Self-organizing Innovation Research Articles

Network constraint and online group innovation: a dual perspective of inter-community group network and intra-community group network

PurposeThis study aims to explore the different effects of inter-community group networks and intra-community group networks on group innovation.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used a pooled panel dataset of 12,111 self-organizing innovation groups in 463 game product creative workshop communities from Steam support to test the hypothesis. The pooled ordinary least squares (OLS) model is used for analyzing the data.FindingsThe results show that network constraint is negatively associated with the innovation performance of online groups. The average path length of the inter-community group network negatively moderates the relationship between network constraint and group innovation, while the average path length of the intra-community group network positively moderates the relationship between network constraint and group innovation. In addition, both the network density of inter-community group networks and intra-community group networks can negatively moderate the negative relationship between network constraint and group innovation.Originality/valueThe findings of this study suggest that network structural characteristics of inter-community networks and intra-community networks have different effects on online groups’ product innovation, and therefore, group members should consider their inter- and intra-community connections when choosing other groups to form a collaborative innovation relationship.

Self-organized innovation networks from the perspective of complex systems

PurposeIn order to deepen the understanding of self-organization, the purpose of the paper is to raise and analyze the state of the art in the area of innovation networks, particularly the characteristics of self-organizing, relying on the theory of complex systems to overcome any shortcomings.Design/methodology/approachThe databases selected for the search were Web of Science and Scopus; the keywords searched in the titles of articles were innovation networks, complex systems, self-organization and self-organizing; the timeline of the search covers the period between 2000 and 2014 due to the presence of important studies in the field of networks starting in the early 2000s; only studies published in English were used; the articles selected were examined by first reading the titles, then the abstracts, and finally the texts in full.FindingsThe way the main constructs from the analytical perspective of innovation networks intersect with complex systems explains how self-organization is presented and how it can be allowed to occur within a view of expected benefits for the purposes of these networks.Originality/valueThe originality of the research lies in the questioning of the classical form of organizational management in innovation networks, essentially based on the concentration of hierarchical power.

Designing a model for learning self-organized innovation network: Using embedded case studies

Abstract Innovation is considered the advantage cause for the nations in creating wealth and access to the development. Different countries have specific plans and policies to promote innovation. One of the strategies to develop high-technologies and innovation is the innovation networks approach. These networks work based on collaboration and learning. In recent decade, a considerable emphasis has been placed on learning self-organized innovation networks in different researches; nevertheless, despite such affirmation, a gap does exist for studying ways of improving and explaining the exact effects and its prerequisites. This research aims to study such gap(s) in innovation networks. Embedded case studies have been used as research methodology in this research. Besides the semi-structured interviews, a questionnaire was distributed among 1 Ahwaz Science and Technology Park firms. The model, then, was restudied among 232 information technology firms throughout seven provinces in Iran. In order to analyze the data, regression test and goodness of fit test of the structural equations modeling was conducted. According to the obtained results, various factors such as cooperation capabilities, network embeddedness and favorable environment have been found to be effective on the learning, self-organization and cooperation of the network. Self-organizing and learning capabilities of the network also have various effects on increasing the innovation output and effectiveness of the network.

The Distributed Cognitive Economics of Reform: A Framework

We present an enriched cognitive approach to the political economy of reform based on the notion of distributed cognition. Our aim is to describe the origination causation of economic reforms highlighting the interactions between people, artefacts as well as internal and external representations. In particular, we ask how reformers are able to turn a cognitively ill-defined situation into a cognitively well-defined situation. The proposed framework, we tentatively call ‘the distributed cognitive economics of reform’, emphasizes three key messages: First, economic reforms are creative processes largely driven by self-organized innovation and acts of public entrepreneurship. Second, the cognitive distance between individuals both enables and constraints cooperation and, most importantly, learning. Third, reformers’ ability to communicate to a wide range of audiences is crucial in times of reform. In consequence, successful reformers often rely on policy metaphors as primary means to manage high levels of uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. Presenting post-1978 Chinese economic reform as a case study, we argue that the notion of distributed cognition can improve our understanding of economic reform processes. JEL: B41, B52, P41, Z18

StartX and the ‘Paradox of Success’: Filling the gap in Stanford’s entrepreneurial culture

