How rewards fuel or fail innovation

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-12
Author(s):  
Susan Kuczmarski ◽  
Thomas Kuczmarski
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Field Research ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Collaborative Culture ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Solution Generation ◽  
Self Worth

Purpose The purpose of our research is to explore how rewards serve to fuel a collaborative culture, energize and motivate team members and nurture innovation. Design/methodology/approach In total, 30 in-depth, qualitative interviews were conducted with executives – high-tech, low-tech and no-tech. Findings The following findings emerged from the field research: rewards can be both financial, such as bonuses and incentives, and non-financial, such as extra vacations or other gifts. Huge internal personal benefits accrue from setting up a reward structure, including increased pride, peer recognition, higher self-confidence, greater job satisfaction and enhanced self-accomplishment. When we recognize others, it can impact an individual's self-worth on a profound level. It is described as feedback that sinks into the core. Originality/value Three milestones have been outlined throughout the innovation process where opportunities for recognition can exist: upon recognizing insights for identifying a problem, after understanding and overcoming difficulties encountered during creative solution generation and when recognizing and activating the benefits accrued from pinpointing solutions to the problem.

Innovative ways companies are using design thinking

2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 40-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeanne Liedtka
Keyword(s):  
Design Thinking ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Design Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Fortune 100 ◽  
Problem Solving Process ◽  
The University ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – Researchers at the University of Virginia's Darden Business School and the Design Management Institute report on field research into how widely design thinking is being adopted in leading companies and how effectively is it being adapted in a variety of industries. Design/methodology/approach – They interviewed boundary spanners – leaders who operated at the intersection of design and business – in a number of Fortune 100 organizations and focused on ten organizations where design thinking was having an impact on practice. Findings – They found that design thinking was, in fact, also a problem solving process, not just an innovation process. Research limitations/implications – Examples are anecdotal. Practical implications – Learning from design tools – such as, ethnographic interviewing, customer journey mapping and job-to-be-done analysis – encouraged team members to stay involved with the problem long enough to reframe the opportunity. Originality/value – The highest payoff from adopting a design-thinking approach was not necessarily in identifying a solution, but rather in innovating how people worked together to envision and implement the new possibilities they discovered.

The driving mindsets of innovation: curiosity, creativity and clarity

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Walsh ◽  
Paul Knott ◽  
Jamie Collins
Keyword(s):  
Innovation Process ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Well Being ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Success Rates ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Implementing Change ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Successful Innovation

Purpose Innovation is an essential process for growth and well-being of organisations and society in general but is difficult to manage successfully. Through a better understanding of the innovation mindsets as established strategists use them in practice, this paper aims to improve firms’ success rates of innovation. Design/methodology/approach To examine how innovation processes play out in dynamic environments, the authors undertook a longitudinal two-year multi-case study in the high-tech sector. Findings Strategists in this study showed distinct phases in their successful innovation journey with three dominant mindsets of curiosity, creativity and clarity. The curiosity phase includes actions focused on discovering and understanding the implications and significance of an opportunity. The creativity phase includes actions focused on creating and testing a wide range of options. The clarity phase consists of actions focused on resourcing and implementing change. Practical implications In adopting this framework for use in the field, the authors recommend strategists take time for discovering and getting to core understanding in the curiosity phase. They should then take action by creating and actively testing a broad range of solution ideas in the creativity phase. Finally, organisations need to take care with clear direction and communication when resourcing and implementing in the clarity phase. Originality/value This novel framework which emerged from the longitudinal field research describes the mindsets of innovation and how these are used at different phases in the innovation process.

An empirical investigation of innovation process in Indian pharmaceutical companies

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 500-523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Usha Lenka ◽  
Minisha Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Information Sharing ◽  
Leadership Style ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Proactive Personality ◽  
Team Leaders ◽  
Team Creativity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Resonant Leadership ◽  
Creativity And Innovation

