The Organizational Innovation System: A systemic framework for radical innovation at the organizational level

Most research on innovation management at the organizational level has typically been focused on one specific innovation project phase or innovation management concept. This has resulted in many valuable insights, though scattered in different (innovation) research fields and studies. With the development of the Organizational Innovation System (OIS), we bring together important insights from the Innovation Systems, Open Innovation and other related fields into a guiding concept useful for both innovation managers developing (radical) innovations and innovation scholars. In this paper, we define the OIS and its key structural components, and discuss the identified functions and categories of potential imperfections. With the OIS, we provide a holistic, hands-on concept currently lacking in the open innovation approach. From the conceptualization, a framework for analysis is put forward which provides structure to the study of ongoing and finished innovation processes. Additionally, the development of the OIS is a first step in the development of a currently underdeveloped micro-level within the innovation systems perspective. The insights in OISs and the future insights derived from analytical efforts, will not only be beneficial for the performance of innovating organizations and organizational innovation systems but also for the performance of the higher, interconnected system levels.     

Building a national innovation system through regional innovation systems

This paper deals with the effective formulation and implementation of a national innovation system. It emphasizes that a concept of regional innovation system is a good tool to generate an effective national innovation system, as it can effectively create different sectoral innovation systems in different regions. Based on this theoretical review, this paper analyzes Korean regional innovation systems in terms of mapping of innovation actors. It concludes that the Korean national innovation system is relatively weak, as it has only three advanced regional innovation systems. However, it tells that there are six fast developing regional innovation systems and seven less developed regional innovation systems. They should be refined and further developed based on the active support by the central government, some policy measures for activating interactive learning between innovation actors, and also the close cooperation between the central and regional governments.     

To eat or to be eaten–on the role of entrepreneurship in the Norwegian telecom access sector

The purpose of this paper is to analyse mechanisms of evolution by studying a population of firms involved in the provision of telecom access in Norway after the liberation of the telecom sector during the 1990s. The approach is based on a combination of theory on entrepreneurship and theories on sectoral innovation systems, in particular the role of entrepreneurship under different technological regimes. By analysing the role of different actors in the market for telecom access, the relationship between the previous state monopolist Telenor and other companies entering the market is discussed. The main conclusion is that Telenor, in spite of the liberalization of the telecom market, still is in a very dominant position in the markets for access provision. To the extent that Telenor is challenged, it is basically by other existing telecom companies. By the time of finalizing this paper (2006), none of the entrepreneurial firms have survived as independent firms. The main conclusion deriving from this analysis, is that the telecom access sector is characterized by the routinized regime, in which the larger, established firms are the dominant players. However, this does not mean that entrepreneurs do not play important roles. By starting their new ventures, entrepreneurs are challenging the positions of the incumbents; they are contributing to more competition and innovation. Without the pressure from the entrepreneurial entrants, the level of innovation in the sectoral system would have been significantly lower.     

Environmental Regulation and Enterprise Innovation: A Review

The impact of environmental regulation on enterprise innovation is closely related to the competitiveness of the enterprise and sustainable development of the regional economy, but existing research does not provide a consistent view. This paper summarizes the impacts of environmental regulation on enterprise innovation from the perspectives of technological innovation, product innovation, system innovation and ecological innovation. We find that the impacts of environmental regulation on enterprise innovation behaviour are complex, and that the impacts can be reflected together by the four aspects above and even by their interaction. Moreover, the impacts are not limited to the creation of new technologies, products, and systems but also include their adoption and application. In particular, whether the Porter hypothesis is true and which versions of the Porter hypothesis environmental regulation causes in enterprise innovation depend on enterprise characteristics, means of environmental regulation, and enterprises' strategic behaviours in an enterprise ecosystem. Finally, we propose five potential research directions: quantifying the degree of enterprise innovation caused by environmental regulation, the impacts of environmental regulation on sustainable economic development from an enterprise ecosystem perspective, the impacts of enterprise innovation on environmental regulation, the role of enterprise initiative in the relationship between environmental regulation and enterprise innovation, and social security issues and the integration of eliminated enterprises resulting from environmental regulation.     

