Collaboration in South Africa’s forestry-products biorefinery innovation system: examining the knowledge network of leverage professionals

Abstract

The aim of this study is to deploy and develop technological systems of innovation (TIS) (the dominant approach to explaining the functions of an eco-innovation system) to account for the current status of the forestry-products biorefinery innovation system in South Africa, and the role that the knowledge network and individuals within it play in expediating the uptake of biorefinery technologies in South Africa. TIS tends to not explicitly consider the role of the individual, as it predominantly refers to the actor or organisational level, a shortcoming this thesis addresses. To this end, the thesis interrogates three sets of research questions: (a) how collaborative is South Africa’s forestry-products biorefinery innovation system? (b) what are the dynamics of the knowledge network associated with South Africa’s forestry-products biorefinery innovation system? and (c) who are the key leverage professionals in the forestry-products biorefinery innovation system? This study shows that the South African forestry-products biorefinery innovation system is not as collaborative as it could be, as it tends to inadequately integrate civil society into the innovation process. It also indicates that the system is transitioning from a formative to a mature stage, with most current emphasis on research and development (R&D). The findings also illustrate that business and biorefinery academics play a central role in knowledge generation and diffusion, which suggests a potential knowledge bias towards the biorefinery applications in which they specialise or adopt. Another key defining characteristic of the associated knowledge network is that it is composed of several intra-networks that tend to operate in silos, as opposed to a cohesive singular network. From a knowledge perspective, managerial, technoeconomic research, engineering and technical competencies dominate. This provides an indicator as to why most forestry-products biorefinery activity in the country is focused on R&D. Given that knowledge and learning are central to system of innovation discourse, this study found that no one mode of knowledge generation is preferred, with a balanced use of codified and tacit knowledge application proposed. At the level of the individual, this study developed the theoretical concept of a “leverage professional” – an individual who plays a significant role in leveraging change within the system. The study identified a number of barriers that inhibit leverage professional agency, notably: (a) a lack of financial and managerial support; (b) disconnected government policy; (c) changing strategic foci; (d) weak capacity and knowledge amongst colleagues; and (e) workforce exodus overseas or to other sectors, with particular reference to millennials. The significance of this study is two-fold: First, it provides an approach to exploring a TIS, from the high-level structural functions, through the associated knowledge network, through to the level of the individual, with all connected through the theoretical lens of an innovation system. Second, it shines a light on the individuals within the innovation system and explores their agency and associated characteristics and behavioural preferences when operating within a network. This study therefore builds on current TIS discourse, and most significantly the role

of the individual in increasing the degree and effectiveness of collaboration in the forestryproducts biorefinery innovation system.