Advancing Design Science for Multi-Actor Innovation Processes: Structuring Ecosystem Model Innovation for Transformative Change

Addressing complex societal challenges, such as sustainability, requires more than merely descriptive or explanatory research. It demands methods that provide structured and actionable guidance for innovation processes, enabling diverse actors to jointly imagine and enact transformative change. This study responds to this need for methodological innovation by extending design science (DS) to support the design of innovation processes in transformation-oriented, multi-actor environments. Using ecosystem model innovation (EMI) as a generative setting, we develop an actionable five-step EMI process. The approach is grounded in a design logic that links design objects—structural ecosystem elements to be transformed—with process activities that enable transformation. Applied iteratively in an empirical setting, the extended DS approach translates this design logic into practical interventions for EMI, which are subsequently evaluated in terms of their effectiveness. This process yields design propositions that connect underlying theoretical mechanisms to concrete interventions and outcomes. Our study contributes to methodological innovation in the field of creativity and innovation management by advancing DS for innovation processes through four key insights: (i) integrating creation and theorizing to synthesize design logics, (ii) operationalizing and tracing design logic to formulate actionable design propositions, (iii) strategically engaging practitioners as co-creators throughout the design process, and (iv) using visualization as a core methodological tool.