilient socio-economic systems and organisations (the case study of Cyprus is examined, respectively), we conclude that their survival and growth depends primarily upon their potential for adaptiveness, innovation, and on building efficient change management aptitudes and mechanisms.
Territory, Politics, Governance (The COVID-19 pandemic: territorial, political and governance dimensions of the crisis). Ahead-of-print., 2021
Today’s tensions and challenges at the global governance level seem to constitute structural expr... more Today’s tensions and challenges at the global governance level seem to constitute structural expressions of the global system’s mutations towards the post-COVID-19 era. This study examines whether the structural changes observed in various socio-economic dimensions and interdependent spatial levels due to the pandemic crisis are accelerating the emergence of a new phase of global governance. It investigates whether Rodrik’s trilemma (the incompatibility of synchronously achieving national sovereignty, democracy and globalization) seems to be relatively inadequate to approach today’s emerging global reality and challenges comprehensively. After an elliptic overview of world governance’s evolutionary shaping and reaching the present-day necessarily repositioned role of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS), we argue that these countries must no longer be perceived as emerging exceptional cases but as central participants, equally responsible for promoting a more balanced and sustainable development perspective for the less developed socio-economic formations and the entire global socio-economic system’s stability. We conclude that in the progressively shaped ‘new globalization’, which is a distinct evolutionary phase of the international economy and international relations, Rodrik’s trilemma seems to some extent analytically insufficient since there is no more a sustainable optimum in any of its coupled dimensions, which could allow a viable exit from the current crisis.
International Journal of Regional Development, 6(1), 1-38, 2019
The conventional and traditional regional analysis seems to gradually changing focus, content and... more The conventional and traditional regional analysis seems to gradually changing focus, content and hermeneutic optic. The regional analysis of past seems increasingly saturated, being incapable to interpret and propose policy solutions that originate primarily from the potential of local development, innovation and entrepreneurship. To this end, new, multidisciplinary approaches of local development seem to prevail progressively, leading the study of development to the analysis of dynamically evolving localities.
Review of European Studies. Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 39-56., 2021
In today’s unprecedented transformation in the global socio-economic system caused by the COVID-1... more In today’s unprecedented transformation in the global socio-economic system caused by the COVID-19 pandemic crisis and the escalating fourth industrial revolution, reinforcing innovative entrepreneurship appears a significant policy objective that can lead to overall socio-economic development. In this drastically changed context, entrepreneurship support policies seem that they need to be both conceptually and practically readjusted, simultaneously at the macro, meso, and micro levels. This paper investigates the case of public entrepreneurship policies in the European Union (EU), aiming to find specific patterns and suggest a new multilevel policy framework. Initially, the article offers a brief overview of the related trends created in the emerging post-COVID-19 era. Next, the “competitiveness web” perspective in terms of “macro-meso-micro” level synthesis is presented, considering that it can function as a theoretical framework for entrepreneurship reinforcement. Recent EU entrepreneurship support policy guidelines are then explored, emphasizing the latest trends and the development opportunities arising with the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility establishment to deal with the consequences of the current health and socio-economic crisis. Upon this basis, the paper concludes in a proposal for an integrated “macro-meso-micro” policy, placing at the epicenter the mechanism of the Institutes of Local Development and Innovation (ILDI). This policy aims to strengthen the spatially-located firms to reposition and readapt the “Stra.Tech.Man” potential they have and activate in their local business ecosystem (strategy-technology-management synthesis).
International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy. Vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 115-126, 2021
The ongoing regulatory transformation towards a single European electricity market started severa... more The ongoing regulatory transformation towards a single European electricity market started several years ago. The rationale of this transformation is that the liberalisation of monopolistic energy structures should lead to the building of sustainable and flexible energy ecosystems, through an energy policy that sets goals in line with the requirements of our epoch, such as sustainable development, energy security, and the promotion of renewable energy sources. In this context, the liberalisation of the electricity market in Greece is explored, which is a complicated case in terms of development as it has only recently begun to exit from a long-term socio-economic crisis and strict adjustment programs. The concepts of energy market liberalisation, energy ecosystems, and energy policy are presented and compared to the main directions of the EU institutional environment and the evolution of the political and institutional framework of Greece. In Greece, an attempt has been made in recent years to liberalise the electricity market, which is hindered for a long time by socio-economic forces favoured by the monopolistic system of the market. This liberalisation process is also an opportunity for the country to move towards enhancing the structures that can lead to faster and more sustainable development and to maintain the pace of “coupling” with the most developed energy economies of Europe.