Stanford University’s legendary success in technology transfer, based upon a relatively small group of serial faculty entrepreneurs, masked unrealized potential residing in the underutilized inventions of less entrepreneurially experienced faculty and students. An optimum academic entrepreneurship and technology-transfer regime matches various levels of inventor interest and involvement with appropriate organizational competence and support. The ‘Paradox of Success’ is that great organizational success in licensing, or other activities, may reduce the motivation to further advancement, in the Stanford case, introducing support structures for research commercialization that are commonplace in aspiring entrepreneurial universities. Stanford had largely bought into an ideology of a self-organizing innovation ecosystem in Silicon Valley that implied lack of need for explicit entrepreneurial support structures on campus, such as incubator facilities. This belief inhibited policy intervention until a student-organized accelerator project actualizing underutilized entrepreneurial capacity demonstrated that a step change in promoting entrepreneurship at Stanford was necessary and feasible. Case studies based on archival and interview data show the development of Stanford’s entrepreneurial academic culture and university development strategy.

Self-organizing innovation networks, mobile knowledge carriers and diasporas: insights from a pioneering boutique hotel chain

This paper provides insights from the UK’s pioneering boutique hotel chain, Hotel du Vin (HduV) to explore the dynamics of self-forming innovation networks within the service sector. In particular, it focuses on HduV’s diaspora of spin-off and follow-on enterprises, examining the nature of innovation and creativity, and the significant role of human mobility in knowledge transfer and in the dynamic reconfiguration of such networks. Through the use of participative’ research methods and ‘close dialogue’, it provides a contribution to understanding processes of innovation in an under-researched industry—utilizing the concept of ‘diasporas’ to encapsulate the temporality and spatiality of those processes. In particular, it explores the various re-uses and re-combinations of the organizational processes and value propositions that defined the innovatory nature of the original chain, showing how those re-combinations were critical to the entrepreneurial nature of the diasporic network which developed around HduV

Encouraging Social Innovation in Global Organizations: Integrating Planned and Emergent Approaches

The idea of social innovation suggests that entrepreneurial, developmental activities are done with virtuous intent. This intent can be translated into action through two approaches: (1) the planned approach fosters hierarchically driven innovation and (2) the emergent approach fosters bottom-up, self-organizing innovation. Both approaches have a role to play in the translation of virtuous intent to social innovation. Each relates to different forms of emergence. Artificial emergence is consistent with the planned approach, whereas natural emergence is consistent with the emergent approach. The integrated approach incorporates both forms, as illustrated by a case example of activities at World Vision.

Action research on alternative land tenure arrangements in Wenchi, Ghana: learning from ambiguous social dynamics and self-organized institutional innovation

This study reports on action research efforts that were aimed at developing institutional arrangements beneficial for soil fertility improvement. Three stages of action research are described and analyzed. We initially began by bringing stakeholders together in a platform to engage in a collaborative design of new arrangements. However, this effort was stymied mainly because conditions conducive for learning and negotiation were lacking. We then proceeded to support experimentation with alternative arrangements initiated by individual landowners and migrant farmers. The implementation of these arrangements too ran into difficulties due to intra-family dynamics and ambiguities regarding land tenure. Further investigations to find out how ambiguities could be tackled revealed that the local actors themselves had taken initiatives towards developing institutional innovations to reduce ambiguities. However, there is still considerable scope for further development of these self-organized innovations. The article ends with a reflection on inter-disciplinary action research, where it is argued that making “mistakes” is an inherent and necessary characteristic in action research that aims to address complex social issues.

Self-organizing innovation networks: implications for globalization

The most valuable and complex technologies are increasingly innovated by networks that self-organize. Networks are those linked organizations (e.g., firms, universities, government agencies) that create, acquire, and integrate the diverse knowledge and skills required to create and bring to the market complex technologies (e.g., aircraft, telecommunications equipment). In other words, innovation networks are organized around constant learning. Self-organization refers to the capacity these networks have for combining and recombining these learning capabilities without centralized, detailed managerial guidance. The proliferation of self-organizing innovation networks may be linked to many factors, but a key one seems to be increasing globalization. Indeed, globalization and self-organizing innovation networks may be coevolving. Changes in the organization of the innovation process appear to have facilitated the broadening geographical linkages of products, processes, and markets. At the same time, globalization seems to induce cooperation among innovative organizations. Research on innovation networks is used to illustrate these ideas. The evolution of the automotive industry provides a test case.