Designing an Empowerment Pattern for Knowledge-Based Enterprises in Iran's Sports Innovation Ecosystem: A Case Study of Health and Wellness Sports Technologies

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Management and Accounting, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Ira

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Sport Management, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Today, innovation is a strategic concept across scientific domains, including sports. The sports industry has become increasingly dependent on innovation due to emerging technologies and the need for competitiveness. Despite the importance of knowledge-based companies in developing a knowledge-based economy and sports' role in realizing a resistance economy, no comprehensive model exists for empowering these companies within Iran's sports innovation ecosystem, especially regarding health and wellness technologies. This study aims to design such a model. Using a qualitative approach and grounded theory (Strauss and Corbin), data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 16 experts until theoretical saturation. Reliability was confirmed with a coefficient of 81.75%. Analysis involved open, axial, and selective coding. The core category was "empowerment of knowledge-based companies," encompassing causal, contextual, intervening conditions, strategies, and consequences. Structural prerequisites include sustainable financing, infrastructure, and knowledge management, while barriers include skilled labor shortages, import dependence, and financial opacity. Institutional barriers include regulatory complexity, customs issues, and lack of tax incentives. National media aids cultural development, and specialized events enhance networking. Key strategies include strategic planning, foresight, environmental analysis, managerial and marketing capabilities. Shifting from reactive to proactive approaches and investing in R&D enhances sanctions resilience and sustainable advantage. The model requires a synergistic approach across structural, institutional, and strategic dimensions. Consequences include health technology development, reduced imports, economic growth, job creation, improved public health, and better quality of life.

Keywords

References

منابع
شاهمرادی، فرید؛ یعقوبی، نورمحمد؛ کشته‌گر، عبدالعلی. (1404). واکاوی شاخص‌های عملکردی شرکت‌های نوآور و دانش بنیان در زیست‌بوم نوآوری ایران (رویکرد ترکیبی). مطالعات زیست‌بوم اقتصاد نوآوری. 6(1)، 74-51. https://doi.org/10.22111/innoeco.2025.51365.1170
نقی‌زاده باقی، عباس؛ عزیزیان کهن، نسرین؛ مهدوی قره آغاج علیا، اکبر. (1403). بررسی تأثیر شرکت‌های دانش‌بنیان ورزشی بر کارآفرینی و توسعه محصولات ورزشی. مجله پژوهش‌های کارآفرینی. 3 (2)، 21-36.
https://doi.org/10.22034/jer.2024.2026290.1099
 
