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Showing papers in "R & D Management in 2009"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the implications and trends that underpin open innovation are discussed in terms of strategic, organizational, behavioral, knowledge, legal and business perspectives and its economic implications, and a special issue aims to advance the R&D, innovation and technology management perspective by building on past and present studies in the field and providing future directions.
Abstract: There is currently a broad awareness of open innovation and its relevance to corporate R&D. The implications and trends that underpin open innovation are actively discussed in terms of strategic, organizational, behavioral, knowledge, legal and business perspectives and its economic implications. This special issue aims to advance the R&D, innovation, and technology management perspective by building on past and present studies in the field and providing future directions. Recent research, including the papers in this special issue, demonstrates an increasing range of situations where the concept is regarded as applicable. Most research to date has followed the outside-in process of open innovation, while the inside-out process remains less explored. A third coupled process of open innovation is also attracting significant research attention. These different processes show why it is necessary to have a full understanding of how and where open innovation can add value in knowledge-intensive processes. There may be a need for a creative interpretation and adaptation of the value propositions, or business models, in each situation. In other words, there are important implications for new and emerging methods of R&D management.

1,787 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present an integrated concept for IT-supported idea competitions in virtual communities for leveraging the potential of crowds that is evaluated in a real-world setting, based on a literature review in the fields of Community Building and Innovation Management, they develop an integrated framework called "Community Engineering for Innovations".
Abstract: ‘Crowdsourcing’ is currently one of the most discussed key words within the open innovation community. The major question for both research and business is how to find and lever the enormous potential of the ‘collective brain’ to broaden the scope of ‘open R&D’. Based on a literature review in the fields of Community Building and Innovation Management, this work develops an integrated framework called ‘Community Engineering for Innovations’. This framework is evaluated in an Action Research project – the case of an ideas competition for an ERP Software company. The case ‘SAPiens’ includes the design, implementation and evaluation of an IT-supported ideas competition within the SAP University Competence Center (UCC) User Group. This group consists of approximately 60,000 people (lecturers and students) using SAP Software for educational purposes. The current challenges are twofold: on the one hand, there is not much activity yet in this community. On the other, SAP has not attempted to systematically address this highly educated group for idea generation or innovation development so far. Therefore, the objective of this research is to develop a framework for a community-based innovation development that generates innovations, process and product ideas in general and for SAP Research, in particular, combining the concepts of idea competitions and virtual communities. Furthermore, the concept aims at providing an interface to SAP Human Resources processes in order to identify the most promising students in this virtual community. This paper is the first to present an integrated concept for IT-supported idea competitions in virtual communities for leveraging the potential of crowds that is evaluated in a real-world setting.

430 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used data from 136 industrial firms to test four hypotheses on the moderating effects of environmental factors in the relationship between open innovation strategies and firm performance, and found that the degree of technological turbulence, the transaction rate in technology markets, and the competitive intensity in the technology markets strengthen the positive effects of outbound open innovation on firm performance.
Abstract: Firms may open up their innovation processes on two dimensions. While inbound open innovation refers to the acquisition of external technology in open exploration processes, outbound open innovation describes the outward transfer of technology in open exploitation processes. Prior open innovation research has focused on the inbound dimension, whereas the outbound dimension has been relatively neglected. Therefore, this article addresses the relationship between outbound open R&D strategies and firm performance. We use data from 136 industrial firms to test four hypotheses on the moderating effects of environmental factors in the relationship between open innovation strategies and firm performance. The results show that the degree of technological turbulence, the transaction rate in technology markets, and the competitive intensity in technology markets strengthen the positive effects of outbound open innovation on firm performance. By contrast, the degree of patent protection does not facilitate successful open innovation. The results are crucially important to managers because they show under what environmental conditions open innovation strategies enhance performance.

404 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a case study at Deutsche Telekom, the German national telecommunication operator, is presented to analyse to what extent the open innovation paradigm has been embraced inside this now multinational company.
