Perceived usefulness of design thinking activities for transforming research to impact.

Empirical studies that investigate the effect of design thinking within complex contexts involving multiple stakeholders are rare. The aim of this study is to contribute to the literature on design thinking, by investigating the perceived usefulness of including design thinking activities into a complex research project for food safety. A survey was distributed to all participants in SafeConsume, a Horizon 2020 research project, to measure perceived usefulness of design thinking activities such as collaborative workshops, visualization tools and empathic observation studies. Bivariate correlations and one-way ANOVAs were conducted in JMP Pro 14. The results indicate that design thinking activities may be useful also for large food safety projects. Multidisciplinary collaborative workshops can generate optimism and a sense of belonging among the participants, visualization tools can contribute to simplify complex information, and empathic observation studies makes it easier to think user centric. This study is one of few that quantitatively investigate the perceived usefulness of implementing design thinking into a multidisciplinary research project, and the findings contribute to a better understanding of the perceived effects of implementing design thinking into a large complex food safety research projects.Perceived usefulness of design thinking activities for transforming research to impact.publishedVersio

Incumbents’ Capabilities for Sustainability‑Oriented Innovation in the Norwegian Food Sector—an Integrated Framework

The urgency of sustainability transition requires large incumbents in the food industry to implement sustainability-oriented innovation (SOI). However, the high concentration of the food sector and the complexity of the sustainability concept make its understanding and overall transition challenging and slow. Incumbents would need to drive the transition by redesigning business models and practices and acquiring new competencies to integrate sustainability into their innovation strategy. This paper has a twofold aim: (I) analyzing the evolution of sustainability understanding over time and (II) evaluating the extent of dynamic capabilities of food incumbents to foster SOI. We developed an integrated theoretical framework combining the theory of dynamic capabilities with aspects of SOI and applied it to the case of the Norwegian food industry. We interviewed eight food incumbents and one food industry association, and we reviewed their annual and sustainability reports from 2016 till 2020. Key fndings show a high strategic activity in SOI, as well as a notable and industry-wide ambiguity about what sustainability means in the food sector. Most companies reveal both an adaptive and expanding behavior implementing conscious sustainability-integrated product and process innovations. Most innovations are incremental without a radical modifcation of business models. Some exceptions have been detected resembling transformative changes. Clear initiatives of moving away from a linear supply chain to a more systematic approach are currently happening through food system collaborations.Incumbents’ Capabilities for Sustainability‑Oriented Innovation in the Norwegian Food Sector—an Integrated FrameworkpublishedVersio

Informal social learning dynamics and entrepreneurial knowledge acquisition in a micro food learning network

his paper expands and contextualises social perspectives on entrepreneurial learning by considering the informal learning dynamics and outcomes in a facilitated learning network (FLN) targeting micro-entrepreneurs within the local food sector. This research builds new theoretical and empirical knowledge on the contributions of FLN as a community of inquiry (CoI) to support entrepreneurial knowledge acquisition. Our research strategy was a single embedded case study with the units of analysis consisting of 12 micro-firms within the local meat industry in Norway. In retrospective in-depth interviews, founder-managers reflected on their learning from others from participation in a local-food learning network. Three main themes emerged from our analysis, reflecting the informal regulating mechanisms for knowledge sharing and how entrepreneurs acquired new entrepreneurial knowledge: (1) cultural norms stabilising the community of inquiry, (2) engagement in the practices of others regulates access to community knowledge and (3) from community inquiry to individual entrepreneurial knowledge. Based on these themes, we built a conceptual framework showing informal knowledge-sharing mechanisms and the individual micro-entrepreneurs’ entrepreneurial knowledge acquisition in a CoI. Our study contributes to the research stream on social entrepreneurial learning and how learning from others in a CoI enhances entrepreneurial learning.acceptedVersio

Design-led innovation for more plant-based food: An interdisciplinary approach to more consumer-centric product development

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Meat replacer? No thanks! The clash between naturalness and processing: An explorative study of the perception of plant-based foods

A shift towards a plant-based diet is desired to promote sustainability, improve health, and minimize animal suffering. However, many consumers are not willing to make such a transition, because of attachment to meat and unwillingness to change habits. The present work explored the perception of Norwegian and French consumers' attitudes, barriers and opportunities to increase the likelihood of a shift in diet. Three creative focus groups (CFGs), using interactive tasks such as photo-collage, projective mapping, story completion and third person technique, were run with omnivorous adult consumers in each country. CFGs gathers undirected feedback, providing less biased responses than other exploration methods, related to e.g. social norms. In both countries, results were in general lines comparable. Nutritional knowledge was low regarding vegetable proteins; familiar sources of protein were mostly animal. There is a strong gap between respondents’ desired behaviour (balancing nutrition, eating less meat) and their actual behaviour: meat is very important, and the menu is often organized around it. Consumers are curious about vegetable sources of protein, but major constraints were hedonics in France, and convenience in Norway. The main barrier to a shift in diet is the lack of knowledge on how to prepare plant-based meals. Many participants find a conflict between health & sustainability in industrial products, perceiving them as highly processed and suggesting that meat replacers might not be a straightforward way to drive omnivorous consumers to shift to a more plant-based diet.publishedVersio