Strengthening regional innovation through network-based innovation brokering

The primary objective of this paper is to demonstrate how regional innovation system theory may be translated into manageable micro-level methods with the potential for strengthening the productive dynamics of a regional innovation system. The paper meets this objective by presenting network-based innovation brokering (NBIB), a practical method designed using insights from regional innovation system theory and trust theory. Five cases from two Norwegian regional innovation networks show that in addition to knowledge development and diffusion, NBIB strengthened collaborative attitude and trust between members of the regional innovation system. Moreover, it served as an arena for entrepreneurial experimentation, resulting in projects combining two modes of innovation; the Science, Technology and Innovation mode and the Doing, Using and Interaction mode. The method, thus, may be viewed as a useful addition to the inventory of methods used to stimulate innovation in regional innovation systems (RISs). On a more general level, the paper represents a call to the community of innovation researchers and practitioners to give a higher priority to the question of how to better realize the pragmatic potential of RIS-theory.     

The interaction of multiple champions in orchestrating innovation networks: Conflicts and complementarities

In networked or open innovation processes, so-called innovation communities have been identified in the innovation champion literature, in which innovation champions from different levels in the innovation system supposedly act as a team. It has however not been studied in detail to what extent and how different champions in innovation communities complement each other and act as a team. Applying the concept of innovation network orchestration to analyze the role and position of different kinds of champions as brokers in innovation networks, the purpose of this paper is to unravel the interaction between champions and what this entails in terms of role complementarities and conflicts as regards innovation network orchestration. This is done by using an explorative multiple case study approach in which three innovation journeys are analyzed. The results indicate that a distinction can be made between primary innovation communities, who act as aggregated orchestrators of the overall innovation network, and who in turn orchestrate secondary innovation communities in certain sub-networks. Here different kinds of champions complement each other and act as a team, but these complementarities are not a given: they are negotiated over time in interaction, and lack of reflection on each other’s roles may result in role conflicts. The main conclusion is that an oversimplified notion of innovation communities as a unified team of champions should be avoided: innovation communities themselves need a form of orchestration.     

双循环新发展格局下制造业企业开放式创新研究

在国内大循环为主体、国内国际双循环相互促进的新发展格局下,如何深化我国制造业企业创新发展是一个重要课题。基于开放式创新理论,本文建立了开放式创新系统动态模型,并以玉柴集团为案例,分析企业开放式创新在要素获取、结构协同、功能提升和环境适应四个方面的表现并发现了其创新亮点。基于此,在双循环新发展格局下提出了积极顺应动态环境,多渠道获取创新要素,模块演进、重点突破,创新为本、合理利润等制造业企业开放式动态创新的对策建议。     

Barriers to innovation and public policy in Catalonia

The present paper analyses the link between firms’ decisions to innovate and the barriers that prevent them from being innovative. The aim is twofold. First, it analyses three groups of barriers to innovation: the cost of innovation projects, lack of knowledge and market conditions. Second, it presents the main steps taken by Catalan Government to promote the creation of new firms and to reduce barriers to innovation. The data set used is based on the 2004 official innovation survey of Catalonia which was taken from the Spanish CIS4 sample. This sample includes individual information on 2,954 Catalan firms in manufacturing industries and knowledge-intensive services (KIS). The empirical analysis reveals pronounced differences regarding a firm’s propensity to innovate and its perception of barriers. Moreover, the results show that cost and knowledge barriers seem to be the most important and that there are substantial sectoral differences in the way that firms react to barriers. The results of this paper have important implications for the design of future public policy to promote entrepreneurship and innovation together.

