| 1. |
- Karlsson, Anna, 1983-, et al.
(författare)
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The role of attention for radical innovation : Identifying moves that matter
- 2018
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Although the human problem of managing attention has been identified as a central problem in the management of innovation, limited research has considered how attention is handled by different actors in the various phases of the innovation process. Moreover, more attention and commitment may be needed for radical ideas to succeed, making this type of innovations particularly interesting to study. This study aims to contribute to the literature addressing the development of radical innovations in established companies by focusing on the role of attention for this type of innovations. Based on an in-depth longitudinal case study, this paper provides an account of how attention was handled in such a setting. Interview data was collected from individuals involved in the project at two different points in time – adjacent to the formal start of the development project and close to the launch. Results reveal three attentional streams (‘Providing input & motivation’, ‘Propelling the idea forward’ and ‘Protecting the idea & individuals’) involving different actors during the innovation process. Along with the finding that managers engage in diverting behavior, and their rationales for doing so, this contributes to theory. Lastly, two of the attentional streams identified highlight an organizational-level paradox connected to radical innovation. A paradox that leaves managers in an ambiguous position.
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| 2. |
- Nilsson, Susanne, 1966-, et al.
(författare)
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Developing radical innovations : Introducing Tangibility, Tolerance and Tightness
- 2018
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper investigates what actions can be taken in order to support the developmentof radical innovations. The contribution adds to our understanding of how radicalinnovation projects develops over time and what and how managerial actions can betaken in order to support this development. Six radical innovation projects from twodifferent empirical settings have been investigated though semi-structured interviewsand the use of a project journey mapping technique allowing for a combination of bothnarrative and critical incident data collection. The data was analyzed in Nvivo. Theresults revealed three different flows of activities for radical innovation projects thatiteratively and interactively took place over time from the emergence of the idea tocommercialization, namely: (1) the configuration of the product system, (2) theunderstanding of customer value and (3) the experimentation of understanding of howto monetizing value form radical innovation projects. Three mechanisms in order tomanage these flows are presented: (1) making the radical innovation and its potentialmore tangible, (2) creating a tolerance for the uncertainties and ambiguities related tothe innovation during its development in the organization and (3) handling themanagement control tightness of the project in order for it to make it to thecommercialization. Two main practical implications of the results are discussed. Firstof all, organizations that aim to develop radical innovations need to understand andsupport the three different flows of activities early on and what it implies in terms ofcompetences needed and resources allocated. Second, the presented mechanismsprovide distinct examples of actions that can be taken in order to support thedevelopment flows of radical innovations.
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| 3. |
- Ericson, Åsa, et al.
(författare)
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Where do innovations come from?
- 2010
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Ingår i: Design 2010. - Zagreb : Design Research Society. - 9789537738037 ; , s. 545-554
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper is based on a descriptive study of two types of innovation awards within a manufacturing company. The purpose is to identify sources and understand the background of these awarded innovations. An industrial view of the concept innovation is of importance in order to support future product development processes. Based on the interviews of several team members in awarded innovation projects, some aspects can be emphasized: the importance of the exploration and knowledge acquisition phase, importance of external triggers and that innovation is not a linear process.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Karlsson, Anna
(författare)
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A study of R&D projects : how teams innovate
- 2012
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The ability to introduce new products and services, i.e. innovations, is regarded as a critical source of competitive advantage, and just as important as before. At the same time, development lead times have been reduced in order to allow a faster time to market. Companies’ strive for innovation, while at the same time reducing product development lead times, will in turn influence how designers and design teams work. Therefore, major challenge, especially for mature companies in established markets, is to have effective ways for the team to continuously accomplish innovations. The purpose of this thesis is to explore how teams work in R&D projects, and particularly how they conduct innovative tasks. The research outlined in this thesis has therefore been guided by two research questions: How do design teams overcome a lack of knowledge when working with new ideas? And, how is knowledge acquired and shared in innovation activities? This research is based on an action research approach. Data is mainly from Sandvik Coromant, a global company that manufactures tools and systems for the metal cutting industry. The company is part of a large engineering group (Sandvik Group) that also manufactures equipment for mining and construction as well as advanced materials. Empirical data was collected mainly through interviews and a survey. To understand the background of innovations, an initial descriptive study, including recipients from award-winning innovative projects from the engineering group, was conducted. The study was later expanded to include more projects and study what type of knowledge was lacking, as well as how the resulting uncertainty was mitigated. Additional studies concerns how engineers use engineering knowledge models for innovation, and organizational factors that can either support or inhibit the sharing of knowledge. Since, innovation is a collaborative effort that takes place in organizations; knowledge is of little use to innovation if it is not shared with others. Findings highlight that neither trust, i.e. handling conflicts and opposing views openly, nor the existence of power and territorial struggles or lack of time significantly affect knowledge sharing. However, important knowledge sharing predecessors are affected by lack of time and how long employees have been employed. Further, new ideas are surrounded by uncertainty, because knowledge concerning if the idea will actually make a difference or not is lacking. To overcome this uncertainty (perceived lack of knowledge) several areas were explored simultaneously, i.e. market, needs and requirements as well as possible solutions. This non-consecutive process is not easy to map into a sequential process model. Hence, a circular model, providing a mean to explain and map these activities, has been proposed.
