On the edge: a multilevel perspective on innovation complexities and dynamic attractors in the supply network

Purpose In innovation management, the complexity inherited in the supply network may be necessary for success. This study aims to holistically examine innovation complexities and system attractors within a hierarchically nested supply network and explore how they dynamically interact and influence adaptive innovation processes. Design/methodology/approach Taking a complexity theory perspective, we employed a methodological bricolage approach using a single case study with multiple embedded units of analysis – namely, a supply network encompassing 36 firms. We drew upon primary data obtained from 42 interviewees and rich secondary data, and we employed a temporal exponential random graph model to examine the micro-foundations of the evolution of the sampled supply network over a decade. Findings This study presents a comprehensive overview of the innovation complexities—relational, temporal, dynamic, operational and structural – and how they manifest within a supply network. It also identifies three systemic attractors – point, periodic and strange – and elucidates their relationships with the complexities and their impact on innovative supply network dynamics. The resulting conceptual framework and working propositions provide a detailed perspective on the complex interplay between balanced order and chaos and the potentially unbalanced innovation states within a supply network. Originality/value This research offers an in-depth perspective on the innovation complexities and dynamic attractors within a supply network from a holistic, multilevel perspective. It advances complexity theory and deepens the understanding of supply networks as complex adaptive systems.