Ideas Management: From a Management Perspective

Abstract

Many research studies have explored different idea management system (IMS) types and their applications in more than 400 enterprises. However, the question remains — how do these systems materialize in organizations and how do we manage them better to deliver product innovations, goal setting and achieving, and decision-making? This chapter aims to clarify IM perspectives from a managerial perspective and to elaborate the theoretical guidelines on choosing and applying the most appropriate IM approach to improve management performance. The methods employed include literature review (data collection: systematically data collection from scientific data bases; data analysis: content analysis); survey of n > 500 enterprises with web-based idea management systems (IMS) experience (data collection: survey; data analysis: statistics); and case studies (data collection: web-based IMS creator secondary data; data analysis: content analysis). Research results highlight how the application of different IMS influences IM results in delivering product innovations.