Showing papers in "European Journal of Innovation Management in 2013"
TL;DR: In this paper, the mediating role of innovation on the relationship between organizational culture and firm performance was examined in the banking sector and it was found that organizational culture had an insignificant regression coefficient on the dimensions of firm performance in the presence of organizational innovations.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating role of innovation on the relationship between organizational culture and firm performance.Design/methodology/approach – Data for the study were collected through a survey from 154 branches of ten prominent banks in Turkey and responses were analyzed to assess the relationships between organizational culture, firm performance and organizational innovation.Findings – The findings reveal that in the banking sector, although organizational culture and innovation have a direct and positive effect on the firm performance dimensions, organizational culture was found to have an insignificant regression coefficient on the dimensions of firm performance in the presence of organizational innovations.Practical implications – These findings provide useful insights for organizations, particularly in the banking industry, seeking to be competitive and responsive to environmental changes by successfully introducing innovations. Conclusions emphasize that me...
220 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore, from a firm-level perspective, organizational characteristics for continuous innovation in rapidly changing industries, including the role of culture and selection/facilitation of self-or...
Abstract: Purpose – History is full of companies that were once innovative leaders but lost their innovative ability. The purpose of this paper is to explore, from a firm‐level perspective, organizational characteristics for continuous innovation in rapidly changing industries.Design/methodology/approach – Findings from 28 interviews at Google Inc., are compared to previous research on organizational characteristics for continuous innovation.Findings – Google's organization can be viewed as a dynamic and open corporate system for continuous innovation, involving the entire organization and supported by an innovation‐oriented and change‐prone top management and board. The relative importance of eight organizational characteristics in this corporate system is elaborated upon.Research limitations/implications – There is a need for empirical research contributing to the development of a more comprehensive analytical framework for continuous innovation, including the role of culture and selection/facilitation of self‐or...
137 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the practices and processes of trust building and use in collaborative networking for product innovation and to compare face to face with virtual networking, and identified how different dimensions of trust are located in the trust building processes.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the practices and processes of trust building and use in collaborative networking for product innovation and to compare face to face with virtual networkingDesign/methodology/approach – Guided by a literature review and preliminary participant observation, 16 open ended interviews collected data about the processes in 11 small biotech firms These data were inductively analysed by the constant comparative method to develop explanatory themesFindings – Trust was seen as a requirement for successful collaborative innovation, but the paper identified how different dimensions of trust are located in the trust building processes Trust works by creating a platform of confidence that fosters flows of information and the exchange of tacit knowledge Two types of trust relationships, the technical and the social, work in different ways to produce different, but complementary, types of trust Virtual environments suit technical trust building but are less suited
95 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a theoretical model was developed and tested on panel sample data representing 294 employees in a Danish financial company, and the response rate on the survey was 93 per cent.
Abstract: Purpose – Organizational performance is positively affected by employees’ innovative behaviour, but recent studies indicate that innovative work behaviour may have negative performance consequences. Negative tensions may arise due to employees’ different views on innovation, and efficiency may be reduced because of high job autonomy in innovative job settings. This study aims to examine how job satisfaction and mental involvement via moderation effects increase the effectiveness of innovative work behaviour.Design/methodology/approach – A theoretical model was developed and tested on panel sample data representing 294 employees in a Danish financial company. The response rate on the survey was 93 per cent. The data was analysed via confirmatory factor analysis and hierarchical regression models.Findings – This study shows that job satisfaction and innovative work behaviour can be aligned in environments characterized by innovation trust. Further mental involvement is identified as a component increasing i...
78 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore university-industry collaboration in research centres and show that the different institutional logics of academic actors, industry actors and funding agencies can be present in collaborations in (at least) four different ways resulting in four different types of research processes.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore university‐industry collaboration in research centres.Design/methodology/approach – The paper builds on an explorative study of three research centres at a technical university in Sweden, using in‐depth interviews. The three research centres, Alpha, Beta and Gamma, have various degrees of involvement with industry.Findings – A total of four broad forms of collaboration are suggested: distanced, translational, specified and developed collaboration.Research limitations/implications – The paper shows that the different institutional logics of academic actors, industry actors and funding agencies can be present in collaborations in (at least) four different ways resulting in four different types of research processes. Since not all actors are likely to be equally satisfied in all types of collaborations, the continued development of the research centres will be at risk.Practical implications – If the role of the research centre is to be a forum for collaborati...
76 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyzed the role of social capital on innovation through the analysis of the selective nature of network alliances in the tourism sector which is subject to a complex competition context.
