**Abstract**

Innovation ecosystem (IE) literature explores the interdependencies between partners that jointly innovate and create value. IEs comprise various actors such as focal firms, suppliers, complementary innovators, and customers. This study elaborates on actors' interactions that promote the emergence and evolution of IEs in emerging economies. System of Systems (SoS) literature—which classifies the types of authority between the system and its components into virtual, collaborative, acknowledged, and directed—is applied to propose a conceptual framework for analyzing IEs. Following a multiple case study, three ecosystems were selected from the Brazilian armored vehicle sector and analyzed according to the proposed framework. The results revealed that the organizational environment impacts IEs by promoting their emergence and evolution or even leading to their death. The interaction between ecosystem actors can also contribute to the success or failure of IEs. Managing to reach the optimal type of authority can be a valuable tool for orchestrating actors and their interactions in IEs.

**Keywords:** Brazil, defense industry, emerging economies, geopolitical factors, innovation ecosystems, military vehicles, organizational environment, platforms, system of systems, windows of opportunity
