Innovation in crisis: The role of 'exaptive relations' for medical device development in response to COVID-19

Steffan James; Zheng Liu; Victoria Stephens; Gareth R T White

doi:10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121863

Innovation in crisis: The role of 'exaptive relations' for medical device development in response to COVID-19

Technol Forecast Soc Change. 2022 Sep:182:121863. doi: 10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121863. Epub 2022 Jul 13.

Authors

Steffan James¹, Zheng Liu², Victoria Stephens¹, Gareth R T White³

Affiliations

¹ South Wales Business School, University of South Wales, Llantwit Road, Pontypridd CF37 1DL, UK.
² Cardiff School of Management, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Western Ave, Cardiff CF5 2YB, UK.
³ Cranfield University, College Road, Cranfield, Bedford MK43 0AL, UK.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in huge disruption to the healthcare sector. In response to this, there have been collaborative efforts between many different public and private organizations to foster medical innovations. The effect of crisis upon innovation, particularly medical innovation, remains a debatable subject. In addition, the role of inter-personal relations is becoming more widely acknowledged as a critical feature of innovation. Drawing upon exaptation literature, the study aims to understand the nature of the micro-relations within medical innovations that are undertaken in response to COVID-19. The findings of this paper contribute to the limited literature that examines the performance of medical innovation in response to crisis. In addition to confirming the importance of exaptive pools, exaptive events, and exaptive forums in fostering serendipitous developments, the study makes a contribution to theory by identifying a further form of serendipitous encounter that is 'exaptive relations'.

Keywords: COVID-19; Exaptation; Innovation; Medical innovation.