Abstract: Purpose – The aim of this paper is to analyze the role of social capital on innovation through the analysis of the selective nature of network alliances in the tourism sector which is subject to a complex competition – cooperation context.Design/methodology/approach – The paper approximates social capital via active and purposeful engagement in network alliances and estimates several probit models in order to test for the effect of social capital on innovation activity using cross‐section tourism data for Greece.Findings – Overall results indicate that a firm's knowledge base is conducive to innovation activity. Nevertheless, the explanatory power of knowledge base variables weakens once the underlying social capital generation mechanisms are taken into consideration. The selective nature of network links is also evidenced.Research limitations/implications – The use of cross‐section data might be viewed as a limitation. Nevertheless, the robust methodological approach and the very satisfactory fit of the ...
60 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore the viability of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) achieving "ecoadvantage" by exploring their understanding of sustainability issues, how they adopt and innovate in terms of sustainability and the benefits and obstacles they face.
Abstract: Purpose – A recent study has asserted that businesses need to adopt “eco‐advantage”. This paper aims to explore the viability of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) achieving “eco‐advantage” by exploring their understanding of sustainability issues, how they adopt and innovate in terms of sustainability and the benefits and obstacles they face.Design/methodology/approach – The research approach is exploratory, comprised of 15 SME embedded cases based in the UK. The cases are participants in short interventions in sustainable product and process design as a part of a university knowledge transfer project, representing the overall case. Cases are based on interviews with company participants and collaborating academics, supplemented by documentary and observational evidence.Findings – The results build on the work on “eco‐advantage” found in a recent study, highlighting marketing, rather than compliance issues as a catalyst for change. The newly aware SME enters a development process which involves cumulati...
49 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors identify the impact of a new global positioning technology on firms' business models, and find that companies will use the new technology to extend their existing business models and that the technology platform potentially represents the creation of new business model for the partner companies in the consortium.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the impact of a new global positioning technology on firms’ business models. Design/methodology/approach – The empirical setting was a consortium of Danish organizations, established to develop a positioning-based technology platform as a basis for innovative commercial products and/or services. Three of the consortium companies were selected for case-study research. Findings – The main findings were that companies will use the new technology to extend their existing business models, and that the technology platform potentially represents the creation of a new business model for the partner companies in the consortium. Practical implications – This paper is important in that it will help companies understand technological impact from a business model perspective, thereby enabling them to manage innovation better by distinguishing between the creation, extension, revision or termination of business models. Originality/value – The main contribution of this study is its use of the business model perspective to analyse the impact of an emergent technology on companies’ innovation activities. This perspective makes it easier to develop strategic initiatives while managing innovation, and underlines the importance of purposive human action in adopting a proactive behaviour, reducing deterministic views on technological impact.
49 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe an attempt to develop innovation in a Swedish region, using the Triple Helix approach, based on a variety of data sources, including a number of semi-structured interviews.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to generate additional insight into how the Triple Helix approach can be practiced in a regional context.Design/methodology/approach – This paper describes an attempt to develop innovation in a Swedish region, using the Triple Helix approach. The case study is based on a variety of data sources, including a number of semi‐structured interviews.Findings – In implementing the Triple Helix approach, a key role was that of boundary spanners who scanned and pooled ideas for, and interest in, specific projects, building relevant networks and bridging the various involved cultures by semantically translating domain‐specific knowledge. The case also illustrates institutional entrepreneurship as the actors changed the system in which they acted.Research limitations/implications – The data come from one country and one region only. The use of other data and other research methods would shed more light on the studied issues.Practical implications – The driving and integrating r...
47 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors contribute to the debate on the spatial organization of the open innovation model in the wine industry in Canada by employing a micro-firm level survey among 146 wine firms in Canada.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the debate on the spatial organisation of the open innovation model in the wine industry in Canada.Design/methodology/approach – The paper employs a micro‐firm level survey among 146 wine firms in Canada. Descriptive and non‐parametric tests are used in the analysis.Findings – The results on the occurrence of collaborations depict modest collaborative activities with external sources. Most of the collaborations and information are sourced locally because the local climate and growing conditions are so specific that alternative sources and collaborations are less relevant. The results also show that the firm's openness strategy has a weak influence on innovation capacity but firms that introduce more innovations are those that embrace an open innovation strategy to a greater extent than the less innovative.Research limitations/implications – The number of respondents is still limited (i.e. about 150). Moreover, only the relationship between some firm‐...
