ResilienceTalks: Ecosystem resilience through value co-creation - A process framework for the circular Economy

Warmly welcome to the first ResilienceTalks seminar of the year on February 12 at 14:00-16:00 in Maisemasali (Linnanmaa campus, main library, 3rd floor). Keynote speaker of the seminar is Dr Khalid Mehmood from the Sheffield University Management School.

Register here by 10th of February.

Abstract: Ecosystem resilience through value co-creation: A process framework for the circular Economy

Although scholars increasingly recognize that the circular economy (CE) extends beyond firm-level practices to encompass ecosystemic dynamics, limited research has examined how circular economy ecosystems (CEEs) sustain and adapt amid disruptions, that is, how resilience is built and maintained within these ecosystems. Circularity is inherently co-created through interactions among firms, consumers, policymakers, and other societal actors, yet the processes and mechanisms that enable ecosystem resilience in CEEs remain poorly understood.

This study addresses this gap by exploring how value co-creation processes contribute to ecosystem resilience. Drawing on an exploratory qualitative study involving 25 semi-structured interviews with actors engaged in a Finnish circular ecosystem, we develop an integrative, process-oriented framework that identifies three interrelated domains: value co-creation processes, adaptive mechanisms, and ecosystem resilience, linked through dynamic feedback loops. Specifically, the learning loop connects co-creation and adaptation through experimentation and knowledge exchange; the evolution loop aligns adaptation and resilience through innovation and adaptive coordination; and the reinforcing loop stabilizes circular practices by embedding shared values, norms, and collective capacities across the ecosystem.

Taken together, these mechanisms reveal that value co-creation fosters ecosystem adaptability, while adaptive mechanisms strengthen absorptive, adaptive, and transformative capacities, enabling CEEs to absorb shocks, reorganize, and sustain circular value creation over time. By integrating value co-creation and ecosystem resilience perspectives, this study advances theoretical understanding of how CEEs evolve as adaptive and resilent systems rather than static configurations of actors and resources. Beyond theoretical contributions, the findings offer actionable insights for managers and policymakers seeking to design collaborative, resilient, and enduring circular ecosystems capable of thriving under conditions of environmental, technological, and institutional uncertainty.

Khalid Mehmood is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Sheffield University Management School, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK. He holds a PhD degree from Ghent University. Khalid is passionate about interactive marketing and service research, with a specific focus on AI-enabled services, disruptive technologies, personalization, customer experience, circular economy ecosystems, and transformative service research (TSR). He has published in Journal of Service Management, Journal of Services Marketing, Journal of Consumer Behaviour, Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, and International Journal of Business Information System, among others.

Program

14.00 Coffee, tea and snacks

14.05 Opening

14.10 Keynote: Ecosystem resilience through value co-creation: A process framework for the circular Economy, Dr Khalid Mehmood from the Sheffield University Management School.

14.50 Commentary: Abdollah Mohammadparast Tabas, postdoctoral researcher, FRONT, Oulu Business School

15.20 Discussion

16.00 Closing

ResilienceTalks seminar series is organized by Frontiers of Arctic and Global Resilience (FRONT) Profi7 research programme and the Resilience Academy of Oulu (RAO).

Register here by 10th of February.