Types Of Innovation Processes Research Articles

Innovation in pandemics: a netnographic approach to the sharing economy contributions

PurposePandemics are a serious challenge for humanity, as their social and economic impacts can be tremendous. This study aims to understand how innovation based in the sharing economy (SE) business models can contribute to overcoming the challenges arising from the Covid-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachFollowing a netnographic approach, the authors studied the computer-mediated social interactions of internet-based virtual innovation communities.FindingsThis study found that the SE business models contribute to overcome the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic by redistributing idle resources to lessen the impacts of confinement. This was achieved through process innovations and an innovative use of the network, which enabled fast-open and decentralized innovation processes, and quick implementation of innovations. This innovation process is based on a decentralized decision-making approach, clear rules, informal relationship among community members and open communication channels, as well as in evasive strategies to avoid facing challenges, institutional restrictions and barriers in the adoption of innovations.Research limitations/implicationsThis study was limited to a virtual innovation community of highly specialized and educated experts and nine community projects focused on institutional contexts of a developed country. Future research should focus on the institutional contexts of less specialized communities and developing countries and study other community innovation projects in pandemics to understand the processes of fast-open, decentralized and evasive innovation and the importance of relational capabilities for innovation in digital contexts.Practical implicationsThe findings can guide innovation managers and public policymakers in implementing effective strategies and policies to overcome pandemic challenges using SE business models. This research also provides important insights into the types and processes of innovation in organizations that create solutions to overcome social and business challenges during pandemics. In addition, this study highlights the contributions of netnographic approaches to conducting research on innovation and in pandemic periods when measures of confinement are in place.Originality/valueThis study uses an innovative framework to map the types of innovation and highlights two different types of innovation processes.

Blockchain and the evolution of institutional technologies: Implications for innovation policy

For the past century economists have proposed a suite of theories relating to industrial dynamics, technological change and innovation. There has been an implication in these models that the institutional environment is stable. However, a new class of institutional technologies—most notably blockchain technology—lower the cost of institutional entrepreneurship along these margins, propelling a process of institutional evolution. This presents a new type of innovation process, applicable to the formation and development of institutions for economic governance and coordination. This paper develops a replicator dynamic model of institutional innovation and proposes some implications of this innovation for innovation policy. Given the influence of public policies on transaction costs and associated institutional choices, it is indicated that policy settings conductive to the adoption and use of blockchain technology would elicit entrepreneurial experiments in institutional forms harnessing new coordinative possibilities in economic exchange. Conceptualisation of blockchain-related public policy an innovation policy in its own right has significant implications for the operation and understanding of open innovation systems in a globalised context.

Blockchains Evolving: Institutional and Evolutionary Economics Perspectives

For the past century economists have proposed a suite of theories relating to industrial dynamics, technological change and innovation. There has been an implication in these models that the institutional environment is stable. However, a new class of institutional technologies — most notably blockchain technology — lower the cost of institutional entrepreneurship along these margins, propelling a process of institutional evolution. This presents a new type of innovation process, applicable to the formation and development of institutions for economic governance and coordination. This paper develops a replicator dynamic model of institutional innovation and proposes some implications of this innovation for innovation policy. Given the influence of public policies on transaction costs and associated institutional choices, it is indicated that policy settings conductive to the adoption and use of blockchain technology would elicit entrepreneurial experiments in institutional forms harnessing new coordinative possibilities in economic exchange. Conceptualisation of blockchain-related public policy an innovation policy in its own right has significant implications for the operation and understanding of open innovation systems in a globalised context.