36 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors proposed that highly innovative and entrepreneurial individuals can be further divided to entrepreneurial innovators and innovative entrepreneurs based on the analysis of their personality traits, and they used extreme-type empirical cases to develop ideal-type concepts.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to advance and clarify conceptualisations of innovative and entrepreneurial individuals through the analysis of their personality traits.Design/methodology/approach – This study has elements of both theory testing and theory creation, which led the authors to choose the case study as their research strategy. The “case” is an innovative and entrepreneurial individual, and the authors used extreme‐type empirical cases to develop ideal‐type concepts. The analysis is based on extensive longitudinal data.Findings – The study makes a contribution to theories of both entrepreneurship and innovation. It adds conceptual clarity in terms of providing evidence that the individuals concerned should not be considered as one characteristic group of actors. The authors propose that highly innovative and entrepreneurial individuals can be further divided to entrepreneurial innovators and innovative entrepreneurs.Practical implications – This study may enable the colleagues, business...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors analyze two key determinants for the successful use of methods in new product development, namely, the way the product development process is formalized and the extent of top management support.
Abstract: Purpose – In recent years, scholars have devoted increasing attention to the use of methods in new product development. Although their positive impact on product success has been confirmed by a series of studies, little research has so far been conducted into the determinants of the successful method application. The purpose of this paper is to analyze two key determinants for the successful use of methods.Design/methodology/approach – The paper adopts a structural equation modeling approach and analyzes the subject based on a large empirical sample of 410 product development projects.Findings – The way the new product development process is formalized and the extent of top management support have a significant influence on the successful application of methods. Both factors lead to the use of more methods overall and drive the more thorough and intensive deployment of the specific methods used.Practical implications – The paper shows how firms that are seeking a more methodical approach to new product de...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors provide an integrated framework of complex relations among innovation characteristics, organizational capabilities, innovation potential and innovation performance, using partial least squares (PLS) modeling and 22 high- (96 respondents) and 16 (93 respondents) low-performing innovation projects from nine companies from the European industry.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an integrated framework of complex relations among innovation characteristics, organizational capabilities, innovation potential and innovation performance. Design/methodology/approach – The model is tested using partial least squares (PLS) modeling and 22 high- (96 respondents) and 16 (93 respondents) low-performing innovation projects from nine companies from the European industry. Findings – The results show that the level of innovativeness of the project is an important determinant of product potential, whereas the complexity entailed in innovativeness entices integrative communication among innovation project team members. As expected, projects which are new to the company are related negatively to adequateness of the existing functional capabilities of the firm. The negative effects can be mitigated through integrative communication capabilities. Management can foster communication and knowledge integration through adequate databases and communicatio...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the knowledge and trust linkages between 51 new product development (NPD) teams and their organizational stakeholders using a mixed methods design that combines network analysis, surveys, and qualitative interviews.
Abstract: Purpose – Team‐based innovation requires a balance of creative and pragmatic processes both within teams and between teams and their organizational stakeholders. However, prior research has focused primarily on the internal team dynamics that facilitate innovation, paying comparatively little attention to team‐stakeholder dynamics. The purpose of this study is to address this limitation by studying the impact of team‐stakeholder networks and shared cognition on the effectiveness of innovation teams.Design/methodology/approach – This study investigates the knowledge and trust linkages between 51 new product development (NPD) teams and their organizational stakeholders using a mixed methods design that combines network analysis, surveys, and qualitative interviews. Multiple indicators of team effectiveness were collected at various stages of the innovation process.Findings – The results show that effective NPD teams establish knowledge ties with many non‐redundant organizational stakeholders and foster a hi...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine if "neo-retro"-product design can paradoxically convey design newness and look at how such products are perceived by innovators.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine if “neo-retro”-product design, which is based on the reinterpretation of forms from the past, can paradoxically convey design newness and looks at how such products are perceived by innovators. Design/methodology/approach – An experiment was conducted with two groups of respondents, with a total sample of 194 respondents. These were, respectively, submitted to two different product designs for highly technical headphones; one with a neo-retro-design and the other with a typical modern design. The approach enabled the testing and validation of different hypotheses regarding retro and innovation. Findings – The results suggest that a neo-retro-product design conveys newness and does not mislead the consumer when it comes to evaluating a product's technological input. Furthermore, they support the idea that consumer innovativeness has a positive effect on the attitude towards neo-retro-product design. Research limitations/implications – Future research should...
