Encouraging organizational performance through the influence of technological distinctive competencies on components of corporate entrepreneurship

Firms’ technological distinctive competencies (TDCs) help CEOs to confront their reality based on technological knowledge to achieve and exploit competitive advantage by encouraging the different dimensions of corporate entrepreneurship (innovation, new business venturing, proactiveness and self-renewal). The main purpose of this paper is thus to highlight how companies that strive to improve technological competencies within the firm achieve higher organizational performance through different components of corporate entrepreneurship and their interrelationships. This study seeks to fill this research gap by analyzing theoretically and empirically how TDCs enhance innovation, new business venturing and proactiveness and their interrelationships to achieve self-renewal and thus improve firms’ organizational performance. The methodology used is LISREL analysis. We test the model with data from 201 Spanish organizations. Our research contributes theoretical and empirical arguments on the value of TDCs to the organization, arguments that are especially important because organizations sometimes fail to achieve sustainable competitive advantage due to their limited understanding of the relationships between these strategic variables.     

Realizing innovation in services

This article describes a number of innovation forms that are of special relevance to firms in the service industry. Not only technological innovations but also organizational innovations have been distinguished. In the service industry organizational innovations seem to play a significant role. The literature on innovations makes little mention of new organizational arrangements in services. Based on the service management literature a scheme with three forms of organizational innovation and one form of technological innovation is developed. This scheme is illustrated and elaborated in ten case studies of firms in various service industries. The case studies shed some light on innovations in multi-unit forms, combinations of services and co-operation with customers. On a basis of the service management literature and the case studies some of the main processes supporting the (organizational) innovations are analysed.     

Organizational transition management of circular business model innovations

Scholars and practitioners across fields increasingly recognize that business models for the circular economy may be an effective lever for solving ecological persistent problems such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and growing natural resource scarcity. Despite a growing interest in the potential of circular business models, interconnections between the organizational dimensions of firms and their business model innovation processes remain underexplored. Based on problem‐centered expert interviews with business consultants experienced in circular business development, this study creates a conceptual model that offers structured knowledge about why firms steadily reproduce linear BMs and how incumbents manifest themselves as a constant linear‐oriented value creation system. The model also demonstrates organizational conditions and management strategies that frustrate the reproduction of linear BMs and, thus, enable initial moves towards CBM innovation. Building on this, the article provides a set of propositions on how an organizational transition management may be configured and what incumbents require to successfully navigate circular business model innovation. The findings provide a foundation for a contemporary understanding of circular business model transition management, which simultaneously serve as impulses for future research investigations.     

Breaking the mould? Innovation as a strategy for corporate renewal

In contrast to studies of HRM and innovation within hi-tech industries or greenfield sites, this paper uses longitudinal data to analyse the attempts of two mature corporations to shift from business strategies of 'cost reduction' and 'growth by acquisition' towards organizations that compete through innovation. The case studies describe how human resource management interventions and the structure of the HR function itself are used as change levers to support the shift in business strategies. By analysing the different organizational contexts, the paper identifies the complex microprocesses that either facilitate or constrain such organizational change. Its contribution lies in considering strategies concerned with innovation in both product and sales and marketing; in tracking these change processes over time using in depth case studies; and in considering innovation as a strategic trigger for corporate renewal.     

旅游产业转型：业态创新机理与拓展领域

随着我国旅游经济和产业的转型升级,现代旅游业的生产性服务领域和新业态正在不断产生。旅游业态的外在表现形式虽然呈多样化特征,但旅游业态的创新过程却有其内在机理：它应包括市场创新、技术创新、生产经营方式创新、组织创新、供应流通渠道创新、制度创新等重要内容。现代旅游业的功能拓展及新增长点主要反映在会展旅游、奖励旅游、商务旅游、咨询旅游、培训旅游、考察旅游、疗养旅游和修学旅游等领域。     

What drives environmental innovation? A meta-analysis

To clarify the drivers of environmental innovation, this study selected 50 independent samples from 49 publications to investigate the effects of four major factors—policy, market, resource capacity, and organizational characteristics—on environmental innovation using a meta-analysis, as well as demonstrating the moderating role of cultural background and industrial diversity. The results show that both environmental regulations and government subsidies positively promote environmental innovation and that cultural background and industrial diversity do play moderating roles in how environmental regulations impact environmental innovation. Furthermore, customer demand is also shown to have a positive impact on environmental innovation and is moderated by industrial diversity. However, market concentration is not shown to significantly affect environmental innovation. The results also show that knowledge sources, technological capabilities, organization's performance, and environmental management systems positively influence environmental innovation. Additionally, cultural background plays a moderating role between an organization's performance and environmental innovation, and industrial diversity can moderate technological capability and environmental innovation. Finally, the size of an organization is shown to positively affect environmental innovation and is also moderated by cultural background.     