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework exploring innovation process in research and development units of organizations. Research and development (R&D) teams of pharmaceutical firms operating in India were the unit of analysis. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 352 leaders and equal number of team members working in R&D teams. Responses were collected through questionnaire survey method. Questions to measure variables of members’ proactive personality, emotional intelligence, trust, task reflexivity, team creativity and innovation adoption were answered by team leaders. Similarly, questions on variables, resonant leadership style of team leaders, team information sharing process and climate for innovation were answered by team members. Out of 450 distributed questionnaires, 352 completely filled responses were finally obtained, with a response rate of 78 percent. Data were analyzed through structural equation modeling using AMOS 21.0 software package. Findings Findings of the study reveal that members’ proactive personality, emotional intelligence and trust enhance members’ learning ability called task reflexivity. This learning is further promulgated with the intervention of team information sharing process and support for innovation. Team creativity enhances innovation implementation in organizations. However, resonant leadership style of team leaders does not support task reflexivity. Practical implications Overall, the study highlights that creativity is promulgated when information is disseminated among members in a supportive climate for innovation. Organizations can create and innovate by developing capability of members who are proactive, emotionally intelligent and who trust their colleagues, so that team members can rationally judge organizational priorities, learn from their colleagues, plan and execute novice ideas to serve market needs. Originality/value R&D team enhances creativity and innovation in organizations by leveraging their talent and skills. This work is an attempt to develop an innovation process model in Indian pharmaceutical organizations to promulgate creativity and innovation through R&D teams.

Conflict of interest in pharmaceutical policy research: an example from Canada

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 66-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neena Chappell ◽  
Alan Cassels ◽  
Linda Outcalt ◽  
Carren Dujela
Keyword(s):  
Conflict Of Interest ◽  
Research Team ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Policy Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Pharmaceutical Manufacturers ◽  
Drug Companies ◽  
Coverage With Evidence Development ◽  
Awareness Raising

Purpose – There is much evidence of bias in research on the effectiveness and efficacy of drugs as a result of the influence of the pharmaceutical industry. The purpose of this paper is to present the views of those involved in a major evidence-based policy initiative from Canada and examine the adequacy of existing academic conflict of interest (COI) rules. Design/methodology/approach – Data came from the Alzheimer’s Drug Therapy Initiative in British Columbia, a coverage with evidence development (CED) initiative, where a form of action research collected insights from the authors’ experiences, combined with qualitative interviews with members of the research team. Findings – The majority of researchers perceive the influence of pharmaceutical manufacturers as problematic. Even when the strictest of COI rules are followed, extending well beyond disclosure, the reach of industry is so great that existing COI rules lag far behind their expanding influence. Practical implications – The authors support others who call for the funding of independent research, enforcement of existing disclosure rules, and unfettered publication rights. In addition, the authors urge the education of all research team members, including clinicians, on the evidence indicating the variety of forms through which industry influence is exerted. The authors believe that this awareness-raising can help toward minimizing that influence in the analyses that are conducted. Originality/value – Consideration of pharmaceutical influence on CED research is important. There may be an untrue assumption that CED is functioning at arms-length from the drug companies.

The rise of Taiwan in the TFT-LCD industry

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 190-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mayumi Tabata
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Structure ◽  
Mass Production ◽  
Liquid Crystal Display ◽  
Thin Film Transistor ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Transformation Process ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Secondary Source ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Political Economies

Purpose – This study aims to refocus the analysis of global political economies using concepts from studies on Varieties of Capitalism (VoC) to track Taiwan’s rise in the Thin Film Transistor Liquid Crystal Display (TFT-LCD) industry. Taiwanese electronics firms began to outpace their competitors from Japan in TFT-LCD industry’s competition from about the year 2000. Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on depth interviews and analysis of secondary source material, newspaper and magazine. Findings – A time factor that helps determine advantage and/or disadvantage of high-tech industry in Japan and Taiwan. Stable organizational structure and less talent mobility in the Japanese TFT-LCD firms may well have been an advantage initially in the transformation process from US firms’ experimental technologies to tacit mass production technologies, but proved to be a disadvantage in the subsequent competition with more mobile talent in Taiwanese firms eager to standardize mass production techniques. Japanese firms’ rigid organizational structure could not keep pace to the market-oriented technology strategy in the global TFT-LCD industry, lost competitive advantage in a rapid pace. Social implications – VoC literature should be focused to highlight two insights. The first is the premise of institutional forms specific to national models of capitalism. Patterns of technology transfer appear critical in the innovation process, and differ markedly between Taiwan and Japan. Second, the VoC literature suggests comparative institutional advantage. Originality/value – Through the comparative analyses between Taiwanese capitalism model and Japanese counterparts, we can understand the reason and process of the rise of Taiwan in global TFT-LCD market.

