This handbook looks to provide academics and students with a comprehensive and holistic understanding of the phenomenon of innovation. Innovation spans a number of fields within the social sciences and humanities: Management, Economics, Geography, Sociology, Politics, Psychology, and History. Consequently, the rapidly increasing body of literature on innovation is characterized by a multitude of perspectives based on, or cutting across, existing disciplines and specializations. Scholars of innovation can come from such diverse starting points that much of this literature can be missed, and so constructive dialogues missed. The editors of The Oxford Handbook of Innovation have carefully selected and designed twenty-one contributions from leading academic experts within their particular field, each focusing on a specific aspect of innovation. These have been organized into four main sections, the first of which looks at the creation of innovations, with particular focus on firms and networks. Section Two provides an account of the wider systematic setting influencing innovation and the role of institutions and organizations in this context. Section Three explores some of the diversity in the working of innovation over time and across different sectors of the economy, and Section Four focuses on the consequences of innovation with respect to economic growth, international competitiveness, and employment. An introductory overview, concluding remarks, and guide to further reading for each chapter, make this handbook a key introduction and vital reference work for researchers, academics, and advanced students of innovation. Contributors to this volume - Jan Fagerberg, University of Oslo William Lazonick, INSEAD Walter W. Powell, Stanford University Keith Pavitt, SPRU Alice Lam, Brunel University Keith Smith, INTECH Charles Edquist, Linkoping David Mowery, University of California, Berkeley Mary O'Sullivan, INSEAD Ove Granstrand, Chalmers Bjorn Asheim, University of Lund Rajneesh Narula, Copenhagen Business School Antonello Zanfei, Urbino Kristine Bruland, University of Oslo Franco Malerba, University of Bocconi Nick Von Tunzelmann, SPRU Ian Miles, University of Manchester Bronwyn Hall, University of California, Berkeley Bart Verspagen , ECIS Francisco Louca, ISEG Manuel M. Godinho, ISEG Richard R. Nelson, Mario Pianta, Urbino Bengt-Ake Lundvall, Aalborg

The Oxford Handbook of Innovation

What makes organizations so similar? We contend that the engine of rationalization and bureaucratization has moved from the competitive marketplace to the state and the professions. Once a set of organizations emerges as a field, a paradox arises: rational actors make their organizations increasingly similar as they try to change them. We describe three isomorphic processes-coercive, mimetic, and normative—leading to this outcome. We then specify hypotheses about the impact of resource centralization and dependency, goal ambiguity and technical uncertainty, and professionalization and structuration on isomorphic change. Finally, we suggest implications for theories of organizations and social change.

The iron cage revisited: Institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields (Chinese Translation)

[서평]「The Unified Modeling Language User Guide」

Flexible Citizenship: The Cultural Logics of Transnationality. Aihwa Ong. Durham, NIC: Duke University Press, 1999. ix. 322 pp., notes, bibliography, index.

Flexible Citizenship: The Cultural Logics of Transnationality

High-growth firms (HGFs) have attracted considerable attention recently, as academics and policymakers have increasingly recognized the highly skewed nature of many metrics of firm performance. A small number of HGFs drives a disproportionately large amount of job creation, while the average firm has a limited impact on the economy. This article explores the reasons for this increased interest, summarizes the existing literature, and highlights the methodological considerations that constrain and bias research. This special section draws attention to the importance of HGFs for future industrial performance, explores their unusual growth trajectories and strategies, and highlights the lack of persistence of high growth. Consequently, while HGFs are important for understanding the economy and developing public policy, they are unlikely to be useful vehicles for public policy given the difficulties involved in predicting which firms will grow, the lack of persistence in high growth levels, and the complex and often indirect relationship between firm capability, high growth, and macro-economic performance.

/pdf/high-growth-firms-introduction-to-the-special-section-3wwabrngu7.pdf

High-growth firms: Introduction to the special section

The current business environment is volatile and complex. Companies must constantly identify creative and environmentally friendly solutions. The emphasis on employees and workforce agility has become an attribute of sustainable and competitive organizations simultaneously. The purpose of our study is to validate the hypothesis that there is a direct positive relationship between ranking as important top position of human resources in a company and the extent to which specific practices to increase workforce agility were adopted. Our survey is based on an original questionnaire, with a 92% response rate. We focused on large, independent decision-making companies from Western Romania, for which the implementation of sustainable principles is more difficult than for multinationals. The statistical analysis was performed using SPSS23 (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences). The results indicate an average extent of the adoption of management practices aiming to increase workforce agility (45%) and a ranking of human resources in first place as the most important resource (31.7%). Using the Pearson Chi-Square Test, the hypothesis was confirmed (significance = 0.026). Our main conclusion is that if managers intend to develop a sustainable and competitive business, they should attribute a strategic role to employees and adopt practices to increase their agility.

Analysis of Practices to Increase the Workforce Agility and to Develop a Sustainable and Competitive Business

This paper is discussing the issue of European cohesion based on a management approach. It describes the positioning of Romania on the European map of cultures, in order to identify the convergence and divergence of its societal culture with various European cultural clusters. The paper is arguing that: a) European organizations have a major role to play in the process of increasing cohesion within the European Union; b) Organizational Management and leadership are paramount to their success and to society welfare; c) Performant Intercultural Knowledge Management is needed for achieving the most out of European organizations; d) Intercultural teams are one of the most effective ways to reduce the current cohesion-less of EU at individual and organizational level.

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Delivery.cfm/SSRN_ID1156343_code1059113.pdf?abstractid=1156343&mirid=2

Convergences of the Romanian Societal Culture with European Culture Clusters in the Process of European Integration - The Role of Intercultural Teams Management in Increasing European Cohesion

There are many ways in which the firm competitiveness can be understood in the related literature. The purpose of this research is to undertake a better understanding of expectations and concerns of small and medium sized enterprises from Romanian Western region, in term of competitiveness. This study presents preliminary results of a finished grant focused on SME’s competitiveness. There are some positive and negative factors in our research which are influencing firms’ competitiveness. This study has confirmed our hypothesis. The external environment influence on the competitiveness of SME’s is strong and contributes decisively to their performance.

/pdf/considerations-about-the-influence-factors-on-the-4mi2j5v3ys.pdf

Considerations about the Influence Factors on the Competitiveness of SME’s from Western Region of Romania

Managing a Symphony Orchestra in Times of Change: Behind the Curtains

In the public sector in Romania, leadership development has been addressed only rarely and briefly. Currently, Romania is unable to mobilize a large number of leaders because it has started gradual reform. The image or reputation of the organization and organizational culture must be assessed, controlled and directed towards achieving goals. In Romania, the future public leaders must first be identified, so public institutions should consider the leadership skills and recruit future leaders from among university graduates in the field. This paper aims to examine and show the meaningful aspects of a leader in the public administration. So, this research will show aspects of the influence of leadership and performance in public administration in Romania as well as the practice of the leadership function in a public institution, such as a city hall.

/pdf/leadership-style-in-the-romanian-public-institutions-the-3b91bd891d.pdf

Nicolae Bibu

Papers

Analysis of Practices to Increase the Workforce Agility and to Develop a Sustainable and Competitive Business

Convergences of the Romanian Societal Culture with European Culture Clusters in the Process of European Integration - The Role of Intercultural Teams Management in Increasing European Cohesion

Considerations about the Influence Factors on the Competitiveness of SME’s from Western Region of Romania

Managing a Symphony Orchestra in Times of Change: Behind the Curtains

Leadership Style in the Romanian Public Institutions - the Case of City Halls