TL;DR: In this article, a model of innovation and internationalization for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and at testing it on tradition-based firms is proposed, aiming at understanding if it is possible to overcome these firms' weaknesses through collaboration in networking perspective.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a model of innovation and internationalization for small- and medium enterprises (SMEs) and at testing it on tradition-based firms. These are SMEs whose productions reflect their territory's cultural identity. They are often micro-firms and weak in global markets. Since these firms characterize the European and Italian offer, the scientific challenge is to verify whether there are possible strategic paths, mainly based on interfirm collaboration and dynamic knowledge, that can help them getting higher levels of competitiveness. More specifically, the proposed model aims at understanding if it is possible to overcome these firms’ weaknesses through collaboration in networking perspective. Design/methodology/approach – Methodology uses theoretical backgrounds in order to define hypotheses. The main approach starts from contributions on RBT and dynamic capabilities and their possible linkages in the internationalization perspective. Thus, considering the aims...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present empirical evidence that entrepreneurs play a leading role, not a subordinate role, in sourcing incremental innovations through secondary inventions and design modifications, and that the highest-ranked incremental innovations leading to the commercialization of the mechanized reaper and cloud computing services were attributed to entrepreneurs.
Abstract: Purpose
– Existing theories of innovation posit a split between incremental innovations produced by large incumbents and radical innovations produced by entrepreneurial start‐ups. The purpose of this paper is to present empirical evidence challenging this foundational assumption by demonstrating that entrepreneurs play a leading role, not a subordinate role, in sourcing incremental innovations through secondary inventions and design modifications.
Design/methodology/approach
– Applying the methods of historical econometrics, this study draws parallels between two dramatically different contexts: the mechanized reaper (1803‐1884) and cloud computing services (1961‐2011). Data for the reaper were drawn from 517 historical sources involving 348 modifications. Data for cloud computing services were drawn from 3,882 US patent filings and firm‐level data drawn from the Dun & Bradstreet database.
Findings
– Entrepreneurial tweaking plays a central role in commercializing dominant designs. Among the highest‐ranked incremental innovations leading to the commercialization of the reaper and cloud computing, nearly 90 percent were attributable to entrepreneurs. And yet, an entrepreneur had only a one in fourteen chance of garnering returns from a reaper innovation and a one in nine chance of gains from a cloud computing improvement.
Practical implications
– Incremental innovations by entrepreneurs are indispensable to the widespread commercial acceptance of new technologies. Yet, entrepreneurial tweakers rarely benefit from the significant value they have created.
Originality/value
– This paper constitutes the first significant attempt to empirically address the central role of entrepreneurs in producing incremental innovations that result in the commercialization of radical breakthroughs.
TL;DR: In this paper, a multidisciplinary approach is used to define the concept of retro-industries and to identify its specificities, including heritage, tradition, nostalgia and revival.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explain the emergence and existence of retro-industries. The paper proposes using a multidisciplinary approach to define the concept of retro-industries and to identify its specificities. Design/methodology/approach – Literature reviews in marketing and economics were used to create a model of innovation adoption and diffusion in retro-industries. Findings – The paper provides theoretical insights about the factors that foster retro-industries such as heritage, tradition, nostalgia and revival. The paper suggests that these factors influence innovations mechanisms and explain the use of the past to manage the challenges of the future. Originality/value – The paper enriches an identified need to analyse industry from retro perspective; and to identify the factors that foster the emergence of such industries.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated how early market survival is affected by decisions regarding a particular launch tactic, i.e., the configuration of the adoption network through which the innovation is commercialized.
Abstract: Purpose – Considering the strikingly high number of new products and services that are withdrawn from the market very soon after launch, the aim of this paper is to study how early market survival is affected by decisions regarding a particular launch tactic, i.e. the configuration of the adoption network through which the innovation is commercialized. The paper also investigates how the impact on early market survival of this launch tactics depends on the maturity of the technology underlying the new service.Design/methodology/approach – The conceptual model relating the variables “size of the adoption network”, “brand awareness of the organizations comprised in the adoption network”, “maturity of the underlying technology” and “early market survival” is tested in the empirical setting of the Italian mobile value added services (VAS) market, utilizing a longitudinal dataset which includes more than 28,000 new VAS launched between 2003 and 2007.Findings – The paper shows that increasing the number of exte...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the moderating impact of product innovativeness on the new product market success and found that product innovation does not moderate the organizational integration of new products.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this research is to investigate the moderating impact of product innovativeness on the new product market success‐organizational integration relationship. Design/methodology/approach – A mail survey research approach was used that gathered 131 completed survey instruments from NPD managers in the electrical products, medical devices, and the heavy construction equipment industries. Findings – This research confirmed that organizational integration during NPD processes and the innovativeness of new products are associated with new product market success. This study also discovered that product innovativeness does not moderate the organizational integration‐new product market success relationship.Research limitations/implications – This study's findings may not be generalizable to industries beyond those studied, the studied relationships may change when new product projects are appended to one another, and it may be necessary to take into account several dimensions of product innov...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors conducted a Q&A with information systems professionals for their perspectives, knowledge and expertise within the domains of green IT and green IS, focusing on which technologies, systems and applications offer the greatest opportunity in solving environmental problems, and what sets of issues affect these green opportunities.
