Knowledge sharing in smart grid pilot projects

The major role that the electrification of the energy system is projected to play in the transition to a sustainable economy increases the pressure on the electricity grid and thereby creates a demand for the implementation of smart grid technologies. The interdependencies present in the electricity system require, and have led to, the wide-scale adoption of pilot projects to develop knowledge about the application of these technologies. While the knowledge sharing that stems from these projects is one of the justifications for subsidising these projects, it has remained largely a black box. Based on the analysis of interviews with the project leaders of sixteen smart grid pilot projects, complementary secondary data sources and a survey, we studied knowledge sharing at four levels: intra-organisational, intra-project, inter-project and project-external knowledge sharing. At each level we observed specific sublevels, mechanisms and barriers, resulting in complex knowledge sharing dynamics. While the projects succeeded in developing knowledge, knowledge sharing between projects run by different consortium partners rarely occurred and project-external knowledge sharing was primarily unidirectional and involved generic knowledge. Based on the results a set of recommendations was developed that can stimulate the knowledge sharing and thereby increase the value generated by these projects

Formation of ties through action learning : a case from a multicultural entrepreneurship camp

DATA AVAILABILITY : Raw data were generated at the Entrepreneurship School. Derived data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, K.-Y.C., on request.BACKGROUND : Entrepreneurship camps are an important platform for students to learn through action-based learning, problem-solving, knowledge and information sharing, which is enhanced through the development of social networks and their dynamics within the networks. AIM : The research aims to: (1) explore the formation and development of networks and structure in the network over time and (2) explore the association between predominant personality traits and network position measures and network locations in the networks. SETTING : This study is conducted on a multicultural entrepreneurship camp involving 35 master’s students from three Norwegian and two South African universities, which took place for two weeks in South Africa. The objective of the entrepreneurship camp is to empower students through entrepreneurship by knowledge and action-based learning. METHODS : This is a quantitative study using social network analysis (SNA) in a case study. Three rounds of questionnaires were distributed to capture the network data, individual learning and personality traits. RESULTS : There is an increase in network density over time, and the students’ network positions have improved during the camp. The two predominant personality traits that positively relate to network position and cliques are extraversion and openness to experience. CONCLUSION : The case provides evidence of a favorable climate for learning by improved network position and overall network density. The predominant of personality traits in relation to a specific network measure were also identified. CONTRIBUTION : This study contributes to theory by offering one of the first empirical investigations of entrepreneurship camps using social network analysis and also exploring the personality traits (Big Five).The Norwegian INTPART programme.http://www.sajesbm.co.zaam2024Graduate School of Technology Management (GSTM)SDG-04:Quality Educatio

Formation of ties through action learning: A case from a multicultural entrepreneurship camp

Background: Entrepreneurship camps are an important platform for students to learn through action-based learning, problem-solving, knowledge and information sharing, which is enhanced through the development of social networks and their dynamics within the networks. Aim: The research aims to: (1) explore the formation and development of networks and structure in the network over time and (2) explore the association between predominant personality traits and network position measures and network locations in the networks. Setting: This study is conducted on a multicultural entrepreneurship camp involving 35 master’s students from three Norwegian and two South African universities, which took place for two weeks in South Africa. The objective of the entrepreneurship camp is to empower students through entrepreneurship by knowledge and action-based learning. Methods: This is a quantitative study using social network analysis (SNA) in a case study. Three rounds of questionnaires were distributed to capture the network data, individual learning and personality traits. Results: There is an increase in network density over time, and the students’ network positions have improved during the camp. The two predominant personality traits that positively relate to network position and cliques are extraversion and openness to experience. Conclusion: The case provides evidence of a favorable climate for learning by improved network position and overall network density. The predominant of personality traits in relation to a specific network measure were also identified. Contribution: This study contributes to theory by offering one of the first empirical investigations of entrepreneurship camps using social network analysis and also exploring the personality traits (Big Five)

Value capture in open innovation: A literature review and a research agenda

While empirical research on open innovation initially focused on value creation, there has been a growing interest in value capture among academics and companies. Understanding value capture is crucial, as the success of open innovation activities depends on the value capture potential of all actors involved. To provide an overview of the key findings and guide future research, we conducted an integrative literature review of 69 empirical studies on value capture in open innovation. When analyzing these studies, we focused on what value is captured, who captures it, and how actor strategies influence the value captured in collaborative innovation activities. Our analysis identified four areas for further research, namely (i) broadening concepts and measures of value, (ii) understanding the importance of contextual factors in capturing value, (iii) adopting a dynamic perspective in studying value capture, and (iv) capturing social and environmental value in light of wicked problems