Research in World Economy. Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 1-16, 2021
In economies where most firms are family-owned, there is a risk of poor management and problemati... more In economies where most firms are family-owned, there is a risk of poor management and problematic strategic and technological comprehension. Multiple cases prove the existence of a series of socio-economic pathologies in such firms that undermine an economy’s ability to overcome economic crises through innovative and entrepreneurial thinking and adaptability. The paper aims to present the relationship between entrepreneurship and “development and crisis” from the perspective of Greece’s current socio-economic crisis. It first analyzes the neo-Schumpeterian entrepreneurship theory and the structures that allow innovative and competitive models to appear and then links this context with Greece’s case. The “Stra.Tech.Man” theoretical framework of physiological types of entrepreneurship is suggested as the analytical base for elaborating a local development policy instrument for economies where such less competitive businesses prevail.
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Papers by Dimos Chatzinikolaou
This study aims to analyze the emergence of a new structural configuration of globalization, with the 2008 global financial crisis serving as the first symptom of this change. By introducing the “Evolutionary Structural Triptych” (EST), this research seeks to understand the basic components of the new evolutionary trajectory of global capitalism post-2008. The study places emphasis on its interdependent and coevolving economic, political and technological dynamic facets.
Design/methodology/approach
This research introduces the EST framework, critically contrasting it with conventional understandings in international political economy (IPE) to provide a comprehensive and structured analysis of global developments after 2008. It traces the phases of global capitalism since Second World War, examines the central dynamic dimensions during each evolutionary phase, identifies the basic patterns and delves into the foundational elements of the emerging era of globalization.
Findings
The analysis reveals three key findings. First, the emerging restructured globalization indicates a need for a new balance in the contemporary world system; however, this balance cannot be achieved within the architecture of the old system. Second, the new era of globalization necessitates a re-equilibrated approach across different dimensions of geopolitical stability, economic development and innovation. This approach should emphasize sustainability, adaptability, resilience and inclusivity and lean toward responsible, open and organic innovation models for a revamped global structure. Third, while many current IPE theories tend to compartmentalize aspects of the new globalization, the EST advocates for a holistic perspective that integrates politics, economics and technology within the framework of global trends. This perspective bridges existing gaps and offers actionable insights for a dynamic and inclusive global future.
Originality/value
The paper presents the EST as a novel analytical instrument in the realm of the modern IPE. This tool uniquely places technology and innovation at the forefront, parallel to economic and political spheres, to comprehend the progression of globalization. In doing so, it highlights the intertwined relationship of these structural dimensions in shaping the future of the subject of the IPE.
This paper aims to explore how the owners of less competitive micro-firms (MFs) perceive the “crisis–innovation–change management” triangle. It examines whether their understanding of these overarching entrepreneurship theory principles is inadequate compared to the relevant scientific literature.
Design/methodology/approach
This qualitative analysis follows principles based on the inductive method and grounded theory, thickly describing the results from research conducted in a sample of 38 tertiary-sector MFs in the Eastern Macedonia and Thrace region – one of the least developed and competitive areas across Europe. It triangulates the data with 11 respective small firms.
Findings
MF owners perceive the crisis as an ostensibly exogenous phenomenon, innovation as something quasi-unattainable – although vaguely significant – and change management as a relatively unknown process. This understanding lies somewhat distant from the extant literature that examines the structural nature of crises, the innovational power to exit profound restructurings and the rebalancing requisite for building new overall organizational methods to survive this internal–external transformation. In essence, the triangle crisis–innovation–change management is a blind spot for the examined MF owners as they ignore its significance as an adaptation mechanism – contrary to several direct competitors.
Social implications
Based on the reluctance of these individuals to cultivate their systematic business knowledge, it seems unrealistic that they would seek to pay the necessary high price for business consulting in the future. An ideal solution would be to build public entrepreneurship clinics to provide these less dynamic and adaptable organizations with free preliminary or in-depth counseling. The Institute of Local Development-Innovation could aim to provide free consulting services to reinforce organizational physiology by coordinating different socioeconomic actors.