Determinants of a sustainable innovation system

This study seeks to identify and define the determinants of the sustainable innovation system (SIS). To achieve the objective, a qualitative approach was used through a systematic literature review using data from Web of Science (WOS) and Scopus. Two search equations were used to extract the data. In the first search equation, 69 documents were analyzed, and for the second, 102 documents were analyzed. Multiple definitions were found regarding SIS, it is worth highlighting in the findings the evolutionary process that these systems follow. As a contribution to the study, 79 determinants of an SIS are presented derived from the classic functions of an innovation system.     

企业无形资产管理创新研究

无形资产管理在企业经营管理中的重要性日益突显,然而,当前我国企业在无形资产管理方面存在许多问题,传统的管理模式已不再适应新时期无形资产管理的需要,迫切呼唤创新无形资产管理模式。     

物流企业自主创新的金融支持体系构建路径探析

指出自主创新是物流企业提升竞争力的有效途径,是其不断发展的动力源泉以及现代物流发展的必然趋势,而目前金融体系无法为物流企业自主创新提供其所需要的支持,因此可以考虑从完善自主创新的相关制度、创新物流企业自主创新的融资模式、建立物流企业自主创新的金融风险评估体系、构建支持物流企业自主创新的财政融资体系以及提高金融机构的专业化程度等几个角度来构建物流企业自主创新的金融支持体系。     

区域创新系统研究述评

在世界经济发展出现信息化、知识化、全球化和区域化的背景下,区域创新能力已经成为区域经济取得国际竞争优势的根本性条件,构建区域创新系统也已经成为实现经济快速持续健康发展的重要战略选择,因此,区域创新系统理论逐渐成为国内外区域经济研究中的热点问题。文章阐述了区域创新系统的概念内涵、要素构成、结构模型、类型划分以及评价体系,并对国内外区域创新系统理论与实证研究的相关文献进行了梳理。在此基础上,提出了目前区域创新系统研究面临的问题以及未来的研究方向。     

Learning capabilities,human resource management innovation and competitive advantage

The growing literature on innovation pays limited attention to the role of human resource management (HRM) innovation in creating competitive advantage. This paper adopts a knowledge-based approach to examine how firms design and implement HRM innovations (HRMIs) and how such innovations support competitive advantage. Drawing from multiple streams of literature and qualitative evidence from Australian manufacturing and service firms, our findings reveal that human resource (HR) functional-level learning capabilities, through which HR professionals build and nurture new knowledge configurations, facilitate the design and implementation of HRMIs. The findings also reveal that HRMIs, when coupled with top management support, can play a vital role in firm competitive advantage. Addressing the limitations of the term radical innovations to fully capture HRMIs and based on our findings and extant literature we propose a new classification that will capture the unique nature of HRMIs. In addition to contributing to theory, our paper provides valuable insights to practitioners for building and nurturing learning capabilities for HRMI-related competitive advantage.     

Australia's regional innovation systems: inter-industry interaction in innovative activities in three Australian territories

Regional specifics reveal in differences in economic activity and structure, the institutional, socio-economic and cultural environment and not least in the capability of regions to create new knowledge and to generate innovations. Focusing on the regional level, this paper for three Australian territories (New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland) explores patterns of innovative activities in their private business sectors. Furthermore, these patterns are compared to specifics of each region's economic structure. We make use of input–output-based innovation flow networks, which are directed and weighted instead of binary. The value added of the proposed analysis is that we are able to trace a variety of different aspects related to the structure of innovative activities for each territory. It gets evident that mostly innovative activities in each territory are not strong in ‘niche’ branches but in fields of intense economic activity, signalising the high path-dependency of innovative activities in a specific geographical environment.     