Abstract: When, on 21st September 2006, ‘The Economist’ compared incumbent telecommunication operators with dinosaurs that could soon face extinction, most readers were ready to agree. The mixture of declining revenues and fierce competition was believed to shake the market and soon to dethrone former national champions. However, there are ways to fight that extinction and one way is to open up for competitive advantage. This paper reflects on a case study at Deutsche Telekom, the German national telecommunication operator. The aim of this study is to analyse to what extent the open innovation paradigm has been embraced inside this now multinational company. Using empirical evidence from 15 in-depth interviews, we identify 11 open innovation instruments and detail their value contribution. We can show that Deutsche Telekom has successfully enhanced its innovation capacity by opening up its traditional development process and embracing external creativity and knowledge resources.

381 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper used the exploration-exploitation dichotomy as a theoretical framework to develop hypotheses on how impediments to innovation influence the breadth and depth of open innovation and identify four "archetypes" of firms that differ significantly regarding the depth and breadth of OI and importance of impediments.
Abstract: Extant research on open innovation (OI) offers no systematic insight of how and why firms differ regarding the extent to which they conduct OI activities. Whereas past theoretical contributions have focused on explaining the externalisation of R&D activities as a result of firm-external factors, we focus on explaining this externalisation as a result of firm-internal weaknesses, specifically, impediments to innovation. Using the exploration-exploitation dichotomy as our theoretical framework, we develop hypotheses on how impediments to innovation influence the breadth and depth of OI. We then test these hypotheses by using an exceptionally large and detailed data set to estimate population-averaged panel models. Our results provide support for most of the hypothesised relationships. Further, they allow to identify four ‘archetypes' of firms that differ significantly regarding the breadth and depth of OI and the importance of impediments. Finally, we discuss the significance of these findings for both academics and managers.

361 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors introduce a new construct of "innovation communities" based on promotor theory, which they define as "networks of promotors" and propose a comprehensive concept of the quality of interaction in innovation communities, and presents findings of three case studies.
Abstract: Research on Open Innovation has increasingly emphasised the role of communities in creating, shaping and disseminating innovations. However, the comparability of many studies has been hampered by the lack of a precise definition of the community construct, and the research on Open Innovation has to date not been well connected to insights from research on the role of transformational leaders and the networking of champions and promotors across organisational boundaries. For this reason, this paper introduces a new construct of ‘innovation communities’ based on promotor theory, which it defines as ‘networks of promotors’. It proposes a comprehensive concept of the quality of interaction in innovation communities, and presents findings of three case studies, which explore the role of promotors and networks of promotors in Open Innovation. The case studies reveal that such transformational leaders as promotors, and especially their close and informal co-operation across functional and organisational boundaries, play a key role in Open Innovation.

253 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a survey of 154 industrial firms is used to test three hypotheses relating technology aggressiveness, external technology acquisition, and external technology exploitation, which constitutes an important dimension of technology strategy, is identified as a major determinant of open innovation.
Abstract: Besides acquiring external knowledge, many firms have begun to actively commercialize technology, for example, by means of out-licensing. This increase in inward and outward technology transactions reflects the new paradigm of open innovation. Most prior research into open innovation is limited to theoretical considerations and case studies, whereas other lines of research have focused either on external technology acquisition or exploitation. In an integrative view, we consider inward and outward technology transactions as the main directions of open innovation. Moreover, technology aggressiveness, which constitutes an important dimension of technology strategy, is identified as a major determinant of open innovation. Data from a survey of 154 industrial firms are used to test three hypotheses relating technology aggressiveness, external technology acquisition, and external technology exploitation. In addition, clusters of firms with homogeneous strategies regarding technology aggressiveness and open innovation are identified.

212 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine how the practice of open innovation unfolds in inter-organizational collaborations that involve the voluntary or charitable sector, outlining the findings of an explorative collective case study of eight voluntary dyadic partnerships between corporate and nonprofit organizations in the United Kingdom, which have resulted in innovation outcomes.
Abstract: This paper examines the concept of open innovation within the context of corporate social responsibility. It demonstrates how the practice of open innovation unfolds in inter-organizational collaborations that involve the voluntary or charitable sector, outlining the findings of an explorative collective case study of eight voluntary dyadic partnerships between corporate and nonprofit organizations in the United Kingdom, which have resulted in innovation outcomes. Two generic approaches to open innovation were witnessed: firstly, a more exploratory approach to dyadic engagement activities that resulted in an emergent innovation process, and secondly, a focused and pre-determined search activity to exploit the resources of the nonprofit partner that demonstrated a more planned innovation process. Two distinct boundary-spanning roles were identified: in dyads exhibiting few organizational linkages, the role was associated with formal responsibilities from senior management to ‘manage’ innovation opportunities and outcomes. In dyads exhibiting high linkages, there was no such formality; the role was a ‘conduit’ to facilitate search and exploration to locate opportunities for innovation through idea exchange. Overall, this research demonstrates the value of an open innovation approach driven by the need to address societal and social issues (rather than those purely economic). Such practice broadens a firm's ‘search’ activities and delivers innovations in exchange for enhanced social legitimacy – acting innovation capital for future enterprising activities and market advantage.

163 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The analysis of the workings of open design reveals that open design is already being implemented in a substantial variety of projects with different organisational and institutional structures.
Abstract: Open source software development has received considerable scholarly attention, much of which is based on the presumption that the ‘open source model’ holds some lessons of broader applicability. Nonetheless, our knowledge of its deployment outside the software industry is very limited. This paper focuses on the open source development of tangible objects, the so-called open design. We propose a generalised definition of open source development. Drawing on 27 exploratory interviews and six comparative case studies selected from a pool of more than 75 projects, we analyse the workings of open design. The analysis reveals that open design is already being implemented in a substantial variety of projects with different organisational and institutional structures.

157 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors use a sociotechnical system perspective to address a number of challenges with respect to this matter: an organization deploying different innovation practices to open the innovation process might not be aware which types of innovators are de facto integrated in its innovation process.
Abstract: Innovation literature stresses the importance of opening the innovation process to internal and external innovators. The question of what determines the integration of these types of innovators in the innovation process remains open. We use a sociotechnical systems perspective to address a number of challenges with respect to this matter: an organization deploying different innovation practices to open the innovation process might not be aware which types of innovators are de facto integrated in its innovation process. Alternatively, an organization targeting the integration of a particular type of innovator might not use the suitable innovation practices to integrate the knowledge of this type of innovator. To address these challenges, our comparative case-study analysis in 15 medium-sized firms derives a theoretical framework proposing that a combined analysis of innovation practices and underlying social interactions is needed to decide about the integration of a particular type of innovator in the innovation process. Being aware of these interrelations will allow organizations to act more consciously when opening their innovation processes.

141 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the adoption of open innovation as an alternative route to research and development necessitates the development of new ways to organize innovation, as well as reassessment of existing ways.
Abstract: Increasing adoption of open innovation as an alternative route to research and development necessitates the development of new ways to organize innovation, as well as reassessment of existing ways. ...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a case study to provide empirical evidence of a case of private-collective innovation, showing specific benefits, and to extend the private collective innovation model by analyzing the hidden costs for the company involved.
Abstract: The private-collective innovation model proposes incentives for individuals and firms to privately invest resources to create public goods innovations. Such innovations are characterized by non-rivalry and non-exclusivity in consumption. Examples include open source software, user-generated media products, drug formulas, and sport equipment designs. There is still limited empirical research on private-collective innovation. We present a case study to (1) provide empirical evidence of a case of private-collective innovation, showing specific benefits, and (2) to extend the private-collective innovation model by analyzing the hidden costs for the company involved. We examine the development of the Nokia Internet Tablet, which builds on both proprietary and open source software development, and that involves both Nokia developers and volunteers who are not employed by the company. Seven benefits for Nokia are identified, as are five hidden costs: difficulty to differentiate, guarding business secrets, reducing community entry barriers, giving up control, and organizational inertia. We examine the actions taken by the management to mitigate these costs throughout the development period.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: If projects can be evaluated in terms of how they contribute to the building of innovative capabilities of the firm instead of independently, a framework for evaluating projects from an additional perspective is proposed.
Abstract: In literature and R&D organizations alike, project success consists in minimizing the deviations from set targets in terms of quality, cost and time. The main management task is to execute and monitor progress to reduce risks – assuming that project attributes are known, necessary resources can be estimated and a reasonable time table can be agreed upon. In such a context, evaluating project success is easy. However, in an innovative context, setting project targets initially is difficult and the contributions of the projects sometimes are of an unexpected nature. This paper investigates if projects can be evaluated in terms of how they contribute to the building of innovative capabilities of the firm instead of independently. Based on a case study at the Re´gie Autonome des Transports Parisians and the theoretical framework of innovation fields, a framework for evaluating projects from an additional perspective is proposed. Based on the following four criteria: financial resources, the development of a structured, refined and expanded strategic vision, developed competences (with related suppliers) and identification of knowledge gaps (occasionally with related partners for knowledge production), this framework shows how seemingly failed R&D projects can instead be considered as invaluable to the overall innovation process.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored the interplay between measurement objectives, performance dimensions and contextual factors in the design of a performance measurement system (PMS) for R&D activities.
Abstract: Measuring research and development (R&D) performance has become a fundamental concern for R&D managers and executives in the last decades. As a result, the issue has been extensively debated in innovation and R&D management literature. The paper contributes to this growing body of knowledge, adopting a systemic and contextual perspective to look into the problem of measuring R&D performance. In particular, it explores the interplay between measurement objectives, performance dimensions and contextual factors in the design of a performance measurement system (PMS) for R&D activities. The paper relies on a multiple case study analysis that involved 15 Italian technology-intensive firms. The results indicate that firms measure R&D performance with different purposes, i.e. motivate researchers and engineers, monitor the progress of activities, evaluate the profitability of R&D projects, favour coordination and communication and stimulate organisational learning. These objectives are pursued in clusters, and the importance firms attach to each cluster is influenced by the context (type of R&D, industry belonging, size) in which measurement takes place. Furthermore, a firm's choice to measure R&D performance along a particular perspective (i.e. financial, customer, business processes or innovation and learning) is influenced by the classes of objectives (diagnostic, motivational or interactive) that are given higher priority. The implications of these results for R&D managers and scholars are discussed in the paper.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors report on the design, prototyping and results of a research effort aimed at identifying whether and how trust affects the innovativeness of a partnership between two players.
Abstract: In this article we report on the design, prototyping and results of a research effort aimed at identifying whether and how trust affects the innovativeness of a partnership between two players. The methodology combined an experiment and two questionnaires. The research aimed to increase our understanding of trust and its impact on the innovative outcome of cooperation and to derive some guidance for economic actors, namely RD if the level of mutual trust is below or above this threshold, their joint creativity seems to increase less or even to decrease. Our findings suggest that joint development projects should always include explicit trust development activities at the beginning of the project, and that the amount of trust in the joint team should be monitored to avoid the negative consequences of excessive trust.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The structure of the mashup ecosystem and its growth over time is examined, which suggests that a small number of APIs provides the basis for the majority of mashups, and the other APIs are only used in certain application niches.
Abstract: Mashups combine data and services provided by third parties through open APIs (such as Google Maps and Flickr), as well as internal data sources owned by users. The creation of mashups is supported by a complex ecosystem of interconnected data providers, mashup platforms, and users. In this paper, we examine the structure of the mashup ecosystem and its growth over time. Several observations follow from our analysis. First, we can conclude that while the number of new APIs and mashups over time follows a linear growth pattern, the distribution of mashups over APIs is not uniform but follows a power law. This implies that a small number of APIs provides the basis for the majority of mashups, and the other APIs are only used in certain application niches. Second, our analysis suggests that mashup platforms were introduced in response to the increasing complexity of mashups, as mashups evolved from one-feature mashups (widgets). Third, we observe that complementary relationships between open APIs are formed based on the position of the APIs in the ecosystem. The propensity of two APIs to be used together in the same mashup depends on the existing number of mashups to which they both contribute. The growth of the mashup ecosystem follows a pattern where keystone data providers or ‘powerful hubs’ attract niche data providers as complementors, and the positions of keystones in the ecosystem are mutually reinforcing.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that patent brokers not only stay in between supply and demand of innovation, but play in between executing complex transactions and taking entrepreneurial risk, and they serve a support function to R&D managers of firms adopting various approaches to technological change.
Abstract: Here we argue that patent brokers do not only stay in between supply and demand of innovation, but play in between executing complex transactions and taking entrepreneurial risk. In doing so, they serve a support function to R&D managers of firms adopting various approaches to technological change. We discuss how economic and sociological theories explain brokerage and its existence. Our qualitative analysis of the current practice of patent brokerage in the United States finds some evidence in support of such arguments, and moreover helps us reach a taxonomy of brokerage. We conclude with our own proposition, suggesting that even in very dense environments, the bridging role of intellectual property intermediaries is that of market makers, who leverage their specific investment to play in between technology demand and supply.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors examined the impacts of relationship-based antecedents (e.g., procedural justice, distributive justice, and transformational leadership) on managerial trust in new product development (NPD) teams.
Abstract: This research examines the impacts of relationship-based antecedents (e.g., procedural justice) and character-based antecedents (e.g., transactional leadership) on managerial trust in new product development (NPD) teams. The moderating impact of environmental turbulence on team performance is also investigated. Using data from 107 NPD projects in Turkey, we find that procedural justice, distributive justice, and transformational leadership are significantly related, and conflict is negatively related to managerial trust. We also find that managerial trust is significantly related to product success and team learning under both high and low environmental conditions, but it is significantly related to speed-to-market only under high-turbulent conditions. We conclude by discussing the theoretical and managerial implications.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Through micro-innovation, users, on the whole, are likely to have more impact on industry development than predicted, and yet the position of lead-users and user–manufacturers may be less powerful relative to outside manufacturers.
Abstract: Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies, PO Box 4, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.sampsa.hyysalo@helsinki.fiThis paper focuses on an underemphasized issue in research on user innovation, namely users’adaptations and micro-innovations and their impact on industry development in user-innova-tion-intensive industries. It complements previous analyses of rodeo and freestyle-kayakingthat explore the role of user innovators in industry development, by focusing on differentaspects of micro-innovation: (1) changes in the composition of user base and preferredequipment (2) evolution of everyday practice (3) changes in the settings of these practices and(4) the range of modes of user involvement. Through micro-innovation, users, on the whole, arelikely to have more impact on industry development than predicted, and yet the position oflead-users and user–manufacturers may be less powerful relative to outside manufacturers.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyze nine case studies about companies that develop radical design-driven innovations for the household environment and identify the principal characteristics of the companies' R&D organizations [DDL] to reveal how specific organizational characteristics might facilitate different innovation strategies.
Abstract: Nowadays, consumers are paying increasing attention towards the socio-cultural aspects of products. For this reason firms must consider the need for linguistic and semantic innovations as well as technological and functional innovations. Historically, the knowledge needed for each kind of innovation has been separately developed and interpreted: while technological knowledge is developed by industrial R&D centers, the knowledge about socio-cultural trends is often tacit and developed by design studios and marketing agencies. The paper analyzes nine in-depth case studies about companies that develop radical design-driven innovations for the household environment. It aims to identify the principal characteristics of the companies' R&D organizations [their design-driven laboratories (DDL)]. It introduces a classification of DDL that reveals how specific organizational characteristics might facilitate different innovation strategies.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a paired comparison is made between rival attempts to develop the first continuous rolling mill for wide strip in the USA during the 1920s, one firm was secretive, the other relied upon collaboration.
Abstract: A paired comparison is made between rival attempts to develop the first continuous rolling mill for wide strip in the USA during the 1920?s. One firm was secretive, the other relied upon collaboration. Development of the wide strip mill is a natural experiment comparing closed and open innovation since two firms were competing for the same target using different institutional arrangements for their R&D. Wide strip rolling technology was developed by rival teams in the USA during the mid-1920?s. The less successful team at Armco, Ashland, Kentucky was closed to outside influences. Breakthroughs came from Columbia Steel at Butler, Pennsylvania which pursued an open pattern of cooperation with equipment suppliers. Columbia Steel?s collaboration with machinery suppliers, use of independent advice on bearing technology and willingness to learn from precursors in copper rolling enabled them to build a successful wide strip mill complex, commissioned in 1926. Butler established the dominant design for the next 80 years. The leading equipment supplier at Butler, the United Engineering and Foundry Co., led global sales of the technology for four decades. It is not clear how far this example of successful open innovation in the US inter-war economy is typical. Historical studies of the management of R&D focus on formal, science based research in large corporate labs rather than engineering development.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors explores what managers of foreign firms in China have already tried in their efforts to achieve effective IPR protection - specifically, they have crafted de facto strategies that can protect IPR without using China's legal system or engaging in lawsuits against imitators.
Abstract: Foreign firms trying to protect their intellectual property rights (IPRs) in emerging economies are suffering real pressures because these economies usually offer little or no enforcement of IPR. Foreign firms therefore have to resort to approaches unlike those they use in developed countries. This paper explores what managers of foreign firms in China have already tried in their efforts to achieve effective IPR protection - specifically, they have crafted de facto strategies that can protect IPR without using China's legal system or engaging in lawsuits against imitators. These strategies work, and this paper explains how and why, thus offering a potential template for IPR protection in other economies with weak appropriability systems.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the conditions around firm use of "inventor bricolage", or the reconstruction of technological capabilities through reallocation of extant individual inventors to address new opportunities embodied in patents, were examined.
Abstract: We examine the conditions around firm use of ‘inventor bricolage,’ or the reconstruction of technological capabilities through reallocation of extant individual inventors to address new opportunities embodied in patents. Empirically, we examine the dynamics of both firm and individual patenting activity in publicly traded Life Science Diagnostic firms to explore how inventor bricolage is related to firms' existing research and development (R&D) capabilities and firms' acquisition of external capabilities through merger and acquisition (M&A) activities. Evidence at the firm level suggests that breadth of inventors' human capital and collaboration with co-researchers with relevant experience is positively related to inventor bricolage. At the inventor level, the fewer patents an inventor has, the broader the individual's prior patent portfolio, and the more co-researchers with relevant experience, the more likely inventors will patent in a new area. M&A does not appear to have an impact on the utilization of existing human capital. Our findings suggest that R&D managers should assign inventors with less assimilative capacity and more creative capacity in teams where there is relevant experience in order to promote inventor bricolage.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors recount their experience of the implementation of lean thinking and Six Sigma in pharmaceutical development research and development (R&D), with recommendations for implementation of Lean Sigma into an R&D organisation.
Abstract: The authors recount their experience of the implementation of lean thinking and Six Sigma in pharmaceutical development research and development (R&D). Use of Lean Sigma in pharmaceutical manufacturing is widespread and generally noncontentious. Lean Sigma is used successfully to improve the development of new pharmaceutical manufacturing processes. However, the value of the application of lean and Six Sigma ideas to research & development is controversial. Published material is reviewed, and then the methods, tools, barriers and benefits are discussed, with recommendations for implementation of Lean Sigma into an R&D organisation.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a study of a Technology Incubator at Philips is presented, which traces its progress from its inception in 2002-2006 when further incubators were formed, building on this experience and focusing on lifestyle and healthcare technologies.
Abstract: Established firms tend to pursue incremental innovation by modifying and refining their existing products and processes rather than developing radical innovations. In the face of resistance to change and incumbent inertia, which prevent the generation of novelty, established firms have turned towards corporate entrepreneurship as a means of exploiting knowledge accumulated within its own boundaries and exploring external markets. This paper focuses on one mode of corporate entrepreneurship, corporate incubation, informed by a study of a Technology Incubator at Philips. An account of the history of the incubator traces its progress from its inception in 2002-2006 when further incubators were formed, building on this experience and focusing on lifestyle and healthcare technologies. We identify ways in which the Philips incubator represents an alternative selection environment that effectively simulated the venture capitalist model of entrepreneurial innovation. © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors empirically examine and assess the moderating effects of extent of virtualness on a variety of well-established predictors of new product development team satisfaction, including relationship conflict, familiarity, goal clarity and preference for group work.
Abstract: The purpose of this study is to empirically examine and assess the moderating effects of extent of virtualness on a variety of well-established predictors of new product development team satisfaction. We focus our study on 178 different new product development teams from a variety of industries and use extent of virtualness as a structural characteristic of the teams, measuring it on a continuum. The predictors of team satisfaction we studied are relationship conflict, familiarity, goal clarity and preference for group work. Primary findings include: (1) relationship conflict has a more deleterious effect on team member satisfaction as teams become more virtual, mainly because it is very difficult for team members of virtual teams to resolve their interpersonal disputes; (2) the relationship between preference for group work and team satisfaction is moderated by extent of virtualness, such that preference for group work increases team satisfaction more as virtualness increases; (3) goal clarity and familiarity are not moderated by extent of virtualness, but have a significant direct effect on team satisfaction. Managerial and research implications of these findings relative to new product development teams are also discussed.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, an exploratory study was conducted to evaluate the innovation of FOSS solutions in the context of Italian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), using a methodology frequently applied in technology management to evaluate innovativeness of products and services.
Abstract: Innovation processes taking place in the software sector are already widely debated. The widespread success of Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) raises new research issues, dealing with whether and how the free circulation of ideas championed by the movement and its collective management of intellectual property rights fosters innovation. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the literature by addressing the following research questions: are programs based on FOSS solutions more innovative than proprietary ones, and, if so, which innovation dimensions are typical of the FOSS production mode? Based on a sample of 134 software solutions produced by Italian Small and Medium Enterprises and using a methodology frequently applied in technology management to evaluate innovativeness of products and services, this exploratory study provides initial insights into what happens when alternative metrics are used to observe complex innovation processes in the software market.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used a Heckman two-step model to regress 13 independent variables against unique patent auction data, finding that publicly owned and frequently referenced patents are more valuable, and other things being equal, there is an optimal time to offer a patent up for auction.
Abstract: Although previous empirical studies have found relationships between patent characteristics and value, none have determined how specific attributes relate to auction value or even the probability of a successful auction sale. Using a Heckman two-step model, we regress 13 independent variables against unique patent auction data, finding that publicly owned and frequently referenced patents are more valuable, and that other things being equal, there is an optimal time to offer a patent up for auction.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors use a structural equation model to capture individuals' behavior that goes above and beyond prescribed roles and is influenced by the culture that exists in the project, which can be used as an alternative lever to trigger employees' citizenship behavior, which in turn drives success.
Abstract: Shifting goals, priorities and evolving customer demands require an exceptional effort, beyond the call of duty, on the part of employees to increase the likelihood for successful implementation of technologically driven projects. Our model posits that citizenship behavior, which captures individuals' behavior that goes above and beyond prescribed roles, effects project success and is influenced by the culture that exists in the project. We provide support for the model utilizing 222 participants in 71 product development, IT implementation and engineering projects, originating in firms from various industries in the United States using structural equation modeling. Owing to the constraints typically facing project managers, in terms of personnel availability and control over rewards, our findings suggest that project culture can be used by managers as an alternative lever to trigger employees' citizenship behavior, which in turn drives success. We provide valuable implications for individuals assigned to lead projects, who are concerned with aligning project culture with citizenship behavior, as part of their planning activities.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This research sets out to develop the concept of ‘Innovation Readiness Levels’ (IRL), an explicit model for managing the process of incremental innovation, a framework depicting the development of an innovation over its lifecycle.
Abstract: Innovation has become a major driving force for business growth and success. However, successful and sustained innovation represents challenges rooted in technological uncertainties, ambiguous market signals and embryonic competitive structures. Notably, in the management of innovation, many challenges still remain in both theory and practice, which demand improved managerial approaches. In this context, the development of a practical and explicit management framework for the process of innovation could be beneficial. This research sets out to develop the concept of ‘Innovation Readiness Levels’ (IRL), an explicit model for managing the process of incremental innovation. Basically, IRL is a framework depicting the development of an innovation over its lifecycle. Within the emerging framework proposed in this paper, five key aspects that determine the effective implementation of innovation are identified. The lifecycle of innovation is then divided into six phases, and for each phase, associated assessment aspects and criteria are identified. By providing better monitoring and control, IRL is intended to help implement innovation over the lifecycle more effectively. It is also expected to apply as a management tool, for which guidance of use is suggested.