La Innovación Colaborativa en la PyME Familiar: Conceptualización, Objetivos y Factores de Éxito

In a constantly changing environment, collaborative innovation enables the knowledge creation and new product designs, the improved efficiency of the production process and the reduction of time-to-market. However, the achievement of such results in the family SME depends mainly on the unique characteristics of this type of organization, which in turn represent the most widespread kind of business worldwide. Therefore, the objective of this article is to analyze how the composition of the management team, and the factors related to the capabilities –cognitive factors, absorptive capacity, and innovative trajectory- and the attitudes –preservation of SEW legacy and intra-organizational behavior- of the decision makers, mediated mainly by the influence of the family, affect when designing and implementing collaborative innovation processes in a successful way.En un entorno en constante cambio, la innovación colaborativa permite la creación de conocimiento y de nuevos diseños, la mejora de la eficiencia del proceso de producción y la reducción de tiempo para la comercialización de los nuevos productos. Sin embargo, la consecución de tales resultados en las pymes familiares depende en buena medida de las características propias de este tipo de organizaciones, que a su vez representan el tipo de empresa más extendida a nivel mundial. Por lo tanto, el objetivo de este artículo es analizar como la composición del equipo directivo, los factores relacionados con la capacidad –factores cognitivos, capacidad absorptiva y trayectoria innovadora- y las actitudes –preservación del legado socio-emocional y comportamiento intra-organizacional- de los decisores, en buena medida influenciados por la familia, afectan al momento de diseñar e implementar los procesos de innovación colaborativa de manera exitosa.&nbsp

Innovation Intermediaries: Practice and Use of Evidence

Governments of the G7 have relied primarily on two strategies to develop their respective economies, the commercialization of research using licensing models and new venture creation. Yet, they have acknowledged no specific approach to achieving commercialization success. In fact, the results of the methods used for the commercialization of results are generally viewed as not satisfactory, thus creating room for new approaches to be proposed. One of the strategies used to assist the commercialization process has been recently instituted through social actors called innovation intermediaries. Their involvement in the commercialization process has the potential not only to facilitate the process but also to diffuse knowledge and foster innovation. To date, their practices are still under development, motivating academics in various disciplines to originate research studies aimed at gaining a better understanding of them. The literature has proposed definitions and attributed functions to innovation intermediaries, but it has not arrived at a definitive description of these actors or their activities. In practice, innovation intermediaries do not have a standard operational structure, established methods, or metrics to report their results; they have yet to, establish their own practices or use evidence to inform their activities. The objective of this study is to clarify their practices and challenge their current modus operandi with a view to improvement. To explain the activities of innovation intermediaries (their practice), to expose the role of evidence, and to represent the main concerns of innovation intermediaries, a framework based on distinctive attributes of the practice was produced using insights gained from a systematic literature review, an exploratory study, and literature stressing the importance of evidence. The framework was tested using a confirmatory study in the form of an online survey with the participation of 55 innovation intermediaries from around the world. The results show that innovation intermediaries have a predisposition to focus their practice on strategic concerns, finding a fit for the venture offering in the market while neglecting to oversee the mechanisms required for developing a viable venture offering. They tend to support their decisions anecdotally, referencing their previous experiences without the support of systematic methods to corroborate their conclusions. Their prioritized goals are first, to persuade investors and sponsors to collaborate with their clients; second, to help their clients occupy a leading position in their markets, and third, to support their clients to refine the venture offering and transform it into a commercial success. The emergent framework has characterized the practice of innovation intermediaries, identified particular gaps in their activities and their use of evidence, and suggested that the current focus in the practice of innovation intermediaries may not be contributing all that it could to the commercialization process. This framework may be of significant value to advance this field of knowledge and hopefully contribute to professionalize the practice of these social actors. Ultimately, this research could form the foundation for strengthening evidence-based best practices for innovation intermediaries

Social Network Analysis for an Innovation System Generated Starting from an Agent-Based Simulation Model

The following work presents the results obtained after a Social Network Analysis applied to an innovation system, with the particularity that the system is generated starting from an Agent-Based Simulation model. The main objective of this work is to show that the combination of both methodologies (Social Network Analysis and Agent-Based Simulation) could be successful to obtain new findings and contributes to understanding how the innovation systems conform and behave. The simulation allows to observe how the system emerges and study its behaviors, it shows how the innovation capabilities of the agents condition their relationship and how these relationships determine their adaptation, specialization, their survival over time and the evolution of the network itself. Subsequently, the Social Network Analysis allows to understand the relational structure of the system and how it affects its behavior, the analysis is applied in four moments of time which are separated from each other by five periods, and in each of them different network indicators are analyzed, both at the nodal level and the structural level. The constructed analysis serves as a tool for understanding and guidance to governments for the formulation of policies associated with regional and national innovation systems. Finally, it is shown how, from virtual micro-worlds, important information can be extracted about the dynamics of the innovation systems, thus opening the possibility of answering questions of the type What would happen if…

The innovation intermediary : a review and the widening roles

The role of innovation intermediaries has received increased attention from the academic and practitioner community as a result of more collaborative approaches to innovation together with rapid advances in the application of internet technologies in support of innovation activities. There have been significant developments in this field since the last reviews were published (Howells, 2006, Gassmann et al., 2011) and so the aim of this paper is to review the extant research to explore the changing nature of the role of innovation intermediaries, map the current knowledge and outline a future research agenda. The review has been conducted using bibliographic coupling. This is the first time that a quantitative review method has been used to analyse this research area and it provides an opportunity to bring new insights to complement previous qualitative reviews. This paper makes a contribution to the on-going debate by proposing a framework that explains the widening role of innovation intermediaries and the varying nature of this role at different network levels and stages of the innovation process. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of the framework for theory and practice and detailing the key areas for future research

Critérios de eficácia do Modelo de Bozeman e a transferência de tecnologia a partir de conhecimento gerado em universidade pública : estudo de casos múltiplos

Orientadora : Profa. Dra. Andreá Paula SegattoDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências Sociais Aplicadas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Administração. Defesa: Curitiba, 28/03/2012Bibliografia: fls.109-120Área de concentração: Estratégia e organizaçõesResumo: Este estudo tem como tema a transferência de tecnologia gerada por pesquisadores e grupos de pesquisa em universidades. O referencial teórico que embasa a pesquisa reúne literatura sobre tecnologia, cooperação tecnológica, transferência de tecnologia e o Modelo de Eficácia Contingente de Transferência de Tecnologia de Bozeman (2000). Este modelo se refere especificamente à tecnologia criada em universidades e laboratórios do governo e assume que as partes envolvidas na transferência de tecnologia têm objetivos e critérios de eficácia diversos. O modelo é formado por cinco dimensões que são determinantes da eficácia do processo de transferência: (1) características do agente, (2) características do meio de transferência, (3) características do objeto da transferência, (4) ambiente da demanda e (5) características do receptor. Apesar destas dimensões não serem consideradas exaustivas, elas atendem a função de acomodar as diferentes variáveis encontradas em atividades de transferência de tecnologia realizadas no âmbito das universidades. O modelo prevê ainda seis critérios de eficácia da transferência de tecnologia: (1) "out-the-door", (2) impacto no mercado, (3) desenvolvimento econômico, (4) recompensa política, (5) capital humano científico e tecnológico e (6) custo de oportunidade. Em relação aos procedimentos metodológicos, esta pesquisa adota a concepção construtivista social e a abordagem de pesquisa escolhida é a qualitativa. O método utilizado é o estudo de casos múltiplos classificado como descritivo e avaliativo quanto ao tipo. A amostra é formada por um grupo de pesquisadores da Universidade Federal do Paraná de áreas do conhecimento diversas. Na etapa de coleta de dados foram conduzidas entrevistas semi-estruturadas e o material obtido foi submetido à análise de conteúdo. A aplicação do Modelo de Eficácia Contingente de Transferência de Tecnologia demonstrou a co-existência de diferentes critérios de eficácia nos casos analisados indicando que o sucesso da transferência não se resume à sua conclusão. Foi possível observar ganhos relativos ao capital humano científico e tecnológico e à recompensa política. Quanto ao impacto no mercado e desenvolvimento econômico, embora a avaliação dos resultados gerados pelas tecnologias enfocadas seja limitada por fatores diversos, dentre eles a dificuldade em rastrear tecnologias que são de livre acesso ou analisar aquelas que demandam um período maior para medir seu impacto, houve desdobramentos positivos. Em relação aos custos de oportunidade, as atividades de transferência de tecnologia se alinham aos objetivos dos fornecedores de tecnologias e não ocasionam perdas. Não houve casos em que a transferência de tecnologia foi induzida pelo mero cumprimento de metas e prazos como prevê o critério "out-the-door". O estudo conclui que a transferência de tecnologia impulsiona um ciclo virtuoso de fortalecimento da pesquisa científica no qual a transferência viabiliza novas parcerias com a iniciativa pública e privada, bem como a captação de recursos para conduzir outras pesquisas destinadas a gerar novas transferências e assim sucessivamente.Abstract: This study is about transferring technology developed by researchers and research groups at universities. Theoretical framework that guides the study covers literature on technology, technology transfer, technological cooperation and the Contingent Effectiveness Model of Technology Transfer (BOZEMAN, 2000). This model focuses technology which is developed at universities and government laboratories and it assumes that parts involved in the technology transfer process have different goals and effectiveness criteria. The model presents five dimensions which are determinant to the effectiveness of the process: (1) characteristics of the agent, (2) characteristics of the transfer media, (3) characteristics of the transfer object, (4) demand environment and (5) characteristics of the recipient. Although these categories are considered not exhaustive, they encompass the variables that are found in technology transfer activities conducted at universities. The model also presents six technology transfer effectiveness criteria: (1) "out-the-door", (2) market impact, (3) economic development, (4) political reward, (5) scientific and technical human capital and (6) opportunity cost. This study presents a social constructivist perspective and a qualitative approach. It is a multiple case study classified as descriptive and evaluative. Sample is composed of a group of researchers from Federal University of Paraná working in different knowledge areas. Semi-structured interviews had been conducted and material obtained during data colleting was submitted to content analysis. The application of the Contingent Effectiveness Model of Technology Transfer denotes the coexistence of different effectiveness criteria in the cases studied what demonstrates that success of the transfer is not limited to its completion. It was possible to observe gains related to scientific and technical human capital and political reward. Regarding market impact and economic development, despite evaluating results originated from technologies investigated is limited due to several factors, like difficulties in tracing open access technologies or analyzing the ones which require a long period to evaluate their trajectory, positive developments have been found. Concerning opportunity costs, technology transfer activities of technology suppliers are not conflicting with their objectives and do not cause losses. There were no cases where technology transfer has taken place only to meet obligations as stated by the "out-the-door" criterion. Study concludes that technology transfer fosters a virtuous cycle that strengths scientific research. In this cycle technology transfer enables new partnerships with public and private organizations as well as it provides financial resources to conduct new researches aimed to transfer technology so that cycle will be repeated successively

Innovations and internationality developing high technology sector

Disertacijoje nagrinėjama aukštųjų technologijų sektoriaus plėtros problematika inovacijų ir tarptautiškumo procesų sąveikos sąlygomis. Tyrimų objektas – aukštųjų technologijų sektoriaus plėtotės procesai, grindžiami kryptinga inovacijų inicijavimo, kūrimo ir vystymo bei tarptautiškumo reiškinių sinergija. Disertacijos tikslas – parengti ir empiriškai patvirtinti teorinę koncepciją, skirtą integruotai valdyti inovacijas ir plėtoti tarptautiškumą bei taikytiną aukštųjų technologijų plėtros viešosios paramos sistemoms kurti ir įgyvendinti. Darbe sprendžiami pagrindiniai uždaviniai yra siejami su aukštųjų technologijų sektoriaus plėtros skatinimu, panaudojant viešosios inovacijų paramos sistemą. Išnagrinėjus mokslinę literatūrą, siekiama apibendrinti pagrindinius požiūrius apie inovacinės veiklos kompleksiškumą ir tarptautiškumo specifiką, darančią įtaką aukštųjų technologijų plėtrai. Empiriniais tyrimais nustatyti pagrindiniai aukštųjų technologijų sektoriaus inovacinės veiklos principai ir tarptautiškumo reiškiniai, kurie daro poveikį aukštųjų technologijų inovacijų sklaidai globaliu mastu. Parengta sektoriaus kryptingo plėtojimo metodika, atsižvelgiant į atvirų inovacijų teoriją. Tolesniame etape siekiama empiriniais tyrimais aprobuoti parengtą integruotą koncepciją praktikoje ir parengti kryptingos aukštųjų technologijų sektoriaus plėtros rekomendacijas. Disertaciją sudaro įvadas, trys skyriai, bendrosios išvados, naudotos literatūros ir autoriaus publikacijų disertacijos tema sąrašai ir 12 priedų. Įvadiniame skyriuje aptariama tiriamoji problema, darbo aktualumas, aprašomas tyrimų objektas, formuluojamas darbo tikslas ir uždaviniai, pristatoma tyrimų metodika, darbo mokslinis naujumas, darbo rezultatų praktinė reikšmė, ginamieji teiginiai. Įvado pabaigoje pateikiamos autoriaus paskelbtos publikacijos disertacijos tema, pranešimai konferencijose bei disertacijos struktūra. Pirmasis skyrius skirtas literatūros apžvalgai. Jame pateikiama teorinė studija, skirta atvirų inovacijų teorijoms ir tarptautiškumo reiškiniams. Analizuojamos teorinės prielaidos aukštųjų technologijų sektoriaus plėtrai. Antrajame skyriuje pateikiama aukštųjų technologijų sektoriaus plėtrai skirta teorinė koncepcija ir jos taikymo prielaidos bei tolesnių tyrimų metodika. Trečiajame skyriuje pateikiami empiriniai tyrimai, skirti aukštųjų technologijų sektoriaus ekonominės raidos tendencijų analizei, inovacijų ir tarptautiškumo veiksnių, darančių poveikį aukštųjų technologijų sektoriaus plėtrai, nustatymui. Disertacijos tema paskelbti aštuoni straipsniai, perskaityti septyni pranešimai Lietuvos ir kitų šalių konferencijose

Matchmaking for open innovation : perspectives on multi-sided markets

Open innovation has gained increased managerial and academic attention since 2003 and follows theoretical approaches of innovation networks. My dissertation reports an explorative action research study on participatory cases about how open innovation partnerships emerge in practice. I was engaged in industrial and academic projects where new ideas, external technologies and new start-up ventures were searched and matched for open innovation projects. Therefore, the formation of new network ties for joint business opportunities, matchmaking, is in the focus of the research. The problem of matchmaking arises from the network and market structure. In the thesis, it is shown that matchmaking for open innovation requires a multi-sided market perspective. Innovation intermediaries act as matchmaker and coordinate the matching process between multiple market agents. The contribution is a shift from matchmaking as pure transaction-based market mechanisms towards interactive mechanisms over time, but with economic long-term impact for all market agents.Algorithms and the Foundations of Software technolog