Originality/value
To the best of our knowledge, this empirical research is one of the first to test the comprehension of weaker MFs – less competitive and developed in organizational terms – to the triangle crisis–innovation–change management.
This study aims to analyze the emergence of a new structural configuration of globalization, with the 2008 global financial crisis serving as the first symptom of this change. By introducing the “Evolutionary Structural Triptych” (EST), this research seeks to understand the basic components of the new evolutionary trajectory of global capitalism post-2008. The study places emphasis on its interdependent and coevolving economic, political and technological dynamic facets.
Design/methodology/approach
This research introduces the EST framework, critically contrasting it with conventional understandings in international political economy (IPE) to provide a comprehensive and structured analysis of global developments after 2008. It traces the phases of global capitalism since Second World War, examines the central dynamic dimensions during each evolutionary phase, identifies the basic patterns and delves into the foundational elements of the emerging era of globalization.
Findings
The analysis reveals three key findings. First, the emerging restructured globalization indicates a need for a new balance in the contemporary world system; however, this balance cannot be achieved within the architecture of the old system. Second, the new era of globalization necessitates a re-equilibrated approach across different dimensions of geopolitical stability, economic development and innovation. This approach should emphasize sustainability, adaptability, resilience and inclusivity and lean toward responsible, open and organic innovation models for a revamped global structure. Third, while many current IPE theories tend to compartmentalize aspects of the new globalization, the EST advocates for a holistic perspective that integrates politics, economics and technology within the framework of global trends. This perspective bridges existing gaps and offers actionable insights for a dynamic and inclusive global future.
Originality/value
The paper presents the EST as a novel analytical instrument in the realm of the modern IPE. This tool uniquely places technology and innovation at the forefront, parallel to economic and political spheres, to comprehend the progression of globalization. In doing so, it highlights the intertwined relationship of these structural dimensions in shaping the future of the subject of the IPE.
This paper aims to explore how the owners of less competitive micro-firms (MFs) perceive the “crisis–innovation–change management” triangle. It examines whether their understanding of these overarching entrepreneurship theory principles is inadequate compared to the relevant scientific literature.
Design/methodology/approach
This qualitative analysis follows principles based on the inductive method and grounded theory, thickly describing the results from research conducted in a sample of 38 tertiary-sector MFs in the Eastern Macedonia and Thrace region – one of the least developed and competitive areas across Europe. It triangulates the data with 11 respective small firms.
Findings
MF owners perceive the crisis as an ostensibly exogenous phenomenon, innovation as something quasi-unattainable – although vaguely significant – and change management as a relatively unknown process. This understanding lies somewhat distant from the extant literature that examines the structural nature of crises, the innovational power to exit profound restructurings and the rebalancing requisite for building new overall organizational methods to survive this internal–external transformation. In essence, the triangle crisis–innovation–change management is a blind spot for the examined MF owners as they ignore its significance as an adaptation mechanism – contrary to several direct competitors.
Social implications
Based on the reluctance of these individuals to cultivate their systematic business knowledge, it seems unrealistic that they would seek to pay the necessary high price for business consulting in the future. An ideal solution would be to build public entrepreneurship clinics to provide these less dynamic and adaptable organizations with free preliminary or in-depth counseling. The Institute of Local Development-Innovation could aim to provide free consulting services to reinforce organizational physiology by coordinating different socioeconomic actors.
Originality/value
To the best of our knowledge, this empirical research is one of the first to test the comprehension of weaker MFs – less competitive and developed in organizational terms – to the triangle crisis–innovation–change management.
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Το παγκόσμιο ενεργειακό σύστημα αποτελεί τη ζωτική θεμελιώδη βάση της σύγχρονης ανθρώπινης βιομηχανικής κοινωνίας. Παραδοσιακά έχει αποτελέσει αντικείμενο αποσπασματικής μελέτης μέσω της μελέτης των επιμέρους κλάδων της μηχανικής, της οικονομίας ή της δημόσιας πολιτικής, για να γίνει πλήρως κατανοητό, όμως, οφείλει να μελετηθεί χρησιμοποιώντας προσέγγιση που ενσωματώνει αυτά τα εργαλεία. Το παρόν εγχειρίδιο είναι το πρώτο που υιοθετεί τη δυναμική προοπτική των ενεργειακών συστημάτων για την πλήρη κατανόησή τους, παρακολουθώντας την εξέλιξη της παραγωγής ενέργειας από την εξόρυξη του αρχικού πόρου έως τις τελικές ενεργειακές υπηρεσίες, μέσω της μακράς και έντασης κεφαλαίου αλυσίδας εφοδιασμού, η οποία βρίσκεται αντιμέτωπη με περιορισμούς τόσο από τα μακροοικονομικά συστήματα όσο και από τα συστήματα των φυσικών πόρων. Το βιβλίο παρουσιάζει αρχικά το πλαίσιο που θα συμβάλλει στην κατανόηση του τρόπου μετατροπής της ενέργειας καθώς αυτή κινείται μέσα στο σύστημα με τη βοήθεια διάφορων μορφών κεφαλαίου, με άλλα λόγια, πώς η κίνησή της επηρεάζεται από έναν συνδυασμό των τεχνικών συνθηκών, της αγοράς και της πολιτικής κατά την υπό εξέταση εποχή. Στη συνέχεια, εξετάζει τα τρία κύρια υποσυστήματα της ηλεκτρικής ενέργειας, των μεταφορών και της θερμικής ενέργειας, παρέχοντας επίσης εξηγήσεις σχετικά με ζητήματα όπως η σκέψη βάσει συστημάτων, η εκτίμηση κόστους, ο σχηματισμός κεφαλαίου, ο σχεδιασμός της αγοράς και τα εργαλεία πολιτικής. Τέλος, το βιβλίο επανεντάσσει αυτά τα υποσυστήματα και εξετάζει τη σχέση τους με το οικονομικό σύστημα και το οικοσύστημα στο οποίο εντάσσονται. Οι επαγγελματίες και οι θεωρητικοί από κάθε τομέα θα επωφεληθούν από τη βαθύτερη κατανόηση τόσο των υφιστάμενων δυναμικών διαδικασιών του ενεργειακού συστήματος όσο και των πιθανών εργαλείων παρέμβασης.
This book includes the following chapters that approach the phenomenon of global restructuring from converging perspectives:
I. An evolutionary approach to the global crisis
This chapter focuses on the structural and evolutionary examination of the current global crisis and restructuring of the global socioeconomic system. It supports in terms of methodology that every global crisis analysis must perceive the historical and evolutionary character of the dynamics of global socio-economic space from a unifying perspective. It suggests that all the dynamic dimensions in the world’s configuration—economic, technological, social, and geopolitical—should be examined together, in their dense dialectic co-adaptation and co-evolution. The multi-faceted crises and adjustments inside every socioeconomic system are both the products and the producers of globalization’s overall trajectory in a co-evolutionary course; while contemporary capitalism, respectively, intensifies the dialectic reproduction of the global interdependence unceasingly. This crisis condition, therefore, is sustained, nourished and reproduced by the absence of a “new wave” of innovations, throughout all the levels of socioeconomic activity, and it requires the installation and assimilation of new effective change management mechanisms in order for any socioeconomic system to escape from it. Arguably, the challenge of building a new global developmental trajectory engages with all the levels of analysis and intervention: the individual and the collective, the material and the symbolic, the national and the local, the social and the economic, the microeconomic, the mesoeconomic and the macroeconomic, the cultural and the political. The only sustainable way out of the global crisis, as a result, needs a progressive adaptation to new evolutionary thinking to perceive the global crisis dynamics.
II. The current global socio-economic crisis and restructuring: from a conjunctural to a structural and evolutionary perspective
The current global socio-economic crisis and restructuring reshape the terms of the study of the global dynamics as a whole. A new generation of interdisciplinary socio-economic research on the matter in question seems to be progressively emerging in international literature. Against this background, any attempt to interpret the partial socio-economic phenomena, which relate to the crisis and the attempt to restructure globalization, can only be inadequate and ineffective since it fails to adequately approach the current dynamics of globalization in synthetic and holistic terms. In this direction, new interpretative approaches seem to intensify the need for conceptual syntheses between the different fields of socio-economic sciences, in an increasingly unifying perspective by extensively “borrowing”—directly and indirectly—methods and theoretical “lenses” derived from systems science, chaos theory, and evolutionary economics. In the depth of this methodological rearrangement, according to the position put forward in this article, it is crucial that an effort is made to move from a conjunctural to a structural perception of the crisis. Ultimately, the great challenge for the field of study of global dynamics nowadays is the transition from the methodological principles of the traditional mechanistic interpretative method to a coherent and integrated evolutionary socio-economic perspective.