企业创新体系研究

企业在市场中的竞争表面上是产品的竞争、技术的竞争,实质上却是隐含于产品、技术背后的企业之间创新能力、创新意识的竞争。“在创新中求发展”已成为企业界的共识。但企业究竟该如何创新,从哪些方面进行创新,成了企业经营中较为困惑的问题。本文在分析创新概念的基础上,提出了企业创新体系的目标及总体构建,并对创新体系的主要内容进行了具体研究,为企业创新实践提供参考。     

循环经济视角下区域创新绩效评价研究

区域创新绩效评价是区域创新体系建设的重要环节。与传统经济发展观下区域创新凸显的价值困境相比,循环经济发展模式下区域创新应关注经济、社会和生态价值的协调性,据此建立符合多元价值均衡理念的区域绩效评价指标体系与评价模型,以综合考察区域创新系统的经济效益与环境效益。并以福建为例,对其2001～2010年期间的创新综合绩效水平进行实证分析。     

Internal Commitment or External Collaboration? The Impact of Human Resource Management Systems on Firm Innovation and Performance

Complementing previous research that showed a positive effect of general human resource management (HRM) systems on general firm performance, this article undertakes an integrative approach to compare the main effects and examine the interaction effects of two particular HRM systems on influencing firm innovation and performance. Using data from 179 organizations in China, we found that both the commitment‐oriented system, which emphasized internal cohesiveness, and the collaboration‐oriented system, which was intended to build external connections, contributed to firm innovation and, subsequently, bottom‐line performance. We also found an attenuated interaction between the two HRM systems in predicting firm innovation. We employed a mediated‐moderation path model to extricate the relationships. Results suggested that organizations that implemented both HRM systems to promote innovation might face ambidexterity challenges. Ideas for future research and practical implications are discussed.     

Process innovation laboratory: a new approach to business process innovation based on enterprise information systems

Most organizations today are required not only to operate effective business processes but also to allow for changing business conditions at an increasing rate. Today nearly every business relies on their enterprise information systems (EIS) for process integration and future generations of EIS will increasingly be driven by business process models. Consequently business process modelling and improvement is becoming a serious challenge. The aim of this paper is to establish a conceptual framework for business process innovation (BPI) in the supply chain based on advanced EIS. The challenge is thus to create a new methodology for developing and exploring process models and applications. The paper outlines the process innovation laboratory (Π-Lab) as a new approach to BPI. The Π-Lab is a comprehensive framework and a collaborative workspace for experimenting with process models. The Π-Lab facilitates innovation by using an integrated action learning approach to process modelling in a controlled environment. The study is based on design science and the paper also discusses the implications to EIS research and practice.     

Public procurement for innovation through supplier firms' sustainability lens: A systematic review and research agenda

Public sector purchasing processes are gaining increasing prominence as a demand-side innovation tool for addressing national sustainability challenges. Accordingly, there has been growing research attention to this topic. Prior studies suggest three key rationales that underlie the use of public sector procurement to drive innovation: (i) the buyer–user rationale (for creating new needs); (ii) the market/system failure rationale (for improving suppliers' capacity to innovate); and (iii) the public services rationale (for improving public services). However, operational activities at the upstream supply chain affecting the sustainable innovation capacities of supplier firms appear to be under-researched in the public procurement for innovation (PPI) scholarship, despite knowledge about innovation capacity being critical to successfully implementing PPI. This paper adopts a systematic literature review approach to synthesise existing fragmented literature on sustainability-oriented PPI, focusing on supplier perspectives. Findings from a synthesis of 41 relevant articles suggest, among others conditions, that a procurement framework that maintains a good balance of competition and innovation, builds buyer–supplier relationship and urges strong supply networks, maintains a stable political commitment, offers security for niche markets with effective innovation risk management culture would enhance suppliers' sustainability capacity and propensity to innovate. This paper contributes to the PPI literature and the literature on determinants of sustainable innovation systems from supplier firms' sustainability lens.     

高技术企业创新能力评价——以河南省企业为例

企业的技术创新是一项系统工程,若想进一步提升河南省企业的技术创新能力,单独依靠创新主体自身是难以实现的,应充分考虑到各项政策措施之间的依附和制约关系。构建企业技术创新能力评价指标体系,运用层次分析法等适当的评价方法,对河南省高技术企业的技术创新能力进行了客观评价,为及时调整河南省企业技术创新战略提供了依据,从而有利于企业技术创新能力的提升。