The course was held March-May, 2025, at the Mid Sweden University (Åre campus) in Sweden and online
Course overview
This course examines collaborative constellations and how they drive sustainability in the modern business landscape. The collaborative constellations refer to different types of ecosystems (innovation, business, and entrepreneurial) and networks of stakeholders working together to achieve sustainable outcomes. Recent discussions have focused on how collaborative constellations can support sustainability practices or circular economy principles that benefit the entire ecosystem (cf. Kanda et al., 2021; Parida et al., 2019). Additionally, business model innovation is—as an antecedent of change—linked to variation creation in the various ecosystem perspectives, outlining a means for business actors to collaboratively address critical societal issues. By creating variation to the established—meaning the introduction of new ideas, methods, services, and configurations—it enables actors involved in these ecosystems to relate to each other in new ways.
The aim of the course is to introduce early-stage doctoral students in, for example, innovation studies, marketing, entrepreneurship and other related fields within management and business studies to the theoretical foundations of different collaborative constellations that foster sustainability and address complex environmental and social challenges. A key focus is on the role of innovation, especially business model innovation, in transitioning ecosystems toward circularity. Business model innovation serves here as a mechanism, enabling firms and other organizations within these ecosystems to rethink how they create, deliver, and capture value in ways that align with circular economy principles. By integrating circular strategies—such as resource efficiency, waste minimization, and closed-loop systems—business model innovation can help drive the shift from old and linear to more regenerative and sustainable practices across entire ecosystems.
The course also covers methodological approaches to studying complex systems designed according to sustainability outcomes or principles. Rigorous case studies, interactive discussions, and contemporary reading will provide students with the tools to critically assess and study the collaborative efforts and trends that underpin sustainable business practices.
Course faculty:
- Anna-Greta Nyström, Professor, Åbo Akademi University (Finland)
- Johan Kask, Professor, University of Inland Norway (Norway)
- Anna Sörensson, Associate Professor, Mid Sweden University (Sweden)
Collaboration partners on campus:
- Rolf Gunnar Findsrud, Associate professor, University of Inland Norway
- Navid Ghannad, Assistant professor, Halmstad University
Confirmed online keynote speakers:
- David Audretsch, Professor, Indiana University
- Leena Aarikka-Stenroos, Tampere University
