The role of communication in shaping participants’ perceived outcomes in EIP-AGRI Operational Groups

Abstract

Operational Groups (OGs) are a key element of the European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability (EIP-AGRI), designed to foster innovation through multi-actor collaboration. While communication is widely recognised as crucial to the functioning of OGs, empirical evidence on how different communication dimensions relate to project outcomes remains limited. This study addresses this gap by analysing how three core dimensions of communication, namely information, interaction, and participation, jointly affect participants’ perceived project outcomes within OGs. Using data from an online survey of Italian OG partners and applying partial least squares structural equation modelling, the results show that participation has the strongest positive association with perceived project results, followed by interaction, while information alone plays a more limited role. The findings highlight the importance of active engagement in shaping outcome perceptions in multi-actor innovation settings and provide insights into improving the design and governance of EIP-AGRI OGs.