References:
Abeza, G., O’Reilly, N., Séguin, B., & Nzindukiyimana, O. (2015). Social media scholarship in sport management research: A critical review. Journal of Sport Management, 29(6), 601-618.‏ http://dx.doi.org/10.1123/JSM.2014-0296
Adner, R., & Kapoor, R. (2010). Value creation in innovation ecosystems: How the structure of technological interdependence affects firm performance in new technology generations. Strategic management journal, 31(3), 306-333.‏ https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.821
Adner, R., & Kapoor, R. (2016). Innovation ecosystems and the pace of substitution: Re‐examining technology S‐curves. Strategic management journal, 37(4), 625-648.‏ https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.2363
Ansari, S., Garud, R., & Kumaraswamy, A. (2016). The disruptor's dilemma: TiVo and the US television ecosystem. Strategic management journal, 37(9), 1829-1853.‏ https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.2442
Bashir, M., & Farooq, R. (2019). The synergetic effect of knowledge management and business model innovation on firm competence: A systematic review. International Journal of Innovation Science, 11(3), 362-387.‏ https://doi.org/10.1108/IJIS-10-2018-0103
Bielińska-Dusza, E., & Hamerska, M. (2021). Methodology for calculating the European innovation scoreboard—proposition for modification. Sustainability, 13(4), 2199.‏ https://doi.org/10.3390/su13042199
Bessant, J. (2005). Enabling continuous and discontinuous innovation: Learning from the private sector. Public Money and Management, 25(1), 35-42.‏ https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9302.2005.00448.x
Cowell, D., Walker, S., Siciliano, J., & Hess, P. W. (2007). Managing sports organizations; responsibility for performance(2nd ed.). https://doi.org/10.4324/9780080492841
Dees, W., Walsh, P., McEvoy, C. D., McKelvey, S., Mullin, B. J., Hardy, S., & Sutton, W. A. (2022). Sport marketing. Human Kinetics.‏ https://books.google.com/books/about/Sport_Marketing.html?id=cQ8GEAAAQBAJ
D’Este, P. (2005). How do firms’ knowledge bases affect intra-industry heterogeneity?: An analysis of the Spanish pharmaceutical industry. Research Policy, 34(1), 33-45.‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2004.10.007
Dibiaggio, L., Nasiriyar, M., & Nesta, L. (2014). Substitutability and complementarity of technological knowledge and the inventive performance of semiconductor companies. Research Policy, 43(9), 1582-1593.‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2014.04.001
Escamilla-Fajardo, P., Núñez-Pomar, J. M., Ratten, V., & Crespo, J. (2020). Entrepreneurship and innovation in soccer: Web of science bibliometric analysis. Sustainability, 12(11), 4499.‏ https://doi.org/10.3390/su12114499
Fleming, L. (2001). Recombinant uncertainty in technological search. Management science, 47(1), 117-132.‏ https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.47.1.117.10671
Goldsmith, S. (2010). The power of social innovation: How civic entrepreneurs ignite community networks for good. John Wiley & Sons.‏ https://presuniv-entrepreneurship.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/0/0/19003227/goldsmith_the_power_of_social_innovation.pdf
Gopalakrishnan, S., & Damanpour, F. (1994). Patterns of generation and adoption of innovation in organizations: Contingency models of innovation attributes. Journal of engineering and technology management, 11(2), 95-116.‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/0923-4748(94)90001-9
Granstrand, O., & Holgersson, M. (2020). Innovation ecosystems: A conceptual review and a new definition. Technovation, 90, 102098.‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2019.102098
Grant, R. M. (1996). Toward a knowledge‐based theory of the firm. Strategic management journal, 17(S2), 109-122.‏ https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.4250171110
Grigoriou, K., & Rothaermel, F. T. (2017). Organizing for knowledge generation: Internal knowledge networks and the contingent effect of external knowledge sourcing. Strategic management journal, 38(2), 395-414.‏ https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.2489
Hartley, J., Sørensen, E., & Torfing, J. (2013). Collaborative innovation: A viable alternative to market competition and organizational entrepreneurship. Public administration review, 73(6), 821-830.‏ https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.12136
Hoye, R., Smith, A. C., Nicholson, M., & Stewart, B. (2015). Sport management: principles and applications. Routledge.‏ https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315733371