III. Global crisis, innovation, and change management
The “crisis of capitalism” is not, of course, an unprecedented discourse in the evolution of economics and the investigation of economic realities. In the Neo-Schumpeterian approach, crises constitute necessary evolutionary steps, intrinsically linked with breaking “moments” and change. However, what makes the current crisis different, and subversive, is its ever-increasing structural complexity and evolutionary-dialectic substance. The mixing of cooperation and competition, on an organizational and macro-economic level, reproduces on a global scale the need for a reconsideration of underlying economic regulation mechanisms. The crisis tends to undermine and rapidly destroy the mechanistic relations and structures of all kinds and dimensions that have managed to provide profitability and effectiveness over recent years. In this context, the search for strategic innovation, constant organizational renewal and the diffusion of production oriented at high technological expertise, seem to progressively become the critical synthetic components for building a new development model. This chapter focuses on the introduction of a three-tier question which could be put forward as follows. First, it asks what the current global restructuring crisis is and what would be a new growth model that would lead to the exit of it on a global scale. Second, it addresses the issue of the required innovation mechanisms for a new model of inter-spatial restructuring and development. Finally, it analyzes why this new innovative direction is a prerequisite for building new types of effective change management mechanisms. The starting point of this approach is the position that any fragmented approach in the partial aspects of the triangle of global crisis, innovation, and change management, is now analytically misguided and practically powerless. Only an effort to systemically and evolutionarily understand the phenomenon, in its continuous dialectic structure, is now a sufficient condition for outlining the future development path of globalization at all levels of action.
IV. Structuring an anti-crisis economic policy: The Greek experience
The objective of this study is to clarify the prevailing vague and sometimes misguided understanding regarding the articulation of economic policy, especially in the context of socioeconomic systems in structural crisis. The distortions of the economic policy keep reproducing and usually spreading because of three disorientating conceptual sources: a) the view of economic policy supposedly as a “de-ideologized” construction, or as a “detechnicalized” voluntarism, b) the view of economic policy supposedly as a “de-strategized” synthesis, c) the view of economic policy as a supposedly automatic, ungraded and timeless procedure. For a socioeconomic system to exit from its crisis, the interruption of this vicious circle of misconceptions is a prerequisite, towards the trajectory of a virtuous circle of understanding the meaning of the economic policy validly.
V. A new approach of local development in crisis conditions: Adopting a new local development policy to foster the local business ecosystems in Greece
The competitiveness of the Greek economy evolves, both in the present crisis and later on, according to the dynamic micro-level specific environments and transformations. This evolution depends on the SME’s abilities to claim a sustainable role in the new, competitive global environment, which is characterized by a continuous reshaping dynamic. Respectively, the goal of achieving development in the local scale becomes vital. This chapter attempts to define a new framework by proposing a new business ecosystems approach and policy, focusing on the implementation of a method for strengthening the SME’s “physiology.” This method proposes the construction of systematic knowledge and innovation creation and diffusion mechanisms, on a local scale; the Local Development and Innovation Institutes (LDI’s). Subsequently, this chapter analyzes regional data in Greece in order to highlight the most affected by the crisis region and to experimentally establish the Local Development and Innovation Institutes.
Cite as: Vlados, Ch., Deniozos, N., & Chatzinikolaou, D. (2019). Global Crisis and Restructuring: Theory, analysis, and the case of Greece. KSP Books. Available at: http://books.ksplibrary.org
Φαίνεται ότι τα περισσότερο ανταγωνιστικά εθνικά κοινωνικοοικονομικά συστήματα καταφέρνουν και αρθρώνουν μία συνολικοποιητική αντίληψη της βιομηχανικής τους πολιτικής. Με αυτόν τον τρόπο κατορθώνουν να υλοποιούν στοχευμένες παρεμβάσεις, όχι όμως με τον συνηθισμένο και παραδοσιακό τρόπο ενίσχυσης ορισμένων «εθνικών πρωταθλητών». Κατορθώνουν και υλοποιούν πολιτικές οι οποίες ενισχύουν το ανταγωνιστικό και καινοτομικό δυναμικό των επιχειρήσεων που λειτουργούν σε τοπικό επίπεδο.
