This thesis, addresses the convergence between several strings of current research in the quest for a better understanding of the co-dependency and co-evolution of the human being and her ability to innovate, organize and provide products and services through competitive firms. The introduction and development of the concepts “Innovation Health” and “Systems of Innovation Health” aims at capturing emerging interdisciplinary understanding of early childhood developmental health and human life-spanning developmental conditions, to the extent that they are relevant for economic change, knowledge- and innovation related theory and research. An overview and analysis of global demographic changes, as they relate to Innovation Health is provided. Further, an extended view or possible emerging Theory of the Knowing and Innovating Firm is proposed and elaborated. Furthermore, Stein’s effort in the early 20th century to create a new philosophy of the humanities and a model of the human being is revisited. Her ontology of association, community and the human being is introduced in the context of organizational economics and knowledge-based theories. Her philosophy and “emergentis” ontology is applied as the theoretical framework of Innovation Health and the entire research effort.

Innovation in healthcare is a central way of coping with the changes affecting the healthcare system through the megatrends of demographic change, digitalization as well as the opportunities in the life-sciences sector and the “-omics” subjects. Due to the multiple facets of the topic, research on innovation in healthcare is diverse and draws insights from systems theory, management theory, human resources, innovation and change management. While the literature on innovation in healthcare has grown steadily in the last 20 years and publications on pharmaceutical and medical device innovation, health technology assessment strategies, or digital innovations have increased significantly, other areas such as sectoral health innovation systems, the creation and implementation of innovation in hospitals still remain fairly uncharted. Applying established concepts such as systems of innovation theory, mass customization theory or management of employee involvement in innovation activities to the healthcare sector provides new insights into a field that is often considered a “blackbox”. This thesis adds to the topic in three essays, each focusing on a different aspect and depth level ranging from a macro perspective on healthcare innovation on a global scale to a meso level perspective on the implementation of personalized medicine in one country and putting a micro lens on innovation activities of hospital staff. The aim of this thesis is to provide an overview for researchers, policy makers and healthcare stakeholders about current developments, propose tools for measuring innovation and allow for benchmarking the current status quo in healthcare in order to foster new and innovative developments.