Towards a multi-levelled social process perspective on firm innovation: integrating micro, meso and macro concepts of knowledge creation

The aim of this paper is to suggest a framework for studying firm innovation processes in a social process perspective that integrates the micro, meso and macro levels of analysis, that is, the knowledge creation of individuals/communities, the knowledge coordination of organisations, and the spatial–institutional contextualisation of knowledge. For this purpose, we suggest using as a starting point the so-called Combinatorial Knowledge Bases approach, which allows merging concepts about micro practices and macro contexts in an effective way. The suggested framework pays attention to different phases in the entire innovation process, characterised by different (micro) learning modes, situated in varying (macro) contexts and delineated by organisational (meso-level) choices, therefore enabling an integrated approach to the studying of firm innovation. To illustrate the potentials of applying the framework we present a process-oriented in-depth empirical case study of an innovation, following it from idea generation to market introduction by means of an innovation biography method.