Re-AbilityLab

This study aims to show the methodology of implementation of the Skills Laboratories (Re-AbilityLab) at the Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation of the Hospital das Clínicas of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of São Paulo. These Skill Labs offer activities to maximize patient performance by promoting specific functional outcomes, which are described in the International Classification of Functionality. The activities are dynamic and carried out by a multidisciplinary team in the areas of health, education, and management. Innovation and strategic aspects of the knowledge economy are structured in the management of this project to enhance the achievement of purposes and results. The implementation process includes solutions adopted, definition of responsibilities, difficulties faced, benefits, functionality of the methods applied, and lessons learned. Mapping the process from the current scenario to the desired contributes to the transition from a care model (linear, refractory, obsolete) to an exponential model of care (intangibles, incremental innovation).

The Strategy of Universal-Design Thinking in Architecturally Innovative Product Development

Universal design, as an important concept in product development, has been gradually implemented in various industries and firms, but most of the applications are aimed at the incremental innovation of product design. However, considering the differentiation of product types, the design factors are varied and not precise, which makes it difficult to effectively implement the existing universal-design principles in specific product designs when facing architecturally innovative product development, which leads to an increasing amount of time and resources. This study, with an umbrella stand as an example, proposes to design a new universal-design scale by combining the attributes of the umbrella stand, the existing universal-design principles and the usability principles at the beginning of the design. Then, through interviews and user surveys, cluster analysis is used to screen the products and refine the design factors. In addition, with the Quantification Type I, the universal-design principles and design factors are matched effectively in order to obtain the weight differences of the product design factors and eliminate unsuitable design factors, in order to guide product design. Finally, the universal umbrella-stand-design case is completed for verification. The results show that the universal umbrella stand has been significantly improved in the evaluation of universal-design principles. In the future design, architecturally innovative products with inaccurate design factors can also use this process to complete the design and development of the target product, and to significantly enhance the universal-design evaluation of the product.

Radical innovation, incremental innovation, and competitive advantage, the moderating role of technological intensity: evidence from the manufacturing sector in Jordan

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the effect of radical innovation and incremental innovation on the competitive advantage of Jordanian industrial companies and identify the moderating role of technological intensity. Design/methodology/approach For this study’s purposes, 303 questionnaires from employees of 30 manufacturing firms were analysed. Convergent validity and discriminant validity tests were performed through structural equation modelling in the Smart-PLS programme. Data reliability was confirmed. A bootstrapping technique was used to analyse the data. Multi-group analysis was performed to investigate the moderating role of technological intensity. Findings Empirical results showed that both radical innovation and incremental innovation explain 60.2% of the variance in competitive advantage and that both constructs have a statistically significant effect on competitive advantage. The results also revealed that the relationship between radical innovation and competitive advantage is modified through the high-tech industries. Meanwhile, the relationship between incremental innovation and competitive advantage is modified through the low-tech industries. Research limitations/implications This cross-sectional study provides a snapshot at a given moment in time, a methodological limitation that affects the generalization of its results and the results are limited to one country, Jordan. Practical implications This study promotes the idea of focusing on radical and incremental innovation to enhance competitive advantage in the Jordanian manufacturing sector and knowing the effect of technological intensity in this relationship. Originality/value This study has important implications for leaders in the Jordanian manufacturing sector in general, as the study highlights the importance of radical innovation and incremental innovation to enhance the competitive advantage, especially in light of the technological intensity in this sector, and thus, increase the innovative capabilities of this firms, which leads to an increase in the level of competitive advantage.

Understanding influence of supply chain collaboration on innovation-based market performance

Purpose In today’s world, supply chain collaboration becomes an essential source of attaining competitive advantage to make the position in the global market in terms of information, expertise and risk-sharing abilities. Hence the purpose of this study is to highlight the understanding of the value and importance of collaboration in innovation and to strategically implement such steps to achieve supply chain collaboration capabilities. Design/methodology/approach The data of 269 respondents were collected from supply chain professionals belong to the different industrial sectors in Karachi, Pakistan. The data was analyzed by using structural equation modeling. Findings This study finds that supplier collaboration brings radical as well as incremental innovation. In contrast, internal collaboration brings incremental innovation, whereas collaboration with customers has an insignificant impact on incremental innovation. Furthermore, both types of innovations have a positive and significant influence on market performance. Research limitations/implications This study's outcome improves the understanding of the types of innovation enhanced by each construct of collaboration. Supply chain experts or managers are motivated to implement innovation to improve the firm's overall market performance. Originality/value This research will contribute to the literature by sharing the understanding of the relationship among supply chain members as they collaborate for innovation purposes. All supply chains develop a sustainable competitive advantage in market performance.

