The increased complexity in the current business environment connected with the globalisation of economies and rapid technological developments makes firms depend on innovation and, in the process, develop dense networks of relationships, making collaboration an essential requisite for innovation. Thus, collaboration develops based on complex social networks from which innovation emerges. From this perspective, collaboration takes a systematic approach, where social relationships are crucial. This article describes the innovation behaviour of firms operating in India and introduces collaboration as a system drawing from the systems theory and triple helix innovation model. The results of the mixed methods study conducted pointed toward a fragile collaboration framework. Triangulation was employed to provide a deeper understanding. Furthermore, limited understanding of collaboration as a social system has constrained social interactions, leading to limited knowledge production, application, and knowledge sharing, with technological development and innovation delays. The article lists crucial factors from the perspectives of industry and academia to foster a collaboration framework.

当前商业环境的日益复杂与经济全球化和技术的快速发展相联系，使企业依赖于创新，并在此过程中发展密集的关系网络，使合作成为创新的必要条件。因此，协作是基于复杂的社会网络发展起来的，创新从中产生。从这个角度来看，协作采用系统方法，其中社会关系至关重要。本文描述了在印度运营的公司的创新行为，并将协作作为系统理论和三螺旋创新模型中的一个系统进行介绍。进行的混合方法研究的结果指向一个脆弱的协作框架。三角测量被用来提供更深入的理解。此外，对协作作为社会系统的有限理解限制了社会互动，导致知识生产、应用和知识共享受限，技术发展和创新延迟。文章从工业界和学术界的角度列出了促进协作框架的关键因素。