企业经营战略创新研究

将先进的经营理念与企业的具体实际相结合,是经营战略创新取得成功的关键。经济全球化对企业的竞争理念提出了更高的要求,建立统一的经营战略创新目标体系可以使企业的经营风险得以规避,提高企业经营效益,提高应变能力,实现经营的人性化,使企业更好地体现先进生产力,在激烈的竞争中获得更大的市场份额,保证企业利润的实现。要正确认识经营创新与经营规范的关系,使企业组织结构趋于合理,促进企业全面创新。     

‘Business as usual?’ Retail employee perceptions of organizational life following cross-border acquisition

The question of whether strong organizational cultures can be exported across borders has been continually debated in the management and business literature. With increased retail internationalization, the question arises in how far global retailers will be able to transpose their cultural values – which are regarded as key levers to business success – into other national contexts. A case study of the acquisition of a UK retailer reveals workforce compliance to behavioural norms and consent to company values at Schein's () second tier of organizational culture. However, the cultural integration espoused in the retailer's literature is not achieved, but differentiation and fragmentation (Martin, , ) prevail at store level, despite the probable existence of a strong sectoral culture (Ogbonna and Harris, ).     

Knowledge processing and ecosystem co-creation for process innovation: Managing joint knowledge processing in process innovation projects

Process innovation drives industrial competitiveness and sustainability but remains elusive since it requires co-creation and the sharing of idiosyncratic design knowledge in ecosystems of providers and customers of process equipment. This paper investigates how firms can manage knowledge processing through co-creation in joint process innovation projects. Analysis of cross-comparative case studies –including nine industrial ecosystem actors – identifies three types of technological challenge (complexity, novelty and customization) that creates knowledge-processing requirements (uncertainty, equivocality) during the value co-creation process. To manage these knowledge-processing requirements, this paper explains how three joint knowledge-processing strategies (joint problem solving, open communication and end-user involvement) help ecosystem partners make sense of the requirements and demands in process innovation. In this context, the procurement approach (such as contracting and relationship development) helps to facilitate higher levels of joint knowledge processing, drawing on the diverse knowledge of ecosystem actors to secure successful process-innovation outcomes. The present study contributes to the emerging literature on co-creation in process innovation by developing a framework that highlights the knowledge-processing dynamics in ecosystem relationships for process innovation. The implications for management extends to a practical tool that guides project managers in ensuring appropriate levels of joint knowledge processing among ecosystem actors.

     

Innovation for Inclusive Business: Intrapreneurial Bricolage in Multinational Corporations

It is often argued that multinational corporations (MNCs) are in a unique position to innovate business models that can help to alleviate poverty. This empirical study into intra‐organizational aspects of pro‐poor business innovation in two MNCs suggests, however, that certain elements of their management frameworks – such as short‐term profit interests, business unit based incentive structures, and uncertainty avoidance – may turn into obstacles that prevent MNCs from reaching their full potential in this respect. We introduce the concept of intrapreneurial bricolage to show how middle manager innovators may promote pro‐poor business models despite these obstacles. We define intrapreneurial bricolage as entrepreneurial activity within a large organization characterized by creative bundling of scarce resources, and illustrate empirically how it helps innovators to overcome organizational constraints and to mobilize internal and external resources. Our findings imply that intrapreneurial bricolage may be of fundamental importance in MNC innovation for inclusive business. In addition to the field of inclusive business, this study has implications for the study of bricolage in large organizations and social intrapreneurship, as well for managerial practice around innovation for inclusive business.     

服务化商业模式创新架构与要素研究——以利丰为例

商业模式是当今企业核心竞争力形成和发展的关键问题,特别是在产业供应链服务化背景下,如何有效地构造和推动商业模式的创新和可持续是企业供应链管理的核心所在。因此,究竟如何认识服务化商业模式变革的原动力,以及模式建立和演进过程中的组织结构、创新要素和治理方式是一个需要不断深入研究的课题。本文基于国内外有关商业模式相关理论研究,提出了服务化商业模式创新的架构和要素并运用利丰的单案例研究,分析了该理论模式的核心内容和主要路径在实践中的适用性,即服务化商业模式创新的原动力对模式结构选择的影响,以及结构与创新要素和创新治理之间的关系。     

Accounting for technological innovation: an overview

Technology and, more specifically, significant technological innovation is increasingly being recognized by business executives as both an integral part of business strategy and either a major opportunity for, or strong threat to, their firm's development. A growing number of executives are giving equal attention to both process and product forms of technological innovation, and are scanning technological innovations in the international arena.This paper argues that R&D is an important but not exhaustive component of technological innovation. Its main conclusions from the viewpoint of accounting standards and practice are: - Net cash flow rather than net profit (or loss) is the most relevant financial criterion with which to judge the commercial value and results of innovation. - Both accounting practice and standards should be developed with the clear attempt to ensure international compatabilily. - Given the speed of change in technological innovation, accounting practices and standards should be regularly reviewed, and if necessary altered—two-yearly review seems a justifiable suggestion. - Several standards on accounting for the major fields of technology may need to be developed; however, a broad standard dealing with common issues may be possible. - The input of technologists, researchers and general managers is necessary to ensure that accounting practices and standards are conceptually sound and useful to business managers.     

