Innovation Development Model for Lalejin Pottery Industry: A Grounded Theory Based on Life Cycle Analysis

Laljin city is one of the most important pottery production centers in Iran and this capability has made it the first pottery export in the country, having the third place in attracting tourists in Hamedan province, after Hamedan city and Ali Sadr cave. But the Laljin pottery industry, despite its advantages, currently lacks a systematic structure in creating and commercializing innovation, and the few successful innovations of the industry in recent years have relied on the initiative of a small number of lucrative pottery makers. This article describes the structure of Laljin's pottery industry's innovative activities from an ecosystem perspective and throughout its life cycle using the Grounded Theory method and in-depth interviews with 59 individuals representing the actors involved in the industry and related experts. Finally, solutions were provided to revitalize this ecosystem. In this paper, three models, based on the Grounded Theory paradigm model, are presented to analyze the history of the Laljin Pottery Innovation Ecosystem and one model to revitalize this ecosystem. The results show that the most important proposed solutions in this regard are the establishment of a ceramic research institute, the establishment of industrial research and development centers, the launch of a specialized ceramic accelerator, and the deepening of cooperation between ecosystem actors.