Jacobides, M. G., Cennamo, C., & Gawer, A. (2018). Towards a theory of ecosystems. Strategic management journal, 39(8), 2255-2276.‏ https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.2904
Jeong, Y., Kim, E., Kim, M., & Zhang, J. J. (2019). Exploring relationships among organizational culture, empowerment, and organizational citizenship behavior in the South Korean professional sport industry. Sustainability, 11(19), 5412.‏ https://doi.org/10.3390/su11195412
Jin, Z., Zeng, S., Chen, H., & Shi, J. J. (2022). Creating value from diverse knowledge in megaproject innovation ecosystems. International Journal of Project Management, 40(6), 646-657.‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2022.06.001   
Joo, J., & Shin, M. M. (2018). Building sustainable business ecosystems through customer participation: A lesson from South Korean cases. Asia Pacific Management Review, 23(1), 1-11.‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmrv.2017.01.001
Jyoti, C., & Efpraxia, Z. (2023). Understanding and exploring the value co-creation of cloud computing innovation using resource based value theory: An interpretive case study. Journal of Business Research, 164, 113970.‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2023.113970
Katanic, B., Pekovic, S., Matic, R. M., Vukovic, J., Masanovic, B., & Popovic, S. (2022). The 2021 National Report on Sports Innovation for Montenegro: Content Analysis. Sustainability, 14(4), 2463.‏ https://doi.org/10.3390/su14042463
Li, Z., Wan, T., & Lan, J. (2022). Substitution or complementarity: Influence of industry–university–research-institute cooperation governance mechanism on knowledge transfer—An empirical analysis from China. Sustainability, 14(13), 7606.‏ https://doi.org/10.3390/su14137606
Makri, C., & Neely, A. (2021). Grounded theory: A guide for exploratory studies in management research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 20. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069211013654
Matić, R. (2016). Primena Marketing Koncepta u Timskim Sportovima (Doctoral dissertation, University of Novi Sad (Serbia).‏ https://doi.org/10.26773/jaspe.190701
McDonald, R. E. (2007). An investigation of innovation in nonprofit organizations: The role of organizational mission. Nonprofit and voluntary sector quarterly, 36(2), 256-281.‏ https://doi.org/10.1177/0899764006295996
Mele, C., Spena, T. R., Kaartemo, V., & Marzullo, M. L. (2021). Smart nudging: How cognitive technologies enable choice architectures for value co-creation. Journal of Business Research, 129, 949-960.‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.10.019
Monteiro, M., Rosa, Á., Martins, A., & Jayantilal, S. (2023). Grounded theory—an illustrative application in the Portuguese footwear industry. Administrative Sciences, 13(2), 59.‏ https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci13020059
Naghizadeh Baghi, A., Azizian Kohan, N., & Mahdavi Ghoreh Agaj Olya, A. (2024). Investigating the Effect of Knowledge-based Sports Companies on Entrepreneurship and Development of Sports Products. Journal of Entrepreneurship Research, 3(2), 21-36. [In Persian].
https://doi.org/10.22034/jer.2024.2026290.1099
Öberg, C., & Alexander, A. T. (2019). The openness of open innovation in ecosystems–Integrating innovation and management literature on knowledge linkages. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 4(4), 211-218.‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jik.2019.01.001
Ojaghi, H., Mohammadi, M., & Yazdani, H. R. (2019). A synthesized framework for the formation of startups’ innovation ecosystem: A systematic literature review. Journal of Science and Technology Policy Management, 10(5), 1063-1097.‏ https://doi.org/10.1108/JSTPM-05-2018-0047
Plata, G., Aparicio, S., & Scott, S. (2021). The sum of its parts: Examining the institutional effects on entrepreneurial nodes in extensive innovation ecosystems. Industrial Marketing Management, 99, 136-152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2021.09.003
Qi, Y., Sajadi, S. M., Baghaei, S., Rezaei, R., & Li, W. (2024). Digital technologies in sports: Opportunities, challenges, and strategies for safeguarding athlete wellbeing and competitive integrity in the digital era. Technology in Society, 77, 102496.‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2024.102496
Ratten, V. (2010). Developing a theory of sport-based entrepreneurship. Journal of management & organization, 16(4), 557-565.‏ https://doi.org/10.5172/jmo.2010.16.4.557
‏Ratten, V. (2011). Sport-based entrepreneurship: towards a new theory of entrepreneurship and sport management. International entrepreneurship and management journal, 7(1), 57-69.‏ https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-010-0134-0