How Does Knowledge Coupling Affect Firm’s Incremental Innovation? The Moderating Effects of Government Support Policies

Acquiring and combining different knowledge elements across organizational boundaries has become an important strategy for firms’ innovation outcomes. Based on the theory of resource orchestration, this paper divides knowledge coupling into two dimensions: complementary knowledge coupling and substitutable knowledge coupling. Then, this study aims to explore the different impacts of knowledge coupling types on firm’s incremental innovation and verify the moderating role of government support policies in this relationship. Based on the survey of 279 high-tech enterprises from China, our analysis results indicate the following. (1) Complementary knowledge coupling has an inverted U-shaped impact on firm’s incremental innovation, while substitutable knowledge coupling has a positive influence on incremental innovation. (2) The fitness between government support policies and knowledge coupling types can promote the result of firm’s incremental innovation: when firms adopt complementary knowledge coupling strategies, finance and taxation support policies are more conducive to firm’s incremental innovation; when enterprises use substitutable knowledge coupling strategies, innovative environment support policies are better for the promotion of firm’s incremental innovation. The research results provide a theoretical basis for firms to select appropriate government support strategies to exert the effects of innovation based on characteristics of internal and external knowledge resources.

Sensing and seizing in the apparel industry: the role of dynamic capabilities in fostering sustainable strategic orientations

Purpose This paper aims to explore how the dynamic capabilities sensing and seizing could support a sustainable (either instrumental or stewardship) strategic orientation in the apparel industry. Design/methodology/approach Through qualitative and inductive research design, ten companies from the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, specifically focusing on brands, were researched. Employees in strategic positions were interviewed. Subsequently, thematic analysis was realized to extract findings from both instrumental and stewardship organizations. Findings Instrumental organizations focus on increasing their brand, mainly by following market demands. They sense opportunities via a hierarchical organizational structure that allows for incremental innovation based on internal competition. Stewardship organizations believe in a collective approach toward conducting business effectively. While building a “sustainable case for business”, a stewardship-oriented company senses by involving their stakeholders and seeks unorthodox opportunities using a long-term internal compass as a beacon for decision-making. Originality/value Key capabilities are revealed that allow businesses and managers to reach higher levels of sustainability in a specific sector: the apparel industry. Especially the capabilities of stewardship-oriented companies and its ambidexterity provide a fertile base for future research at the nexus of organization development and sustainability.

Role of collaborative culture and knowledge management process for stimulating radical and incremental innovation: a comparative moderation approach

PurposeThe primary objective of this study is to assess the role of a collaborative culture in the organization’s knowledge management process (KMP) and how it is associated with radical and incremental innovation under the moderating role of ownership formapjm in Pakistani firms.Design/methodology/approachThis research used the quantitative method and structural equation modeling approach to examine hypotheses with data obtained by the survey from 280 participants in 85 Pakistani firms.FindingsThe findings of this study indicate that the KMP significantly mediates between collaborative culture and two specific types of innovation, namely radical innovation and incremental innovation. In addition, the ownership form can serve as a moderator in the relationship between KMP and innovation capability.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research should explore the moderating impact of other strategic or behavioral factors, such as self-efficacy, job experience, education level, optimism and organizational support, to better clarify the association between these latent constructs.Practical implicationsThis research provides leaders with a better view of the mechanism of knowledge management and the impact of ownership form and possible influences in their organizations to foster innovation capabilities.Originality/valueThis paper has prompted theoretical and practical attempts on innovation management theory that allow firms to recognize the necessary factors and processes to improve the firm’s innovation capability.

Coupling Development of Manufacturing Promotion and Innovation in China

This study analyzed the manufacturing implemented different modes of innovation at different regions, and established a model to predict the likelihood that the enterprise would follow the innovation mode dominated by the local government. Governmental regulation of innovation and spurring enterprises to innovate were important tools for development of the manufacturing in China, but regional differences in economic development required different coupling strategies of innovation. The results revealed that the developed region in China was biased to undertake disruptive innovation, while the developing region drived incremental innovation mainly, and made a theoretical model to explore the probability respectively. We assigned corresponding values based on theoretical analysis and relevant assumptions, and discovered that in the developing region was more likely to follow the innovation mode proposed by the local government than that in the developed region, but the data demonstrated that the probability were comparatively small for both the developed region and the developing region.

Revealing the importance of international and domestic cooperation by using artificial neural networks: case of European radical and incremental innovators

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to introduce innovative ideas into the treatment of the radical and incremental innovations and to fill the research gap by using: (1) methods that can perform complicated tasks and solve complex problems leading in creation of radical and incremental innovation and (2) a broad sample of firms across countries. The authors’ ambition is to contribute to the scientific knowledge by producing evidence about the novel usage of artificial neural network techniques for measuring European firms' innovation activities appearing in black boxes of innovation processes.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, the authors incorporate an international context into Chesbrough's open innovation (OI) theory and, on the one hand, support the hypothesis that European radical innovators benefit more from foreign cooperation than incremental innovators. On the other hand, the results of the analyses show that European incremental innovators rely on domestic cooperation supported by cooperation with foreign public research institutes. Moreover, the use of decision trees (DT) allows the authors to reveal specific patterns of successful innovators emerging within the hidden layers of neural networks.FindingsThe authors prove that radical European innovators using either internal or external R&D strategies, while the combinations of these strategies do not bring successful innovation outputs. In contrast, European incremental innovators benefit from various internal R&D processes in which engagement in design activities plays a crucial role.Originality/valueThe authors introduce innovative ideas into the treatment of hidden innovation processes and measuring the innovation performance (affected by domestic or international cooperation) of European firms. The approach places emphasis on the novelty of innovation and the issue of international cooperation in the era of OI by designing the framework using a combination of artificial neural networks and DT.