Understanding reconfiguration pathways of agri-food value chains for smallholder farmers

Purpose – Smallholder farmers often deal with lack of information and knowledge, weak financial capacity and limited collaboration and network orientation. This is hampering their ability to adopt or co-develop innovation, and to participate in value chain exchanges. This calls for using intermediary organizations. The purpose of this paper is to understand how innovation intermediaries engage with smallholder farmers and provoke value chain reconfigurations. Design/methodology/approach – The authors systematically review literature to draw cases on intermediaries operating in the agri-food sector in several geographical and socio-economic contexts. The authors then adopt a theory building from cases approach to identify relationships between smallholder farmers and innovation intermediaries, and their effects in the reconfiguration of value chains. Findings – Consultants, knowledge transfer organizations (KTOs) and broker organizations (BOs) are the three typologies of intermediaries identified. While consultants facilitate change by modifying the way smallholders engage in transactions with their buyers and input providers, KTOs focus on farmers engagement in the value chain by stimulating the formation of knowledge platform or partnership. BOs operate in a similar way as compared to KTOs but mainly by forming and facilitating access to informal networks. Practical implications – The authors build a framework in which relationships between typologies of intermediary organizations and types of innovation processes are connected with changes at value chain level. Originality/value – The authors highlight how diverse forms of intermediations may stimulate not only smallholder farmers’ participation in innovation networks but also value chain reconfigurations.

Sieve bootstrap monitoring for change from short to long memory

This paper proposes a variance ratio statistic to monitor changes from short to long memory processes. The asymptotic distribution is derived under the null hypothesis and the consistency of the monitoring procedure is proven under the alternative hypothesis. A sieve bootstrap approximation method is introduced to determine the critical values. Simulations indicate that the new procedure is quite robust for many types of innovation processes and performs better than the existing retrospective test.

Innovational Complementarities and Network Neutrality

Innovational Complementarities and Network Neutrality

Changing innovation process models: a chance to break out of path dependency for less developed regions

The aim of this paper is to discover how regions can change innovation process models and whether less developed regions can, in this sense, break out of the negative path dependency. This paper is one of the few to investigate path dependency from a regional rather than from an industry or product perspective. The application of Ward metrics revealed seven innovation process models that can be combined into three groups according to different regional circumstances, in which: (1) knowledge-intensive services are the main carriers of the innovation processes, (2) innovation processes are mostly expressed through manufacturing, and (3) transitions from one type of innovation process into another are the dominant characteristics. Results indicate that there are indeed many examples of path dependency breakthroughs. They occur mostly in the transition group, and could evolve into either one of the other two groups. The research revealed two types of manufacturing regions, namely low-tech and high-tech. It also confirmed that less developed regions fall within the low-tech model called ‘primary-sector-based manufacturing regions’ and face difficulties when phasing into higher-tech models, e.g. only 4% of all transitions are from this model. It is therefore challenging to break out of a negative path dependency. Moreover, the research signified that the reasons for growth are model specific. Therefore, when aiming to achieve an innovation process model transition, regional policies should be tailored accordingly; thus, an evolutionary, staged process of regional policy would be worth researching further.

Business strategy of automotive and farm equipment sector of the Mahindra & Mahindra Group of India

Purpose – This paper traces the historical evolution and growth trajectory of the automotive and farm equipment sector, which is a very significant entity of the Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) group. The purpose of this paper is to understand and provide a pragmatic framework through which the authors can see what were the internal and external factors and the spirit of the contemporary times that led to the changes in the nature of the group. Design/methodology/approach – The “Greiner curve” model has been applied to interpret the evolutionary growth of the group and strategic trajectory explaining characteristics in its different phases. Findings – M&M initially went through its share of learning and grew through pragmatic and, orchestrated entrepreneurial risk. The group made a very successful transition from a proprietorship model to a professionally managed group. It is found that rapid growth has been possible through innovation led collaboration. The group is increasingly organizing its innovation activities around the development of responses to specific challenges. Research limitations/implications – This study suffers from methodological limitations associated with a stage model that the estimated length of the time the organizations will stay in a phase is not known. It is unclear whether passage through all stages is necessary; or whether, in some circumstances, one or more stages may be omitted, and if variations in sequencing can occur. The data for the initial years was not available in primary form and the paper had to depend entirely on the secondary sources. Practical implications – Various strategies adopted by the group from time to time have practical implications for Indian economy. The group has faced many challenges, but challenge-led collaboration-driven approach represents a new type of innovation process that contrasts with other methods of business strategies and provides a sharper focus for managerial and technical issues and brings together stakeholders with diverse interests, expertise and perspectives. Originality/value – This study is a unique attempt in India to trace the evolution of the strategic interventions in the context of a major business group, which is considered to be a symbolic representation of Indian economic history. The paper has got both academic as well as managerial utility.

