Strategic, organisational and managerial issues related to innovation, entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship in the hospital context: Remarks from the Italian experience

Abstract

Technological innovation in the hospital context is always knowledge-related. It concerns the know-why, when based on theoretical foundations (competencies), and the know-how when related to practical skills. New medical devices, technologies and techniques originate from the new know-why and require new know-how to be exploited fully and effectively. Given the continuous and increasing development of innovations in the healthcare sector, modern hospitals face the complex task of mastering internally and externally-created innovation. The capacity to envision, stimulate, recognise, evaluate and manage both lines of innovation (know-why and know-how) is key to supporting large and leading hospitals (notably the teaching ones) in their quest to fulfil their mission and gain a sustainable competitive advantage. Such hospitals are required to position themselves as close as possible to the leading edge of innovation. In this light, the paper tackles the strategic, organisational and managerial issues of how to build a work environment focused on innovation, entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship (the strategic issue); define and consolidate roles and responsibilities related to envisioning and managing innovation (the organisational issue); and strengthen the operating mechanisms (planning, budgeting and control, human resources management, information systems, etc) and focus on stimulating entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship and innovation creation (the managerial issue).