Moving beyond agriculture and aquaculture to integrated sustainable food systems as part of a circular bioeconomy

The objective of this perspective paper is to present and discuss how systemic innovations can deliver a step change in the way food is produced in Europe. The production of healthy, safe and affordable food can contribute toward a just transition to net zero carbon (C) for Europe. A systemic and cross sectorial approach can contribute to climate mitigation by transfer of atmospheric CO2 to the terrestrial biosphere using low trophic species (LTS), including plants, seaweed and mussels (i.e. C sequestration) and increasing organic C stocks in soils and vegetation biomass (i.e. C storage). Innovative combinations of technologies applied to LTS, processed animal protein, new crops, and diversified and integrated production systems can link the high primary productivity rates of the marine environment to the C storage capability of the terrestrial food sector. Furthermore, the important roles of both private and public sector actors and better use of systemic approaches to further elucidate the multi-dimensional and multi-level interplays in complex food systems needs consideration. This can pave the way for linking and scaling up C-neutral marine and terrestrial food production systems into a future sustainable and circular bioeconomy. This systems-based approach can address some of the challenges associated with the current farming systems, as interdisciplinary research on aquaculture innovation can support the development of a resilient and sustainable food system. Examples of technologies provided include: a custom configured and digital user-oriented co-creation approach for Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI), a WebGIS tool on soil C storage, innovative composting methods, advanced breeding methods, new machinery for low greenhouse gas diversified orchard farming, AI model systems to improve decision support systems in management of soil, vertical farming, and animal feeding

The Use of Design Thinking in Transdisciplinary Research and Innovation Consortia: Challenges, Enablers and Benefits

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The plant protein trend in Norway - Market overview and future perspectives

In a short period of time there has been a rapid increase in the market for Norwegian branded plant protein processed products, among which some are imported, others produced in Norway. Other countries have a much more developed market from both a producer, technology, and product diversity point of view. Norwegian producers are using already available machinery for the production processes, and mainly imported ingredients such as soya or pea extracts. Norwegian produced potatoes and egg whites are also used. In order for plant protein products to succeed in Norway, we identify some key factors: One is increased knowledge, about both production processes and consumer needs and preferences. The industry also needs to be willing to think more disruptively in order to achieve innovations in this market segment. Furthermore, both the industry and policy makers can put a much stronger effort into educating consumers, in order for consumers to familiarize themselves with plant protein products and their benefits concerning health and the environment.Planteproteintrenden i Norge - markedsoversikt og fremtidsperspektiverpublishedVersio

The plant protein trend in Norway - Market overview and future perspectives

In a short period of time there has been a rapid increase in the market for Norwegian branded plant protein processed products, among which some are imported, others produced in Norway. Other countries have a much more developed market from both a producer, technology, and product diversity point of view. Norwegian producers are using already available machinery for the production processes, and mainly imported ingredients such as soya or pea extracts. Norwegian produced potatoes and egg whites are also used. In order for plant protein products to succeed in Norway, we identify some key factors: One is increased knowledge, about both production processes and consumer needs and preferences. The industry also needs to be willing to think more disruptively in order to achieve innovations in this market segment. Furthermore, both the industry and policy makers can put a much stronger effort into educating consumers, in order for consumers to familiarize themselves with plant protein products and their benefits concerning health and the environment.Planteproteintrenden i Norge - markedsoversikt og fremtidsperspektiverpublishedVersio

Understanding new corporate innovation strategies: Hybrid high-involvement approaches and the increasing importance of individual absorptive capacity

Driven by the challenges of digitalisation and increasing market dynamics, corporations must develop new strategies for innovation and knowledge management. This paper describes hybrid high-involvement innovation (HHII) as an emerging approach to corporate innovation. Through nine interviews, we explore the experiences and actions of experts in German corporate innovation programs in an effort to understand and systematise new approaches to corporate engagement in innovation. We categorise HHII benefits, antecedents, and emerging challenges, indicating the importance of innovation engagement activities and capabilities on the corporate and individual levels. We additionally identify and adapt key design elements of HHII to support its development and implementation in corporate environments, thereby examining the use of open innovation initiatives as vehicles to enable internal and external crowdsourcing of new ideas. This paper develops the concept of individual absorptive capacity (IAC) and explores its increasingly important role in open innovation initiatives such as HHII.acceptedVersio