Abstract: Purpose – Solutions to complex environmental problems rely on the innovative knowledge and expertise of many professions whose members accept their responsibilities towards the environment. The study described here canvases information systems (IS) professionals for their perspectives, knowledge and expertise within the domains of Green IT and Green IS.Design/methodology/approach – Following a review of the Green IT and IS literature, two topics were identified for a Q‐study conducted among IS professionals: topic 1 focussed on which technologies, systems and applications offer the greatest opportunity in solving environmental problems, and topic 2 on what sets of issues affect these green opportunities. Activity Theory was used to interpret the factors emerging from the Q‐study.Findings – Three categories of activities were identified in topic 1 involving ICT support for “teleworking and teleconferencing”, “monitoring, optimising, and modelling” and “influencing human understanding and behaviour”. The to...
TL;DR: The role of nostalgia in consumers' lives and its application in the design of marketing strategies has been highlighted in prior research as discussed by the authors, however, the role of the consumers' nostalgic inclination in the development of new products has not been investigated yet, either for existing products or new ones.
Abstract: Purpose – The role of nostalgia in consumers’ lives and its application in the design of marketing strategies has been highlighted in prior research. However, the role of nostalgia as well as the consumers’ nostalgic inclination in the development of new products has not been investigated yet, either for existing products or new ones. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to underline and understand the collaborative process of value co-creation for both actors (companies and consumers) in the development of nostalgic new products. Design/methodology/approach – A double methodology was used through a netnographic study (which is inspired by ethnography) and semi-directed interviews. Concerning the netnographic approach, the data collection were conducted on both general and specialized social networks, web sites and forums. The semi-directed interviews were conducted among 12 individuals. The verbatim were analyzed through a content thematic analysis. The use of both methodologies helped to underline recurr...
TL;DR: In this article, the differences in technological capital intensity (R&D capital stock as a percentage of GVA) between industries and the evolution of inequalities between the EU•11 and the USA, as well as between EU countries were analyzed.
Abstract: Purpose – Using the EU‐KLEMS database for 12 countries and 16 industries, the purpose of this paper is to analyze the differences in technological capital intensity (R&D capital stock as a percentage of GVA) between industries and the evolution of inequalities between the EU‐11 and the USA, as well as between EU countries.Design/methodology/approach – The authors use shift‐share analysis and a Theil inequality index to break down these inequalities and to quantify the importance of either a country or a specialization effect.Findings – Results from the shift‐share analysis show that there was a technological gap in favor of the USA until the mid‐1990s linked to the greater accumulation of technological capital in most of the productive sectors considered, this being the main reason for the differences in technological innovation between the USA and the EU‐11. However, since 1995 a change in productive specialization has occurred, with a significant drop in the weight of lower technology‐intensive industri...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide an extensive search and synthesis of relevant literature and to present and analyze findings from online surveys, supporting the idea that attraction to retro music is heavily influenced by psychological factors as well as technology innovation.
Abstract: Purpose – Understanding a prima facie attraction of retro pop-rock by a broad spectrum of people and the role of technology innovation in driving the importance of this genre. A key idea of this paper is that ongoing popularity of retro pop-rock music is associated with a confluence of demand-side and supply-side factors. The demand side is thought to be characterized by a combination of psychological factors contributing to individuals’ desires to enjoy, reflect on, or even “live in” the past. On the supply-side, technology has roles in the production, distribution and consumption of music. Design/methodology/approach – The approach of this paper is to provide an extensive search and synthesis of relevant literature and to present and analyze findings from online surveys. Findings – The literature supports the idea that attraction to retro music is heavily influenced by psychological factors as well as technology innovation. The survey provides supporting evidence. Of particular interest are findings rel...