Χωρίς την συστηματική τόνωση των τοπικά χωροθετημένων επιχειρήσεων, των «κυττάρων» δηλαδή μίας οποιασδήποτε οικονομίας, φαίνεται να μην μπορεί να επιτευχθεί μία διατηρήσιμη και σε βάθος χρόνου ανάπτυξη.
Αυτή ακριβώς είναι και η «μεθοδολογική γέφυρα» που εισάγει τον αναγνώστη στο Β’ μέρος της διαπραγμάτευσης μας. Εδώ, ισχυριζόμαστε ότι η μορφολογία της κλαδικής ανάλυσης βρίσκεται σε μία βαθειά αλλαγή, καθώς εισέρχονται ολοένα και περισσότερα στοιχεία «βιολογικής οπτικής» στην οικονομική επιστήμη. Προς αυτήν την κατεύθυνση, φαίνεται η μελέτη των «επιχειρηματικών οικοσυστημάτων» να είναι μία σύγχρονη κοινωνικοοικονομική οπτική που αφήνει το στίγμα της σε όλα τα επίπεδα ανάλυσης και πολιτικής παρέμβασης.
Λαμβάνοντας υπόψιν τα συμπεράσματα μίας διερευνητικής έρευνας πεδίου που πραγματοποιήσαμε στην περιφέρεια Ανατολικής Μακεδονίας και Θράκης, προσπαθούμε να δείξουμε ότι ένας σύγχρονος μηχανισμός ενίσχυσης των τοπικών επιχειρηματικών οικοσυστημάτων πρέπει να αντιλαμβάνεται την εξελικτική «φυσιολογία» των επιχειρήσεων που «ακουμπά». Αξιοποιώντας την οπτική Stra.Tech.Man (Στρατηγική-Τεχνολογία-Μάνατζμεντ), μίας μεθοδολογίας που βρίσκεται στην «διαλεκτική ρίζα» όλων των κοινωνικοοικονομικών οργανισμών, είμαστε σε θέση να διακρίνουμε πως μετεξελίσσεται αυτή η φυσιολογία.
Υπό αυτήν την έννοια, αυτός ο μηχανισμός ενίσχυσης των τοπικών επιχειρηματικών οικοσυστημάτων, όπως αποδεικνύει και η ευρωπαϊκή εμπειρία, πρέπει να διακρίνει και να ενισχύει με συμβουλευτικό τρόπο κάθε μία διάσταση του Stra.Tech.Man αλλά και συνολικά.
ABSTRACT (In English)
G. Hadjiconstantinou’s work offers a significant node to the study of the concept of economic development in the Greek literature of economics. Over a long period of teaching and researching, G. Hadjiconstantinou has criticized the conventional perception of economic growth from multiple angles. Specifically, Hadjiconstantinou refers to the economic development concept as broader and more complex than the narrowly defined economic growth, including moral, value-oriented, and ideological dimensions (which “cannot be disarmed”). In this sense, from G. Hadjiconstantinou’s perspective, the issue of development becomes a simultaneous object of philosophical reflection and undivided ideological-political reach. This chapter aims to illuminate G. Hadjiconstantinou's contribution to economic thinking, focusing on this conceptual contrast between growth and development. Excerpts of his work are commented upon and highlighted, together with other recent significant contributions. The goal is to determine the potential theoretical convergence or divergence and the cross-fertilization and complementarity between the different approaches.
We conclude that G. Hadjiconstantinou’s contribution and the originality of his work lie in the fact that it analyzes with constant methodological consistency the economic development phenomenon from an integrated, cohesive, and worldview-type perspective. It attributes significant value to the methodological unity of the overall unfolding of contemporary social and natural sciences. To this end, G. Hadjiconstantinou’s work intensively criticizes any claim for analytical supremacy (theoretical and practical) by the “economism” and the unidimensional “homo economicus” in today’s economics. In this sense, it enriches the unified and indivisible socioeconomic orientation of our science.
TITLE (In English)