The Role of Collaboration in the Development of Industrial Enterprises Integration

Organizational models for corporate horizontal merger based on partnership, mutual benefit and synergy could act as a driver and a window of opportunity for companies seeking to combine the objectives of economic resilience, technological independence and compliance with the environmental, social and governance principles. This article proposes an approach to analyzing the potentials of enterprises and actors in terms of collaboration maturity and evaluation thereof for the potential formation of industrial symbioses and industrial innovation ecosystems. The authors' proposals have been tested when assessing collaboration maturity of the participants in the industrial symbiosis for phosphogypsum recycling, as well as when assessing collaboration maturity of the actors in Safer Phosphates industrial innovation ecosystem. The development of collaboration between enterprises through an increase in the number of joint innovative technological and environmental projects tends to develop into industrial ecosystems, when knowledge about new produced or promising options for the exchange of resources will be transferred between regional enterprises and attract new actors from other territories and sectors of the economy. Such interaction will provide a long-term development strategy for each actor, and commercial and image benefits will make ecosystem symbiotic interaction a priority for all market participants.

Automated summary

Organizational models based on partnership, mutual benefit, and synergy can provide companies with opportunities to achieve economic resilience, technological independence, and compliance with environmental, social, and governance principles through horizontal mergers. This article suggests analyzing collaboration maturity of enterprises and actors to assess their potential for forming industrial symbioses and innovation ecosystems. The authors' proposals were tested in assessing collaboration maturity in phosphogypsum recycling and in Safer Phosphates industrial innovation ecosystem. Collaboration between enterprises through joint technological and environmental projects can lead to the development of industrial ecosystems, facilitating the exchange of resources and attracting new actors from different sectors and regions. Such interaction benefits all market participants by providing long-term development strategies and commercial and image benefits.