Maipu Communication Technology Co., Ltd: challenges in innovation

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 414-437
Author(s):  
Zheng He ◽  
Leida Chen
Keyword(s):  
Innovation Management ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Growth Patterns ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Communications Technology ◽  
Strategy Formulation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Courses ◽  
Corporate Strategies ◽  
Innovation Model

Synopsis This case traces through a 20-year history of a Chinese high-tech company, Maipu Communications Technology Company. Throughout the company’s growth, Maipu adjusted its innovation models in order to ensure that they remained compatible with corporate strategies, resources and external environments. However, as the company grew bigger, it was finding it more and more difficult to meet its innovation goals. Its current innovation model is a market-driven platform + distributed innovation. While Maipu has achieved some success under this model, it is faced with a myriad of challenges during the execution of the model. The key questions raised by this case are whether Maipu’s current innovation model is suitable for the company at this stage and how the innovation model should be adjusted to propel new innovation and growth opportunities for Maipu in this increasingly competitive market. Research methodology This case was a field research case. The authors paid three visits to Maipu Communications Technology Company, during which the authors conducted in-depth interviews with Mr Zhao, the Head of Maipu’s R&D and Innovation group, and several senior and functional managers of the company. Follow-up communication via telephone and e-mail was conducted to verify the accuracy of the written case. Relevant courses and levels This case is well suited for courses in the areas of strategic management, innovation management, high-tech management, entrepreneurship, and international business. The target audiences of the case are primarily MBA students, although this case can also be used in upper-level undergraduate business courses. Theoretical bases The theoretical basis for this case includes the following management theories: strategy formulation and strategy implementation, business-level and corporate-level strategies, enterprise life-cycle, corporate strategies at various stages of growth, patterns of innovation and applications, and implementation of innovation strategies.

scholarly journals Cooking with offenders to improve health and well-being

2017 ◽  
Vol 119 (5) ◽  
pp. 1079-1090 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie M. Parsons
Keyword(s):  
Community Involvement ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Additional Tool ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Self Worth ◽  
One To One ◽  
Health And Well Being

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the benefits of cooking one-to-one, alongside commensality (eating together) for improving offenders’/ex-offenders’ health and well-being, measured in terms of improved social skills, cultural competencies and successful resettlement. Design/methodology/approach Fieldwork conducted over nine months included; participant observation of lunch times (n=56) and cooking one-to-one with trainees (n=27), semi-structured interviews (n=23) and a “photo-dialogue” focus group with trainees (n=5) and staff (n=2). Findings Commensality is beneficial for offenders’ health and well-being. Further, preparing, cooking, serving and sharing food is a powerful means of improving self-esteem and developing a pro-social identity. Research limitations/implications The original focus of the research was commensality; it was during the study that the potential for cooking as an additional tool for health and well-being emerged. A future longitudinal intervention would be beneficial to examine whether the men continued to cook for others once released from prison and/or finished at the resettlement scheme. Practical implications Everyday cooking to share with others is an invaluable tool for improving self-worth. It has the potential to build pro-social self-concepts and improve human, social and cultural capital. Social implications Cooking lunch for others is a part of strengths-based approach to resettlement that values community involvement. Originality/value Cooking and eating with offenders/ex-offenders is highly unusual. Further hands-on cooking/eating activities are beneficial in terms of aiding self-confidence and self-respect, which are vital for improving offenders’/ex-offenders’ health and well-being.

scholarly journals “Once you’ve been there, you’re always recovering”: exploring experiences, outcomes, and benefits of substance misuse recovery

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Timpson ◽  
Lindsay Eckley ◽  
Harry Sumnall ◽  
Marissa Pendlebury ◽  
Gordon Hay
Keyword(s):  
Substance Misuse ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Recovery Process ◽  
Central Component ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Recovery Capital ◽  
Self Worth ◽  
Static Approach ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Indicators Of Success

