Innovation and Collective Entrepreneurship

This paper examines different forms of innovation including social innovation, and why innovation and social innovation have become important themes in public policy in a context of the increasing and diverse demands on welfare regimes, and in an era of constrained budgets. It will review different perspectives on innovation and social innovation and the dynamic interaction through collective entrepreneurship in the social and solidarity economy; bringing out process and outcome dimensions of innovation. And it will develop an understanding of the drivers and barriers to innovation, including the role of the institutional and policy framework. It will set this analysis within the context of public policy, demonstrating their role in enabling such innovations in the social and solidarity economy

Transformational leadership and innovation at the Lebanese banking industry

Purpose: Transformational leadership (TL) has been recognized as one of the most important factor influencing innovation. It is argued that this style plays an essential role in developing the process, structure and climate for organizations to become innovative. This research aims to examine the impact of TL on two aspects of innovation namely product and process innovation. Design/Methodology/Approach: The quantitative and explanatory analysis was taken by using the Structural equations modeling (SEM) with AMOS 20 to examine the relationship between TL and innovation. Research data were collected through a survey method. The sample result was determined by the probability stratified sampling technique of about 310 employees at 27 banks in Lebanon. Findings: The findings confirmed the importance of TL in enhancing innovation in banking sector. The main implication of the research highlights that individualized consideration is the most important predictor of product and process innovation followed by, inspirational motivation and idealized influence, respectively, whereas, intellectual stimulation has insignificant influence on product and process innovation. Practical Implications: Findings point to how transformational style of leadership produce better outcomes for the banks by mobilizing employees to engage in innovative products and processes. Originality/Value: These findings extends the understanding of the processes through which transformational styles of leadership stimulate innovation, and also highlight the benefits gained by cultivating more transformational styles of leadership to generate more innovative outcomes.peer-reviewe

The prescriptive quality of 11 design principles for knowledge productivity

This study explores the learning processes that contribute to knowledge productivity: gradual improvement and radical innovation of an organisation’s operating procedures, products, and services, based on the development and application of new knowledge. The research is based on the assumption that innovation is the result of a series of powerful social learning processes. Previous research revealed a set of eleven design principles that reflect factors that really matter in an innovation process. The study at hand presents how these design principles facilitate the design of an innovation practice. Review workshops and design workshops were used to answer the main research question: How do the design principles facilitate the design of an innovation practice? The data reveals that the design principles do not work as prescriptive rules that in a specific combination, applied to a predefined situation, will result in certain effects. Every design principle offers a new perspective on the innovation practice. This new perspective helps to get new ideas for interventions in the innovation practice. After the design of these interventions it is mainly the facilitator who has an important role in making it a success. If he sees opportunities and is capable, then he can use the interventions to create breakthroughs in the innovation practice

The effect of transformational leadership on innovation : evidence from Lebanese banks

Purpose: Transformational leadership (TL) has been recognized as one of the most important factor influencing innovation. It is argued that this style plays an essential role in developing the process, structure and climate for organizations to become innovative. This research aims to examine the impact of TL on two aspects of innovation namely product and process innovation. Design/Methodology/Approach: The quantitative and explanatory analysis was taken by using the Structural equations modeling (SEM) with AMOS 20 to examine the relationship between TL and innovation. Research data were collected through a survey method. The sample result was determined by the probability stratified sampling technique of about 310 employees at 27 banks in Lebanon. Findings: The findings confirmed the importance of TL in enhancing innovation in banking sector. The main implication of the research highlights that individualized consideration is the most important predictor of product and process innovation followed by, inspirational motivation and idealized influence, respectively, whereas, intellectual stimulation has insignificant influence on product and process innovation. Practical Implications Findings point to how transformational style of leadership produce better outcomes for the banks by mobilizing employees to engage in innovative products and processes. Originality/Value: These findings extends the understanding of the processes through which transformational styles of leadership stimulate innovation, and also highlight the benefits gained by cultivating more transformational styles of leadership to generate more innovative outcomes.peer-reviewe

Radical Technological Innovation and Perception: A Non-Physician Practitioners’ Perspective

Radical technological innovations, such as chatbots, fundamentally alter many aspects of healthcare organizations. For example, they transform how clinicians care for their patients. Despite the potential benefits, they cannot be integrated into practice without the support of the clinicians whose jobs are affected. While previous research shed important light on physicians’ perceptions, little is known on nonphysician practitioners view said innovations. This paper reports on a qualitative study, involving 10 nonphysician clinicians from Ontario, Canada, conducted to determine the perceptions and cognitions of clinicians regarding radical innovation and their previous experiences with technological change. Results indicate that clinicians as semi-autonomous agents can interpret and act upon their environment with regard to determining how innovations such as chatbots are implemented

Transformation in a changing climate: a research agenda

The concept of transformation in relation to climate and other global change is increasingly receiving attention. The concept provides important opportunities to help examine how rapid and fundamental change to address contemporary global challenges can be facilitated. This paper contributes to discussions about transformation by providing a social science, arts and humanities perspective to open up discussion and set out a research agenda about what it means to transform and the dimensions, limitations and possibilities for transformation. Key focal areas include: (1) change theories, (2) knowing whether transformation has occurred or is occurring; (3) knowledge production and use; (4), governance; (5) how dimensions of social justice inform transformation; (6) the limits of human nature; (7) the role of the utopian impulse; (8) working with the present to create new futures; and (9) human consciousness. In addition to presenting a set of research questions around these themes the paper highlights that much deeper engagement with complex social processes is required; that there are vast opportunities for social science, humanities and the arts to engage more directly with the climate challenge; that there is a need for a massive upscaling of efforts to understand and shape desired forms of change; and that, in addition to helping answer important questions about how to facilitate change, a key role of the social sciences, humanities and the arts in addressing climate change is to critique current societal patterns and to open up new thinking. Through such critique and by being more explicit about what is meant by transformation, greater opportunities will be provided for opening up a dialogue about change, possible futures and about what it means to re-shape the way in which people live

Venture Capital Investment in the Clean Energy Sector

We examine the extent to which venture capital is adequately positioned for the rapid commercialization of clean energy technologies in the United States. While there are several startups in clean energy that are well-suited to the traditional venture capital investment model, our analysis highlights a number of structural challenges related to VC investment in the sector that are particularly acute for startups involved in the production of clean energy. One of key bottlenecks threatening innovation in energy production is the inability of VCs to exit their investments at the appropriate time. This hurdle did exist in industries such as biotechnology and communications networking that faced a similar problem when they first emerged, but was ultimately overcome by changes in the innovation ecosystem. However, incumbents in the oil and power sector are different in two respects. First, they are producing a commodity and hence face little end-user pressure to adopt new technologies. Second, they do not tend to feel as threatened by potential competition from clean energy startups, given the market structure and regulatory environment in the energy sector. We highlight that the problem is unlikely to get solved without the active involvement of the government. Even if it does, historical experience suggests it may take several years.