15,223 research outputs found
Revolution of innovation management: internationalization and business models, volume 2
No full textWhat a change in the last three years in the realm of innovation Management! Three years ago, we concluded our book about “Evolution of Innovation Management” (Brem and Viardot 2013) by underlining some essential trends in the management of innovation. Most specifically, we stressed the importance of ambidexterity, which we defined as the ability of companies to realize exploration and exploitation simultaneously in their innovation management process. Some contributions in the book also emphasized the necessity to adopt a more collaborative process with external stakeholders and to move to more “open innovation” (Brau et al. 2013). Other authors underscored the burgeoning importance of platforms (Gawer 2014) and the nurturing of an innovation ecosystem (Thomas and Wind 2013) that federates and coordinates constitutive agents who can innovate and compete. The book had also singled out some key capabilities that innovative companies had to develop in order to be more successful, including the role of communication, culture, leadership, structure, and key performance indicators
Backcasting frugally innovative smart sustainable future cities
No full textThis cumulative thesis is a compilation of three publications plus an in-review manuscript that seek to address the sustainability question through the lens of frugal innovation with a construction industry focus. The papers comprise of three published double-blind peer-reviewed articles in reputable high-impact journals, and an article which is currently under publication review in a double-blind peer-review high-impact journal. The thesis author is the first author of all four articles, including two as the sole author. The research fields captured in the works are innovation and sustainability within the framework of frugal innovation with a concentration on the construction industry as a pathway for the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The first article envisions a smart sustainable city of the future using a backcasting approach that articulates the five “pillars” that are the linchpins of a desirable urban space and living. “Backcasting frugally innovative smart sustainable future cities” is a single-author paper that was published in the very high impact Journal of Cleaner Production. The central theme of the paper is the triple environmental, social and economic pillars that are reinforced with the additional pillars of smart infrastructure technologies and smart governance. The aim of the paper is to advance backcasting as a more appropriate approach for policymakers and urban planners to envision sustainable cities in ways that underscore the identified inadequacies of hitherto insufficient and unsatisfactory results of the conventional forecasting approach. With the TOWS (threats, opportunities, weaknesses and strengths) analysis, the frugal technological processes that streamline the core infrastructure for sustainable future cities were identified and synthesized.
Consistent with the streamlining of the frugal technologies for sustainable future development in the first article, the second article investigated how technologies that are underpinned by frugal innovation are fostering the sustainable development goals. The paper titled “Fostering the sustainable development goals with technologies underpinned by frugal innovation” was co-authored with Alexander Brem and Nivedita Agarwal, and published in the International Journal of Technology Management (IJTM). The paper identified how companies were deploying frugal technologies to foster the sustainable development goals in the face of resource constraints, and taking into account the situation at the BoP (bottom of the pyramid) economies. Through a 3-step and 4-dimensional evaluation method, a better understanding of how companies foster the SDGs with alternative resources and energy was created.
The third paper titled “Sustainable development in the construction industry: the role of frugal innovation” was also published in the Journal of Cleaner Production. It was co-authored with Alexander Brem and Nivedita Agarwal. Here, an industry focus creates a nexus between the overarching sustainability theme, and how frugal innovation is embedded in technologies and methods applied in the construction industry to create sustainable construction approaches that are assessed as “green”, “frugal” or “sustainable.” A focus on the construction industry was rationalized based on the critical role the industry played in terms of energy use and resource consumption on the one hand, and the high emissions and waste on the other hand. These are also a function of the choice of materials, construction methods, and life-cycle impact of the product and technology choices. The research strategy was a case study and an empirical data collection through industry interviews with highly experienced and qualified subject matter experts that ranged from manufacturing company executives to industry practitioners, and contractors. End-users were also interviewed.
One of key findings from the study in paper three was that although frugal innovation is conceptualized and hyped to primarily be an inclusive innovation within the context of resource constraints, the majority of the sample population at the BoP characterized the innovation as “low-status artifacts.” The other important finding is that the closure mechanism is disproportionately influenced by large institutional players such as state governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Based on the outcome of this study, a follow-up research with a higher-end technological construction method promoted as having significant cost advantage over the conventional approach was done. The objective was to determine if it can be assessed as frugal in view of the social “stigma” associated with the previous case studied.
The fourth and final paper titled “A cost analysis of modular construction as a frugal innovation characterization basis for sustainability” is under review at the Journal of Cleaner Production. It was presented at the POMS (Production and Operations Management Society) Conference 2022, and also at the 14th EECC (EURAM Early Career Colloquium) 2023. With project-level case studies, the direct and indirect economic and ecological advantages of modular construction over conventional methods were investigated. The motivation was to assess the cost advantage of modular construction over conventional approaches with respect to Weyrauch and Herstatt’s substantial cost reduction defining criterion for FI. The analysis showed that the modular projects were realized at between 37% to 63% of the conventionally built variety. The goal of the study is to incentivize policy, investments, adoption and diffusion of modular construction for sustainability in the construction industry.
In the final analysis, the mitigating factors identified in the diffusion of frugal innovation served to narrow the research gap. The research also served to deepen the literature on the sustainability aspects of frugal innovation, and provide a clear and direct focus on the construction industry, which traditionally receives very little research interest on frugal innovation. Through this thesis, sustainability, frugal innovation and the construction industry are linked in a conceptual harmony, with a strong relevance for policy-making and construction industry practices.Diese kumulative Dissertation ist eine Zusammenstellung von drei Veröffentlichungen und einem Manuskript, das sich in der Begutachtung befindet, die sich mit der Frage der Nachhaltigkeit durch die Linse der frugalen Innovation mit Fokus auf die Bauindustrie befassen. Es handelt sich um drei veröffentlichte Artikel, die in angesehenen Fachzeitschriften mit doppeltem Peer-Review-Verfahren veröffentlicht wurden, sowie um einen Artikel, der sich derzeit in einer Fachzeitschrift mit doppeltem Peer-Review-Verfahren zur Veröffentlichung befindet. Der Verfasser der Dissertation ist Erstautor aller vier Artikel, davon zwei als alleiniger Autor. Die Forschungsbereiche, die in den Arbeiten behandelt werden, sind Innovation und Nachhaltigkeit im Rahmen der frugalen Innovation mit einem Schwerpunkt auf der Bauindustrie als Weg zur Verwirklichung der Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung (SDGs).
Der erste Artikel entwirft eine intelligente, nachhaltige Stadt der Zukunft mit Hilfe eines Backcasting-Ansatzes, der die fünf "Säulen" formuliert, die die Eckpfeiler eines wünschenswerten städtischen Raums und Lebens darstellen. "Backcasting frugally innovative smart sustainable future cities" ist ein Artikel eines einzelnen Autors, der im Journal of Cleaner Production mit hohem Impact veröffentlicht wurde. Das zentrale Thema des Papiers ist die dreifache ökologische, soziale und wirtschaftliche Säule, die durch die zusätzlichen Säulen der intelligenten Infrastrukturtechnologien und der intelligenten Verwaltung verstärkt wird. Ziel des Papiers ist es, Backcasting als geeigneteren Ansatz für politische Entscheidungsträger und Stadtplaner voranzutreiben, um nachhaltige Städte auf eine Art und Weise zu planen, die die festgestellten Unzulänglichkeiten der bisher unzureichenden und unbefriedigenden Ergebnisse des herkömmlichen Prognoseansatzes schließt. Mit der TOWS-Analyse (Bedrohungen, Chancen, Schwächen und Stärken) wurden die sparsamen technologischen Prozesse identifiziert und zusammengefasst, die die Kerninfrastruktur für nachhaltige Städte der Zukunft rationalisieren.
Im Einklang mit der Rationalisierung der sparsamen Technologien für eine nachhaltige zukünftige Entwicklung im ersten Artikel wurde im zweiten Artikel untersucht, wie Technologien, die durch sparsame Innovation unterstützt werden, die Ziele der nachhaltigen Entwicklung fördern. Der Artikel mit dem Titel "Fostering the sustainable development goals with technologies underpinned by frugal innovation" wurde gemeinsam mit Alexander Brem und Nivedita Agarwal verfasst und im International Journal of Technology Management (IJTM) veröffentlicht. In dem Artikel wird aufgezeigt, wie Unternehmen sparsame Technologien einsetzen, um die Ziele der nachhaltigen Entwicklung angesichts von Ressourcenknappheit und unter Berücksichtigung der Situation in den Volkswirtschaften am unteren Ende der Pyramide (BoP) zu fördern. Durch eine dreistufige und vierdimensionale Bewertungsmethode wurde ein besseres Verständnis dafür geschaffen, wie Unternehmen die SDGs mit alternativen Ressourcen und Energie fördern.
Das dritte Papier mit dem Titel "Nachhaltige Entwicklung in der Bauindustrie: die Rolle der sparsamen Innovation" wurde ebenfalls im Journal of Cleaner Production veröffentlicht. Er wurde gemeinsam mit Alexander Brem und Nivedita Agarwal verfasst. Hier wird durch den Branchenfokus eine Verbindung zwischen dem übergreifenden Thema der Nachhaltigkeit und der Einbettung frugaler Innovationen in Technologien und Methoden, die in der Bauindustrie angewandt werden, hergestellt, um nachhaltige Baukonzepte zu schaffen, die als "grün", "frugal" oder "nachhaltig" bewertet werden. Die Fokussierung auf die Bauindustrie wurde mit der kritischen Rolle begründet, die diese Branche in Bezug auf den Energie- und Ressourcenverbrauch einerseits und die hohen Emissionen und Abfälle andererseits spielt. Diese hängen auch von der Wahl der Materialien, der Bauweise und den Auswirkungen der gewählten Produkte und Technologien auf den Lebenszyklus ab. Bei der Forschungsstrategie handelte es sich um eine Fallstudie und eine empirische Datenerhebung durch Brancheninterviews mit sehr erfahrenen und qualifizierten Fachleuten, die von Führungskräften der Fertigungsunternehmen bis hin zu Industriepraktikern und Auftragnehmern reichten. Auch die Endnutzer wurden befragt.
Eines der wichtigsten Ergebnisse der Studie war, dass die Mehrheit der Befragten an der BoP die Innovation als "Artefakte mit niedrigem Status" bezeichnete, obwohl frugale Innovation im Kontext von Ressourcenknappheit in erster Linie als integrative Innovation konzipiert und angepriesen wird. Eine weitere wichtige Erkenntnis ist, dass der Schließungsmechanismus unverhältnismäßig stark von großen institutionellen Akteuren wie staatlichen Regierungen und Nichtregierungsorganisationen (NGOs) beeinflusst wird. Auf der Grundlage der Ergebnisse dieser Studie wurde eine Folgeuntersuchung mit einer höherwertigen technologischen Konstruktionsmethode durchgeführt, die mit einem erheblichen Kostenvorteil gegenüber dem herkömmlichen Ansatz beworben wurde. Ziel war es, festzustellen, ob diese Methode angesichts des sozialen "Stigmas", das mit dem zuvor untersuchten Fall verbunden war, als sparsam bewertet werden kann.
Der vierte und letzte Beitrag mit dem Titel "A cost analysis of modular construction as a frugal innovation characterization basis for sustainability" wird derzeit im Journal of Cleaner Production geprüft. Es wurde auf der POMS-Konferenz (Production and Operations Management Society) 2022 und auch auf dem 14. EECC (EURAM Early Career Colloquium) 2023 vorgestellt. Anhand von Fallstudien auf Projektebene wurden die direkten und indirekten wirtschaftlichen und ökologischen Vorteile des modularen Bauens gegenüber konventionellen Methoden untersucht. Die Motivation war, den Kostenvorteil des modularen Bauens gegenüber konventionellen Ansätzen im Hinblick auf das von Weyrauch und Herstatt definierte Kriterium der erheblichen Kostenreduzierung für FI zu bewerten. Die Analyse zeigte, dass die modularen Projekte zu Kosten zwischen 37% und 63% der konventionell gebauten Variante realisiert wurden. Ziel der Studie ist es, Anreize für Politik, Investitionen, Übernahme und Verbreitung der modularen Bauweise für Nachhaltigkeit in der Bauindustrie zu schaffen.
Letztendlich dienten die bei der Verbreitung frugaler Innovationen identifizierten mildernden Faktoren dazu, die Forschungslücke zu schließen. Die Forschung diente auch dazu, die Literatur zu den Nachhaltigkeitsaspekten frugaler Innovationen zu vertiefen und einen klaren und direkten Fokus auf die Bauindustrie zu legen, die traditionell sehr wenig Forschungsinteresse an frugalen Innovationen hat. Durch diese Arbeit werden Nachhaltigkeit, frugale Innovation und die Bauindustrie in einer konzeptionellen Harmonie miteinander verbunden, die für die politische Entscheidungsfindung und die Praxis der Bauindustrie von großer Bedeutung ist
Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Biases: A Viewpoint
No full textCognitive biases within Artificial Intelligence are a common phenomenon. Before this background, we asked ChatGPT what the cognitive biases of AI are. In this article, we critically reflect on the response we got from Generative AI, and discuss cognitive biases in general. We then focus on concrete implications for handling cognitive biases. Such as Algorithms and techniques that can help AI systems identify and reduce bias could be implemented, and standardized techniques to check AI systems for bias before implementation. We also highlight the importance of realizing procedures for ongoing observation and input to identify and rectify prejudices in AI systems once they are put into use. We conclude that solving such biases calls for an allencompassing strategy that incorporates experts from other fields and places an emphasis on moral issues in addition to technological fixes. By doing this, we can encourage the creation of AI technologies that are not just advanced but also ethical, equitable, and beneficial to society as a whole
Digital entrepreneurs in technology-based spinoffs: an analysis of hybrid value creation in retail public–private partnerships to tackle showrooming
Get PDFPurpose: Retail networks present new challenges in the B2B collaboration between technology-based spinoffs and traditional businesses. This research explores a public-private partnership that leverages advanced digital technologies via spinoffs to tackle the key challenge of showrooming that retail shops are facing. Showrooming is the phenomenon in which shoppers go to the physical stores to gather in-depth product information, and later on, decide to buy the product from online retail competitors.
Design/methodology/approach: This research draws on a longitudinal qualitative study of a social context in which digital entrepreneurs are embedded. The empirical setting is a retail network in Italy, Germany, and Finland with a particular focus on the process in which a public-private partnership delivers innovation via spinoffs in the context of brick and mortar (B&M) shops. The research design enables an understanding of the complexity of the phenomenon from a business and a social perspective.
Findings: New technology to tackle showrooming enables the creation of substantial hybrid value in retail partnerships. Spinoffs are key actors in leveraging digital technologies to create value faster and more tailored compared with large software companies. Spinoff entrepreneurs leverage on specific technologies (e.g., virtual reality and artificial intelligence) available inside organizations' network (i.e., PPPs). Spinoffs are found to be a fundamental actor in the process of dealing with showrooming because of their time to market. Large software companies usually are not interested in approaching B&M shops due to the high operational costs of product customization for B&M shops.
Practical implications: Managers could use the success factors of the spinoffs in helping their B&M shops to improve both shopper experience and salesperson performance. For managers of B2B retail network, the results are useful towards increasing the involvement of shoppers while they are visiting physical stores, and it also improves salesperson performance. It also leads to the observation that cross-selling is one of the most effective responses to the phenomenon of showrooming. As practical implications for policymakers, the current research supports the view that PPPs should support the creation of spinoffs as a result of longitudinal innovation projects.
Social implications: Retail technologies leveraged from a public-private partnership and commercialized by spinoffs are powerful tools to enable a better quality of salespeople's life in the working place. At the same time, these new technologies help shop owners increase the retention rates, conversion rates and reduce short-term loss, increasing the likelihood of B&M shops to survive in the condition of extreme competition caused by the showrooming phenomenon.
Originality/value: This research proposes a model of hybrid value creation from networks in digital retail. The model indicates that public-private partnerships create spinoffs to explore showrooming and deliver substantial hybrid value (i.e., business and social) for physical retail shops, mainly because it influences the companies’ growth, employee performance, and customer satisfaction. This model expands the field of B2B marketing by identifying factors that enable spinoff creation from retail networks and proposes success factors and research propositions in retail networks
Revolution of Innovation Management: The Digital Breakthrough
No full textWhy another book on innovation, and why use the big word “revolution”? The simple answer to this question is the fact that we believe the time is right to explore what could be the next phase of innovation management not only in corporate practice, but also in the academic field
Adoption of Innovation: Balancing Internal and External Stakeholders in the Marketing of Innovation
No full textIn recent years, innovation management has shown to be a very important topic for academics and professionals. However, the emphasis has mostly been on the upstream activities of the innovation management process and specifically about how to obtain as well as to integrate new sources of innovation beyond the traditional and internal R&D function. Conversely, the downstream activities of the innovation process, specifically marketing and commercialization, have attracted little research. But the situation is changing now due to governments and companies that have realized that in order for an innovation to be successful, it is not enough to have good new ideas: it must foremost be adopted by the market. As a consequence, there is currently a shift in priorities and a renewed interest in the marketing of innovation and especially in the adoption of original products or services, because one important function of marketing is to contribute to the adoption of innovative solutions by potential customers. This book aims to contribute to this advancement and to provide fresh conceptual insights and thinking about the manners to stimulate and to facilitate the adoption of every kind of innovation. This will be managed by a very diverse contributions exploring the role and the balancing of internal and external stakeholders in the marketing of innovation.</p
Involving Lead Users in Innovation: A Structured Summary of Research on the Lead User Method
No full textResearch on the lead user method has been conducted for more than thirty years and has shown that the method is more likely to generate breakthrough innovation than traditional market research tools. Based on a systematic literature review, this paper shows a detailed view on the broad variety of research on lead user characteristics, lead user processes, lead user identification and application, and success factors. The main challenge of the lead user method as identified in literature is the resource issue regarding time, manpower, and costs. Also, internal acceptance and the processing of the method have been spotted in literature, as well as the intellectual property protection issue. From the starting point of the initial lead user method process introduced by Lüthje and Herstatt (2004), results are integrated into a revisited view on the lead user method process. In addition, concrete suggestions for corporate realization options are given. The article closes with limitations and future research suggestions.</p
Internationalisation of New Product Development and Research & Development:Results from a Multiple Case Study on Companies with Innovation Processes in Germany and India
No full textA rich body of literature has emerged from research on Western new product development (NPD). However, the impact of country- and culture-specific influences on these processes has not been examined in detail yet. Hence, this study identifies the differences in NPD practices between the Indian and German research and development (R&D) subsidiaries of multinational companies (MNCs). Data have been generated by interviews with R&D executives in both countries across multiple cases. The study samples strategic, organisational, and operational aspects and indicates differences in process coordination, reward systems, NPD creativity techniques, market orientation, and the average age of NPD teams. Other aspects, such as top management support, the use of structured NPD processes, and the use of heterogeneous NPD teams, show no substantial differences between the countries. Our findings suggest that, while some aspects are universally applicable across cultural frontiers, Western companies must understand Indias different expectations regarding NPD and adjust their practices accordingly
Internationales Forschungs- und Entwicklungsmanagement:Innovation zur Steigerung der Wettbewerbsfähigkeit
No full textInternationales Forschungs- und Entwicklungsmanagement:Innovation zur Steigerung der Wettbewerbsfähigkeit
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