Purpose – Recovery is a central component of UK substance misuse policy, however, relatively little is known about the views and meanings of recovery by those experiencing it. The purpose of this paper is to explore these factors, and understand how service user experiences align to current understandings of “recovery capital”. Design/methodology/approach – This paper draws on qualitative interviews with 32 individuals from six UK recovery communities, including those commissioned by a statutory service (n=8) and a peer-led recovery community (n=24). Findings – Meanings of recovery differed between people in abstinence-based communities and those not; however, all had consistent views on their own recovery outcomes and the benefits they believed recovery brought. All viewed recovery as a process; a continuous journey with no end-point. Internal motivation, peer support, social networks and daily structure were integral to supporting individuals achieve and maintain recovery. Key benefits of recovery reflected recovery capital and included positive relationships, sense of belonging, increased self-worth and confidence, employment and education. Research limitations/implications – This research shows that recovery experiences and outcomes are not centred entirely on the individual but are wider, more holistic. Maintaining recovery involves being connected to themselves and to the wider environment: family, friends, peers and society. Although the recovery capital model has many elements that were discussed by the participants of this research, the discourse they used does not align with the model. To validly measure and quantify recovery outcomes, individuals need to identify with the measures themselves. Practical implications – From policy and commissioning perspectives, these findings suggest benefits of recovery that were viewed by participants as indicators of success: demonstrate elements which support recovery; and highlight key social value outcomes which people attribute to recovery. Social implications – These “softer”, qualitative benefits should be considered by policy-makers, commissioners, statutory and non-statutory services in order to evidence outcomes. However, it should also be recognised that a temporally static approach to assessing recovery may be in contradiction to the meaning and perspectives held by those in recovery communities who conceptualise it as a long term and ongoing process. Originality/value – This paper adds to understandings of experiences and meanings of recovery, with a particular focus on the measurement of outcomes and their meanings, and the role of abstention and continued drug use within the recovery process.

scholarly journals The role of friendship in the formation and development of entrepreneurial teams and ventures

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 528-561 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura D'hont ◽  
Rachel Doern ◽  
Juan Bautista Delgado García
Keyword(s):  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Entrepreneurial Teams ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Development Phases ◽  
Team Types

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the potential influence of friendship on entrepreneurial teams (ETs) and on venture formation and development. The theoretical framework is built on the literature around friendship ties, the interaction of friendship ties and professional ties, and ETs. Design/methodology/approach – Taking an interpretative methodological approach, the authors carried out qualitative interviews with ten business founders in Paris, France. Findings – The authors identified different four profiles or types of ETs according to how friendship ties interact with professional ties among team members, which the authors designate as “fusion” and “separation”, and describe the orientation of this interaction, which the authors label as “affective” or “strategic”. These profiles affect the emergence of the idea and the choice of members in the formation of teams. They also shape the functioning of teams in terms of decision-making processes, recruitment and investment. Research limitations/implications – The findings underline the difficulties of studying friendship in ETs empirically and recommend longitudinal approaches for further research. Practical implications – Findings offer insights in to why and how ETs based on friendship ties approach the pre-launch, launch and development phases of businesses as well as in to the interactions between professional and friendship ties, which is helpful to both practitioners and academics. The authors also discuss the consequences and implications of the different team types in terms of their risks and strategies for mitigating these risks. Originality/value – This is one of the first empirical studies to examine how friendship and professional ties may combine and evolve in ETs, and their influence on the entrepreneurial process as it relates to venture formation and development.

Exploring the relationship between leader narcissism and team creativity

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (8) ◽  
pp. 916-931 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lulu Zhou ◽  
Jin Li ◽  
Yan Liu ◽  
Feng Tian ◽  
Xufan Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Information Search ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Team Creativity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Search Effort ◽  
Attention Theory ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediating effect of information search effort on the relationship between leader narcissism and team creativity in China based on attention theory. The paper also explores participative decision making as a moderator in the relationship between team leader narcissism and information search effort. Design/methodology/approach Through a survey of 667 team members and their team leaders from 96 research and development teams at 23 high-tech enterprises in China with paired samples, cross-time data were collected. Confirmatory factor analysis, hierarchical regression and path analysis were adopted to analyze the data. Findings This paper found that leader narcissism had a positive impact on team information search effort, thereby promoting team creativity, and the effect of leader narcissism on team information search effort is more positive in the context of high participation in decision making. Practical implications Narcissism should be a noteworthy trait in manager selection and promotion especially for the departments and teams which focus on innovation and creation. And companies should pay attention to the team work processes to ensure that team members have the opportunity to participate in decision making for promoting the team leader’s narcissistic “bright” side in the institutional environment and avoiding the “dark” side. Originality/value This paper discusses how and when leader narcissism influences team creativity in Chinese high-technology enterprises based on attention theory. This research expands the application of attention theory at the team level.

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