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| 6. |
- Karlsson, Anna
(författare)
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An empirical study of idea maturity and screening in R&D projects
- 2014
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Innovation occurs only when an idea is put into practice. At the same time, R&D teams today experience increased time pressure, and creative ideas are likely to generate reluctance about their implementation. Consequently, there is a risk that novel ideas in projects do not receive the attention they need to mature enough to be selected for implementation. The aim of this paper is to expand our understanding of how idea maturity relates to idea selection in projects. To empirically explore this topic, data from five different R&D project teams engaged in idea development activities were collected via semi-structured interviews. Results indicate that idea maturity is situated at the interface between idea refinement and idea screening, as the construct incorporates both the refinement of the idea and contextual issues. Idea maturity is also shown to be a relative measure in that it is assessed by comparison to other ideas or existing products. Further, the frame of the project influences the maturity of ideas under development. For example, a shift in requirements for a project can reduce the maturity of an idea, highlighting a dynamic component in idea development.
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| 7. |
- Karlsson, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Development of engineering knowledge models to achieve product innovation
- 2011
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Ingår i: Impacting society through engineering design. - Glasgow : Design Research Society. - 9781904670261 ; , s. 322-331
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- To pursue understanding of governing principles, observations of phenomena and simulation of processes instead of relying purely on trial-and-error, is becoming more and more important in product development activities. This suggests that use of engineering knowledge models is an important part of future innovations. The purpose of this study is therefore to gain insight into the development and use of engineering knowledge models in the innovation process. Based on interviews with originators of such models within a manufacturing company this descriptive study emphasizes the following aspects: the ambivalent aspect of reuse, multi-use of existing models and increased interactivity provided by engineering knowledge models.
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| 8. |
- Karlsson, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Emotions in Idea Development : Exploring the Influence of Beliefs and Biases
- 2014
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recent developments within the field of innovation management have stressed the influence of emotions during idea development. This is important since emotions influence the way people act, and when it comes to ideas, emotions may even constitute the driving force that propels the development of an idea forward. This paper aims to add to this research trajectory by focusing on the emotional aspects in idea development. More specifically, this paper investigates the research question: How do belief and associated biases influence idea development? To empirically explore this topic, data from five different R&D project teams engaged in idea development activities was collected via semi-structured interviews. Results from the study show that numerous biases exist in the vicinity of idea development activities. Further, the identified biases were in many cases influenced in opposing ways (i.e., either favoring or opposing the development of an idea). Finally, biases pertained to three different areas with the result that three distinct tensions were identified. The first tension, denoted the “Positive Illusions” Tension, relates to the belief in the idea and resulting framing issues. This tension also appears to be particularly tricky since it includes a self-reinforcing component. The second tension—the Newness Tension—concerns the newness of the idea and a struggle between escalation of commitment and self-preservation mechanisms. The final tension—the Ownership Tension—relates to the perceived ownership of the idea, and how it can shift over time. Ultimately, the presence of belief and associated biases in idea development seems inevitable. However, the influence they have appears to be a balancing act between removing biases and maintaining the motivation of the actors involved. Managing this balancing act appears to be particularly important when it involves ideas that are creative or uncomfortable, i.e., in innovative situations. Managers are encouraged to make use of an outside perspective, pay special attention to ideas that fit into the tension areas identified, avoid an overly strong reality check for immature ideas, and finally “boost” the development of those ideas that risk too little attention from the team.
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| 9. |
- Karlsson, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Establish and Manage a network for continuous innovation : - Invoking organizational pressure
- 2015
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Social networks and relationships between actors have been identified as important both in terms of increasing our understanding of innovation and for organizations’ to realize innovation outcomes. While previous studies have informed us how knowledge creation in informal network structures can be influenced and managed by subtle management techniques, we know little of how companies intentionally can create and utilize networks for continuous innovation. The aim of this paper is to explore how a network for continuous innovation can be established and managed. A longitudinal case study have been performed using data covering the establishment and subsequent management of a network for supporting continuous innovation, spanning the product management and R&D department of a large multinational company. The results argue for the importance of the creation of a support structure as one layer within the network in order to uphold the development and evolvement of the network over time through support with competence development and influence the network through different kinds of subtle management techniques. Moreover, the paper argues for the importance of invoking organizational pressure for innovation outcome.
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| 10. |
- Karlsson, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Establishing and managing a network for continuous innovation : Invoking organizational pressure
- 2017
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Ingår i: Creativity and Innovation Management. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0963-1690 .- 1467-8691. ; 26:2, s. 128-141
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Social networks in organizations have been identified as important both in terms of increasing our understanding of innovation and for organizations to realize innovation outcomes. While previous studies have informed us of the importance of networks for innovation, we know little of how companies intentionally can design and utilize networks to achieve continuous innovation. The aim of this paper is to explore how a network for continuous innovation can be established and managed. A longitudinal case study has been performed using data covering the establishment and subsequent management of a network for supporting continuous innovation, spanning the product management and R&D department of a large multinational company. The results reveal the potential to use intra-organizational networks to invoke organizational pressure conducive for making innovation happen. This pressure is induced by autonomy and self-organizing in the network and consists of reciprocal expectations and demands between the top (management) and the bottom (employees involved in the network) of the organizational hierarchy. Implications for theory and practice are discussed
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