Making the strategic intent of innovation labs operational: A process perspective on the case of the Lorraine Fab Living Lab

This paper examines through a single case study the process in which strategic intent is built within an innovation lab. As collaborative innovation structures, innovation labs are sensitive to collision of visions leading to misalignments that could undermine their purpose. Therefore, this study explores from a managerial point of view the way in which an innovation lab is designed, implemented, and sustained in a university context. Results depict the different manifestations of strategic intent that (1) led to the reorganization of existing capabilities under the original idea that gave life to the lab, (2) drove the experimentation and adaptation stages that shaped our case, and (3) favored the institutionalization of the practices and routines resulting from the lab to its ecosystem. This suggests the potential use of the framework to be applied as a coherence-building tool from which strategic intent could be made recognizable and operational.