Showing papers by "Keld Laursen published in 2014"

Human Resource Management Practices and Innovation

Abstract: This chapter surveys, organizes, and critically discusses the literature on the role of human resource practices for explaining innovation outcomes. We specifically put an emphasis on what is often called "new" or "modern" HRM practices—practices that imply high levels of delegation of decisions, extensive lateral and vertical communication channels, and the use of reward systems. We discuss how individual practices influence innovation, and how the clustering of specific practices matters for innovation while drawing attention to the notion of complementarities between practices. Moreover, we discuss various possible moderators and mediators of the HRM/innovation link, such as the type of knowledge involved (tacit/codified), knowledge sharing, social capital, and network effects. We argue—despite substantial progress made in the pertinent literature—that the precise causal mechanisms underlying the HRM/innovation links remain poorly understood. Against this backdrop we suggest avenues for future research.

How Does Ambidexterity Matter for Radical and Incremental Innovation Capabilities

Abstract: The notion that ambidextrous learning—involving both exploration and exploitation—will improve firm performance, has become prominent in academia and practice. While arguing that innovation capabilities are central to the ambidexterity hypothesis, we investigate how the two dimensions of ambidextrous learning (combined and balanced) affect firms’ incremental and radical innovation capabilities. Based on organizational learning theory, we develop theoretical arguments underpinning the idea that the combined dimension of ambidexterity drives incremental innovation capability while the balance dimension of ambidexterity positively influences radical innovation capability. We base our empirical analysis on a survey of high-tech firms in China. We find support for our theoretical arguments.