TQM and BPR: Beyond the Beyond Myth

It is generally assumed in the popular management literature that the TQM (total quality management) and BPR (business process re-engineering) movements are the two latest expressions of an increasing sophistication in management techniques and principles. Following this logic it only is a matter of time before they will be superseded by yet another management innovation. This paper aims to explode this ‘beyond’ myth by exposing the underlying logic of TQM and BPR implementation patterns in two case companies. Empirical findings will be related back to critical approaches to the study of TQM and BPR. Concrete suggestions as to how to move beyond the quick fix managerial mode will be proposed. Our approach is intended to provide a counterweight to the unreflective discourse surrounding TQM and BPR by breaking open the naturalness of this discourse. It supplies a few landmarks for managers and researchers to take a step back, hesitate, and reflect on the phenomenon of planned organizational change.     

网络经济与企业组织创新

在熊彼特对创新的定义中,实现高质量经济增长的创新不仅仅包含产品创新、工艺创新等技术创新,还应该包括采用新的企业组织形式,即组织创新。网络经济时代,信息技术在推动社会发展的同时,也给企业带来了管理上的革命。企业必须打破旧的组织模式,倡导与之相适应的网络化组织模式。     

The business model dilemma of technology shifts

Technology shifts are lethal to many manufacturing companies. Previous research indicates that this is not purely a problem of technological innovation, but is also closely related to the inertia of business models and business model innovation. This paper inquires into the dynamics of this intersection between technology and business models. Anchored in a case study in the automotive industry, it reveals how a potential technology shift constitutes a business model dilemma for firms leading in the existing technology. The paper illustrates why technology shifts are so difficult to master and contributes to theory by suggesting that managing technology shifts does not require either technology or service innovation in order to create a viable business model, but instead a compound of both. Furthermore, the paper applies a business model perspective to illustrate the explanatory power of analyzing the challenges of technology shifts faced by incumbent firms.     

Green management,firm innovations,and environmental turbulence

The multifaceted nature of firm innovation has prevented researchers from fully explaining the relationship between firm innovation and green management. This study, building on the Schumpeterian theory of innovation, explores this relationship by examining three major types of firm innovation—strategic innovation, managerial innovation, and product innovation—and their respective relationships with green management, considering several dimensions of environmental turbulence as distinctive boundary conditions. We propose that both strategic innovation and managerial innovation facilitate green management, which in turn mediates these effects on new product performance. The results of a survey of 303 Chinese firms provide strong support for this mediating logic. Moreover, we find that market turbulence weakens the effect of strategic innovation on green management whereas technological turbulence strengthens such effect but the effect of managerial innovation on green management is not influenced by environmental turbulence. Our research contributes to the innovation as well as green management and sustainability literatures by offering a framework in which to analyze firm innovation and green management and by showing how firms pursue sustainability and prosperity under specific environmental conditions.     

Declared versus actual organizational culture as indicated by an organization's performance appraisal

This study examines the incompatible aspects of the declared and actual organizational norms as cultural aspects. Data were drawn from a performance evaluation conducted in a large multinational pharmaceutical organization. The selected evaluation dimensions are based on the publicly articulated behavioral norms stated by top level management. The empirical model partially supported the hypothesis. Two predictors, intrinsic normative motivation dimensions and professional behaviors, showed some overlap between the declared and the actual evaluative behavior norms. One implication of this study is that organizations should make a substantial effort to instil their desired vision and norms among their members.     

企业流程创新管理模式研究——以联想业务变革经理制为例

本文以联想业务变革经理制为研究对象,运用理论与案例相结合的研究方法,探讨中国企业业务流程创新管理模式。通过阐述联想业务变革经理制产生的背景、业务变革经理的职能以及相关案例,来揭示联想在企业流程创新管理中所做出的努力以及成果。希望通过对联想业务变革经理制的研究,为中国大型企业管理模式转型、梳理业务组织架构、提高管理效率、优化决策模式提出一个新的方向。     

Designing a Better Business School: Channelling Herbert Simon,Addressing the Critics,and Developing Actionable Knowledge for Professionalizing Managers

Herbert Simon's 1967 article ‘The business school: a problem in organizational design’ anticipated many of the challenges business schools face today. Critics charge business schools with failing to realize their primary purpose, that is, to produce professional managers. This article revisits what Simon advocated with regard to a core feature of this professionalism, the production of essential management knowledge, and the process of educating people in applying it. With Simon as a guide, this article outlines educational and research interventions to help business schools realize their founding purpose. In doing so, it addresses the distinctive knowledge products that business school research can contribute to the management profession. This article also highlights the key role that evidence‐based management and the related practices of design science play in providing a more complete solution to the design problem Simon identified.     

Business service firms,service space and the management of change

The growth of business service firms represents the latest stage in a continuing twentieth century process of technological and organizational restructuring of production and labour skills. It is associated with the rising information intensiveness of production and the development of an economy of signs. Business service activities located in service spaces drive innóva.tions both in production technology and in management systems. The co-presence of business service firms with their clients as well as other business service firms shapes the possibilities of trust between them. A detailed case study of the way in which large client firms utilize the services of independent business service companies is provided. This is followed by an examination of the relationship between small firms and business service expertise. A dual information economy may be developing in which large firms are able to search for specialist business service expertise irrespective of its location, while SMEs are tied into local providers of more generalist expertise.