Abstract:

Universities aspiring for greater innovation output often find themselves facing the dilemma of mismatched governance inputs and outcomes while searching for effective governance strategies for their innovation activities. Why are university innovation activities becoming increasingly difficult to govern? Based on an analytical framework constructed from resonance theory, this paper argues that the governance of university innovation activities is characterized by numerous aspects that are “uncontrollable” shaped by the limitations of the goals and scale. At the same time, under resource constraints, universities typically follow a governance logic of “optimization” and “regulation” to facilitate the production and reproduction of innovation as much as possible. They tend to adopt a governance model of “attempt to control” with an expanding scope of influence to prevent innovation activities from falling into a state of “uncontrollability”. However, this approach can create new forms of “uncontrollability” further complicating governance. Thus, the insight that can be drawn is that for universities to govern their innovation activities, the focus should not be on how much they can “attempt to control,” but rather on how much “uncontrollability” they can accept. They must also balance the tension between “control” and “uncontrollability”, manage their core responsibilities and build a resilient and flexible innovation ecosystem, transforming the campus into a hub that embraces “uncontrollability” and accommodates greater possibilities for innovation.

Key words: university, innovation activities, governance limits, governance logic