Innovation Processes in Large-Scale Public Foodservice—Case Findings from the Implementation of Organic Foods in a Danish County

Following the declaration adopted at the 1992 World Summit held inRio de Janeiro, many governments have committed themselves to a common political goal of sustainable development. The declaration points out that both production and consumption patterns have to change in order to reach this goal. Since, in social and environmental terms, one of the most important areas is the production and consumption of food, some European governments have drawn up action plans setting out concrete goals for the conversion of arable land from conventional to organic production. One of the notable emerging areas is the idea that large-scale foodservice such as hospital foodservice should adopt a ‘buy organic’ policy owing to their large consumption volume. Whereas the implementation of organic foods has developed quite smoothly in smallerinstitutions such as kindergartens and nurseries, the introduction of organic foods into large-scale foodservice such as that found in hospitals and larger residential homes for the elderly, has proven to be quite difficult. One of the reasons for this is the highly complex planning, procurement and processing procedures pursued by such facilities. Against this background, an evaluation was carried out of the change process related to the implementation of organic foods in largescale foodservice facilities in the county of Greater Copenhagen in order to study the effects of such a change. Based on the findings, a set of guidelines was developed for the successful implementation of organic foods into the large-scale foodservice. However, the findings and guidelines are applicable to other types of innovation processes in foodservice.

Aesthetics of business innovation: Experiencing ‘internal process’ versus ‘external jolts’

SummaryThis paper summarizes findings of a research project on business innovation. It contrasts two forms of innovation – those of ‘internal process’ and ‘external jolt’. We propose that their deployment depends on how managers responsible for business innovation in large firms feel about, and sense and make sense of innovation. The felt–sensed form of innovation that they find appealing or with which they are comfortable, makes a big difference on what type of innovation process is actually put in place, and is sometimes manifested in the actual business model. Our ambition is to highlight these so-called ‘non-rational’ aspects in innovation decision-making that, we propose, complement – and sometimes shape – rational analyses determining managerial efforts to innovate.

Patterns of generation and adoption of innovation in organizations: Contingency models of innovation attributes

Abstract This study addresses the debate over the occurrence and the applicability of unitary sequence and multiple sequence patterns in the innovation process in organizations. Our general argument is that each pattern's explanatory power hinges on identifiable contingencies. These influencing factors can and should be taken into account by both theorists and managers. Focusing on two types of innovation processes, generation and adoption, we use two innovation attributes—complexity and type—to determine the suitability of each pattern to a specific innovation process. It is proposed that generation and adoption of simple innovations, generation of technical innovations, and adoption of administrative innovations is adequately explained by the unitary sequence pattern. However, generation and adoption of complex innovations, generation of administrative innovations, and adoption of technical innovations is better described by the multiple sequence pattern. Implications for theory development and management practice are then discussed.

A classification and review of models of the intra‐firm innovation process

AbstractThe recognised complexity of the innovation process not only makes it difficult to manage, explain and study, but also presents problems for the development of a generalised model.Cooper's recent article in ‘R&D Management’ suggests that the construction of a generalised model is inappropriate because there appear to be a number of different types of innovation processes. However, many of the studies of innovation postulate or assume a general model which represents the stages involved in the firm.This paper reviews the models of the innovation process which have been proposed and the author classifies them according to his taxonomy of different types:(a) Departmental‐stage models(b) Activity‐stage models(c) Decision‐stage models(d) Conversion process models(e) Response modelsThe advantages and disadvantages of each approach are discussed and the conclusion reached is that still more research needs to be concentrated on the nature of the innovation process within the firm itself. The absence of a definitive model compounds the problems of semantics and definitions when discussing innovation.