Ratten, V. (2014). Encouraging collaborative entrepreneurship in developing countries: The current challenges and a research agenda. Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economics, 6(3), 298–308. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEEE-07-2014-0021
Ratten, V. (2016). Sport innovation management: Towards a research agenda. Innovation, 18)2(. https://doi.org/10.1080/14479338.2016.1196599 
Resch, C., & Kock, A. (2021). The influence of information depth and information breadth on brokers’ idea newness in online maker communities. Research Policy, 50(8), 104142.‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2020.104142
Shahmoradi, F., Yaghoubi, N., & Keshtegar, A. (2026). Analysis of the Performance Indicators of Innovative Factories in the Iranian Innovation Ecosystem (mixed approach). Innovation EconomicEcosystem Studies, 6(1), 74-51.‏ https://doi.org/10.22111/innoeco.2025.51365.1170 [In Persian].
Ritala, P., & Almpanopoulou, A. (2017). In defense of ‘eco’in innovation ecosystem. Technovation, 60, 39-42.‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2017.01.004
Ritala, P., Agouridas, V., Assimakopoulos, D., & Gies, O. (2013). Value creation and capture mechanisms in innovation ecosystems: a comparative case study. International journal of technology management, 63(3-4), 244-267.‏ https://doi.org/10.1504/IJTM.2013.056900
Runfola, A., Perna, A., Baraldi, E., & Gregori, G. L. (2017). The use of qualitative case studies in top business and management journals: A quantitative analysis of recent patterns. European Management Journal, 35(1), 116-127.‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2016.04.001
Russell, M. G., & Smorodinskaya, N. V. (2018). Leveraging complexity for ecosystemic innovation. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 136, 114-131.‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2017.11.024
Sawhney, M., Wolcott, R. C., & Arroniz, I. (2006). The 12 different ways for companies to innovate. MIT Sloan management review.‏ https://doi.org/10.1109/EMR.2007.329139
Staunton, J. (2023). The best technologies used in professional sports environments. Available online: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/best-technologies-used-professional-sports-james-staunton/ (accessed on 9 May 2025).
Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of Qualitative Research: Grounded Theory Procedures and Techniques. Newbury Park: Sage.  https://methods.sagepub.com/book/mono/basics-of-qualitative-research/toc#_
Tjønndal, A. (2017). Sport innovation: Developing a typology. European Journal for Sport and Society, 14(4), 291-310.‏ https://doi.org/10.1080/16138171.2017.1345170
Vaillant, Y., Lafuente, E., & Vendrell-Herrero, F. (2023). Assessment of industrial pre-determinants for territories with active product-service innovation ecosystems. Technovation, 119, 102658.‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2022.102658
Varela-Lascano, D. M., Medina Arias, J. E., & Rodríguez Rojas, L. E. (2026). Knowledge-Based Capabilities and Green Innovation in Sustainable Enterprises: Evidence from Ecuador. Sustainability, 18(11), 5300.‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2022.102658
Vos, S., Breesch, D., & Scheerder, J. (2012). Undeclared work in non-profit sports clubs: A mixed method approach for assessing the size and motives. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 23(4), 846-869.‏ https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-012-9262-8
Xiong, R. R., Liu, C. Z., & Choo, K. K. R. (2025). Synthesizing knowledge through a data analytics-based systematic literature review protocol. Information Systems Frontiers, 27(1), 235-258.‏ https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-024-10471-0
Yang, G. (2024). Knowledge Element Relationship and value co-creation in the innovation ecosystem. Sustainability. 16 (10): 4273.‏ https://doi.org/10.3390/su16104273
Yin, Robert. (2014). Case Study Research, 5th ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Yoon, S. J., Marhold, K., & Kang, J. (2017). Linking the firm’s knowledge network and subsequent exploratory innovation: a study based on semiconductor industry patent data. Innovation, 19(4), 463-482.‏ https://doi.org/10.1080/14479338.2017.1332492
Zárraga, C., & Bonache, J. (2003). Assessing the team environment for knowledge sharing: an empirical analysis. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 14(7), 1227-1245.‏ https://doi.org/10.1080/0958519032000141392
 
 
 
 
Innovation Economic Ecosystem Studies
Volume 6, Issue 2
June 2026
Pages 1-24

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics