Prospects on Innovating Organizations

We aim to give the main rationale to create products and/or services in a state-of-mind associating every stakeholder in the frame of a reactive and networked organization. This implies a value-chain from basic research to users needs, the starting point being often fuzzy. The consequences upon the strategy of the firm's offer is analyzed as well from a quantitative point of view (accounting) than a qualitative one. Various forms of organizations are reviewed or suggested, including the kind of corresponding culture, the necessary data-bases and the importance of collaboration.reactive organization; collaborative work; teams; creativity: holistic attitude; fuzzy front-end; global supply; emergent strategy; collective intelligence; virtual enterprise; decision making; rank; peers

The role of temporal coordination for the fuzzy front-end of innovation in virtual teams

In this paper, we study the role of temporal coordination in managing the early stages of innovation (aka fuzzy front-end) in the context of virtual teams. Following a comparative case study approach, we detail the role of temporal coordination through the study of two contrasting virtual teams—one with a 24-hour lifespan, and one with a five-month lifespan—from two Industry-Academia open innovation projects. Our approach was longitudinal capturing virtual team activities from start to end of each project, and involved multiple data collection methods, including observations and interviews. The findings reveal that the virtual team lifespan influences the type of temporal coordination that emerges. In virtual teams with short lifespans, tight coordination with frequent communication can help to reduce the uncertainty characterizing the fuzzy front-end. On the other hand, in virtual teams with longer lifespans, loose coordination allows dispersed members to work simultaneously on different, complementary aspects of the task at hand. These findings extend scholarly understanding around how innovation activities are coordinated in technology-mediated environments, such as virtual teams. Finally, we discuss theoretical and managerial implications

Knowledge Communication in Product Development Projects

During the last decades, a number of studies have been concerned with com-munication related to new product development. These have looked at either intra-organizational communication between departments or communication between new product development teams and external stakeholders such as customers or suppliers. Only little research, however, has combined internal and external stakeholder communication and explored the role of technology uncertainty on communication. The purpose of this study is to examine how technology uncertainty affects project manager communication behavior during new product development. We carried out an embedded case study of a major NPD project in the automation industry. The findings indicate that technology uncertainty is positively related to communication frequency between project manager and project stakeholders during the early phase of NPD project. In addition we found a negative association between technology uncertainty and the breadth and depth of communication between project manager and stakeholders in early phase of the NPD project. These findings indicate that under high technology uncertainty, managers of NPD projects modify their communication behavior not only with respect to how frequently they communicate with stakeholders, but also to which stakeholders they communicate and how deeply they engage different stakeholders in different phases of the new product development project.

A trilogy on discontinuous innovation. Part I : search

In this article we discuss the concept of Discontinuous Innovation (DI) and how it differs from incremental (or steady-state) innovation. We propose a model to conceptualise the different aspects of DI and discuss the complex nature of the DI process through an investigation of previous literature, and propose a sequence of articles roughly following the key components as described in the conceptual model, beginning with aspects of &lsquo;search&rsquo;. We then describe an on-going multi-national action research program established to investigate DI through the development of learning networks of firms in several European nations and Australia. The research progress to date is outlined and initial results of analysis on both quantitative and qualitative data collected thus far is used to explore how companies go about searching for clues or ideas about potential discontinuous innovations, which may either create competitive advantage for, or threaten the survival of the business. Key outcomes of the research to date include the identification of the most common search strategies within the participating companies and some descriptive analysis on just how these strategies are implemented in targeted firms. Finally we describe the proposed future research program and the two papers to follow completing the planned three part series on Discontinuous Innovation.<br /

Fuzzy Front End of Innovation Process Management in High Technology Companies: Knowledge Sharing in Virtual Communities of Practice.

This thesis seeks to examine the challenges inherent in creating and managing knowledge at the front-end stages of innovation. Specifically, the work develops new knowledge to understand how the formation of Virtual Community of Practice (VCoP) informs the front end of New Product Design (NPD) and the use of uncodified knowledge to achieve Fuzzy Front End (FFE) innovation outcomes. The ‘fuzziness’ comes from the fact that this cannot be codified and therefore predicted. This is relevant because a lot of new product failures have been attributed to the lack of management at the Fuzzy Front End of Innovation (FFEI) and the technologies at play in this stage. It is for these reasons that the FFE is a very important aspect of potentially successful innovations (Coates, 2009). Studies have shown that ‘speed to market’ and ‘product quality’ play a role in the positive impact of investment at the FFE phase on subsequent profitability (McNally et al., 2011). This is particularly significant, as it has also been established that expenses incurred in the later stages of the innovation process do not have any significant effect on the profitability of new product innovations (McNally et al., 2011). The ‘fuzziness’ and intangible nature of the FFE phase of NPD creates and adds to the complexities and challenges experienced in the management of these activities. Scholars have therefore called for a richer understanding of this phase through more extensive research at the FFE to advance the innovation management discipline as a whole (Bertels et al., 2011). In order to identify the problem areas at the FFE, the researcher has uncovered recurring themes and concepts in the knowledge management field, observing a positive connection between tacit knowledge, knowledge transfer and Situated Learning Theory (SLT) of Community of Practice (CoP) at the FEI within high technology organisations. This is supported by empirical evidence, which states that individuals or groups with more social connections are more likely to be innovative, creative and share knowledge than isolated people or groups (Bjork & Magnusson, 2009). This in turn points to the knowledge transmission benefits of a CoP, particularly in relation to the transfer of tacit knowledge. However, understanding remains undeveloped theoretically, conceptually and empirically with regard to how a CoP in a physical environment, and in particular within a VCoP in a virtual environment, can operate effectively to resolve problems at the FFE of the innovation stage. Findings from the research suggest that the FEI should not be structured, and that businesses need to build an enabling environment to sustain the FFEI. Innovation on the front or back end should not be left to itself either, it has to be managed or governed in some way. In order to develop and manage VCoP at the FFI, this research recommends a sustainable, flexible and adaptable innovation process. This may be understood as creating a vehicle for the innovation process filtered through several gates where all experiences and the innovation journey itself is properly scrutinised. It is further proposed that this approach can also assist in the mitigation of risk. Finally, the use of virtual communication tools such as emails, online repository, virtual workspace and video conferencing for VCoP activities has become standard working practice for many businesses. Organisations who pay close attention to finding better ways to utilise, adapt and apply these tools to specific VCoP projects will be more likely achieve positive results

The ‘responsibility’ factor in imagining the future of education in China

Design and creativity have been a considerable force for improving life conditions. A lot of effort has been invested in explaining the design process and creativity mainly through the design thinking methodology, but design accountability and responsible actions in the design process are, yet, to be fully explored. The concept of design ethics is now increasingly scrutinized on both the level of business organization and of the individual designer. A 4-day design workshop that involved creativity techniques provided the base to explore responsibility in the fuzzy front end of the design process. The future of education in 2030 was defined as the workshop's theme and fifty-six students from China were asked to create detailed alternative scenarios. A number of imagination exercises, implementation of technological innovations and macro-environment evolutions employed in the workshop are discussed. The aim was to incite moral and responsible actions among students less familiar with creative educational contexts of student-led discovery and collaborative learning. This paper reflects on the use of creativity methods to stimulate anticipation in (non)design students

Turning the Sword: How NPD Teams Cope with Front-End Tensions

Front-end new product development (NPD) is fraught with tensions that fuel and inhibit innovation. According to paradox theory, tensions pose a double-edged sword, sparking learning and creativity or anxiety and counterproductive responses. NPD teams' shared understandings—how they think about (cognition) and approach (motivation) tensions—turn the sword. Existing literature examines innovation tensions and their management. Yet scholars call for deeper dives, seeking research that unpacks cognitive and motivational drivers underlying how NPD teams cope with tensions. This paper responds, presenting a four-year inductive study of five NPD consultancies. Across cases, findings explicate the roles of paradoxical cognitive frames and regulatory motivational focus. Across firms, the front-end NPD teams framed tensions paradoxically. Three frames—guided freefall, benevolent dictatorship, and cohesive diversity—helped teams develop shared understandings of tensions as paradoxical, posing competing yet interdependent demands. Teams varied, however, in their regulatory focus, influencing how they applied the frames to approach tensions. In the most innovative case, teams applied a promotion focus, energized to explore tensions in search of more creative alternatives and synergies. In less innovative cases, teams applied a prevention focus, motivated to avoid risk and loss. Together, paradoxical frames and regulatory focus shaped teams' coping behaviors and resulting innovation. Resulting theory posits the interplay among cognitive, motivational, and behavioral drivers of innovation. Results offer three contributions. First, this study extends understanding of antecedents to team innovation and front-end NPD. Second, findings deepen insights into team cognition and paradoxical frames. Last, the theoretical framework explicates how cognitive-motivational interactions enable coping behaviors that foster innovation. The conclusion poses managerial and research implications. Building from paradox theory this study suggests means to foster shared paradoxical frames and promotion focus in NPD teams. Further, study limitations highlight opportunities to extend its generalizability and elaborate underlying drivers of innovation

Deep Space Network information system architecture study

The purpose of this article is to describe an architecture for the Deep Space Network (DSN) information system in the years 2000-2010 and to provide guidelines for its evolution during the 1990s. The study scope is defined to be from the front-end areas at the antennas to the end users (spacecraft teams, principal investigators, archival storage systems, and non-NASA partners). The architectural vision provides guidance for major DSN implementation efforts during the next decade. A strong motivation for the study is an expected dramatic improvement in information-systems technologies, such as the following: computer processing, automation technology (including knowledge-based systems), networking and data transport, software and hardware engineering, and human-interface technology. The proposed Ground Information System has the following major features: unified architecture from the front-end area to the end user; open-systems standards to achieve interoperability; DSN production of level 0 data; delivery of level 0 data from the Deep Space Communications Complex, if desired; dedicated telemetry processors for each receiver; security against unauthorized access and errors; and highly automated monitor and control

Reimagining e-leadership for reconfigured virtual teams due to Covid-19

Driven by an unexpected transition into virtual working worldwide as a result of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, in this paper, we examine the extent to which existing knowledge from the literature on virtual teams (VTs) spanning two decades can be used to inform how leadership can be exercised in the Covid-19 ‘new normal’, involving ‘reconfigured’ VTs which have both similarities with, and differences from, earlier VTs. Drawing on existing literature on VTs pre-Covid-19, we explore what current (and future) VTs might look like and what this means for leadership in this new context with an emphasis on how leadership, or e-leadership, can be exercised to help the leaders of traditional, physically collocated teams that had to transition into VTs. These new e-leaders need to come to grips with a variety of new challenges in order to create high-performing and sustainable VTs. Following a semi-systematic, state-of-the-art literature review, we: (a) identify key themes and explain with a theoretical model how existing knowledge can lead to new insights for newly transitioned e-leaders; (b) discuss what future information systems (IS) researchers should focus on given the reconfiguration and new characteristics of VTs in the Covid-19 context; and (c) ‘translate’ the findings of our synthesis of the existing literature into prescriptive advice that can be used to inform practitioners

Prosessifasilitoinnin käyttö globaalin tuotekehitystiimin tukena – Tutkimus yliopisto-opetuksen kontekstissa

Nowadays developing new products is not only the task of companies’ R&D departments. The increased global competition, the introduction of customer involvement, and the employee specialization have all been factors, which have driven the companies to use more of a holistic approach to the new product development (NPD) process. As a result, a lot of the design work is carried out in interdisciplinary teams, in which the existing knowledge of various specialists is transformed into new products. However, due to the challenges created by the nature of NPD and the global interdisciplinary teamwork, there is a need for practical tools, which can enhance the communication and collaboration within the team. One possibility is the utilization of process facilitation as a supportive method for the teamwork. The objective of this study is to identify the facilitation needs of global interdisciplinary teams in NPD context, and to outline the requirements and the role of facilitator in long-term process facilitation. The study is conducted in university education setting, in which two master level courses from Aalto University joined their forces to provide the students the most authentic project based learning experience. The data is collected from five product development projects, which all had been accompanied by a facilitator pair. Based on the literature review and the empirical study, it seems that the critical success factors and needs of the team are in alignment with the facilitator competences and activities. However, the research revealed that in NPD, the short-term intervention driven facilitation model was not sufficient enough to meet the needs of the teams. Identifying team needs and transferring intervention results were identified as two key challenges that hindered the process facilitators from supporting the teams. It seems that when engaging in such long-term facilitation process, the requirements for the role of the facilitator changes. As a solution, this study presents a framework, which emphasizes the setting up of the collaboration, integration of facilitators to the team and the importance of agile learning process through the transfer-phase.Nykyään tuotekehitys ei ole ainoastaan yritysten T&K-osastojen tehtävä. Yritykset käyttävät enenevissä määrin kokonaisvaltaista lähestymistapaa koko tuotekehitysprosessiinsa. Syitä tähän ovat muun muassa kiristynyt maailmanlaajuinen kilpailu, ajatus asiakkaiden osallistamisen tärkeydestä ja työntekijöiden erikoistuminen. Suuri osa design työstä tehdäänkin tieteidenvälisenä tiimityönä, jossa useiden alojen spesialistien tieto muuntautuu uusiksi tuotteiksi. Uusien tuotteiden kehitykseen liittyy kuitenkin myös haasteita, jotka johtuvat niin prosessista kuin globaalista tieteidenvälisestä tiimistä. Yksi mahdollinen tapa helpottaa tiimin yhteistyötä ja kommunikaatiota on prosessifasilitoinnin käyttöönotto. Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena on tunnistaa erilaisia fasilitointitarpeita, joita globaalilla tieteidenvälisellä tiimillä tuotekehityskontekstissa tulee vastaan sekä selvittää mitä vaatimuksia ja minkälainen rooli fasilitaattorilla on pitkäaikaisessa prosessifasilitoinnissa. Tutkimus on toteutettu osana Aalto yliopiston maisteritason projektityökurssien yhteistyötä. Työssä tutkitaan viittä tuotekehitystiimiä, joilla jokaisella oli oma fasilitaattoriparinsa. Kirjallisuuskatsauksen ja empiirisen tutkimuksen perusteella vaikuttaa siltä, että tiimin kriittiset menestystekijät ja tarpeet vastaavat fasilitaattoreiden kyvykkyyksiä ja fasilitointiaktiviteetteja. Tutkimus kuitenkin paljasti, että kirjallisuudesta tuttu lyhytkestoinen väliintuloihin keskittynyt prosessifasilitointimalli ei vastannut riittävän hyvin tiimin tarpeisiin. Isoimpina prosessifasilitointihaasteina nähtiinkin tiimin tarpeiden tunnistaminen ja väliintulojen tulosten vieminen osaksi tiiminprosessia. Vaikuttaakin siltä, että fasilitaattorin rooli muuttuu pitkäaikaisessa prosessifasilitoinnissa. Tässä työssä ratkaisuksi ehdotetaan viitekehystä, joka painottaa yhteistyön käynnistysvaihetta, fasilitaattoreiden integrointia osaksi tiimiä ja prosessin muuttamista agiiliksi oppimisprosessiksi