“We don't need no (higher) education” - How the gig economy challenges the education-income paradigm

The empirical relationship between educational attainment and pay levels has been widely acknowledged in the labour-economic and labour-sociology literatures. While the causalities underlying this relationship are not conclusively established, researchers broadly agree that higher educational attainment leads to higher income levels in dependent employment, temporary hiring, and freelancing alike. The ‘gig economy’, where workers complete jobs mediated by online platforms, challenges this paradigm as gig workers can access jobs without any educational certificates. Building a theoretical framework based on agency-driven accounts, we investigate whether we can empirically observe a relationship between educational attainment and wage levels in the gig economy. Our OLS regression analyses of 1607 gig workers in 14 Western economies illustrate no statistically significant correlation. Instead, the platform's review system as well as the gig workers' level of previous job experience serve as the major signalling mechanisms that help to reduce information asymmetry. Qualitative insights gained from in-depth interviews explain this finding by revealing how gig workers gain the necessary qualifications for their jobs, most importantly, through self-study, learning-by-doing, and trial-and-error processes. Our findings therefore point out that advanced educational credentials are only of limited use for gig workers

Knowledge sharing in smart grid pilot projects

The major role that the electrification of the energy system is projected to play in the transition to a sustainable economy increases the pressure on the electricity grid and thereby creates a demand for the implementation of smart grid technologies. The interdependencies present in the electricity system require, and have led to, the wide-scale adoption of pilot projects to develop knowledge about the application of these technologies. While the knowledge sharing that stems from these projects is one of the justifications for subsidising these projects, it has remained largely a black box. Based on the analysis of interviews with the project leaders of sixteen smart grid pilot projects, complementary secondary data sources and a survey, we studied knowledge sharing at four levels: intra-organisational, intra-project, inter-project and project-external knowledge sharing. At each level we observed specific sublevels, mechanisms and barriers, resulting in complex knowledge sharing dynamics. While the projects succeeded in developing knowledge, knowledge sharing between projects run by different consortium partners rarely occurred and project-external knowledge sharing was primarily unidirectional and involved generic knowledge. Based on the results a set of recommendations was developed that can stimulate the knowledge sharing and thereby increase the value generated by these projects

The right kind of people : Characteristics of successful ideators' online behaviour

Open online idea calls are an increasingly popular way to crowdsource ideas. Such calls tend to attract a diverse crowd who suggest a variety of ideas. To detect the most promising from this mass of ideas, we identify online behavioural characteristics of successful ideators, i.e. those who suggest ideas that are implemented. Our study is based on binary logistic regression analyses of a dataset from a call for ideas crowdsourced by the city of Munich. We found that characteristics linked to suggesting possible solutions and to showing positive attention towards other ideas are key features of how successful ideators behave online. We also found that the first is a characteristic of ideators who are likely to suggest an idea that is implemented but not novel. The latter is a characteristic of ideators who are likely to suggest an idea that is implemented and novel. Paying attention to other ideas before suggesting one's own and providing constructive input to other ideas are not found to be characteristic for successful ideators. The findings contribute to a better understanding of successful ideators' online behaviour and thereby open up new opportunities for the detection of ideas that the idea-seeker wants to implement

Corporate Social Innovation in Developing Countries

Although corporate social innovation studies in developing countries acknowledge the importance of firm resources and capabilities for attaining social goals, they overlook the way in which these interact with broader institutions to generate successful outcomes. We address this gap by exploring the relationship between firm resources-capabilities and institutions that is conducive to meeting both business and social interests in developing countries. By employing a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis of corporate social innovation projects performed by joint ventures of Dutch SMEs and their local partners in developing countries, we show that firm resources and/or capabilities complement strong institutions in these countries. Corporate social innovation can also be facilitated by firm capabilities in running highly legitimate projects that substitute institutional voids in these economies, attesting to multiple paths that corporations can take to achieve social innovation.</p

Coping with coopetition—Facing dilemmas in cooperation for sustainable development : The case of the Dutch smart grid industry

This paper is amongst the first to examine coopetition strategy for sustainable development at the network level. Companies who want to successfully implement complex innovative technologies that support sustainable development need to collaborate with other actors of the innovation ecosystem, including their competitors, so that they can develop standards, interoperable products, pool knowledge, and resources and bundle forces to compete against other technologies. Collaboration with competitors brings benefits, but also many risks. We investigated how firms cope with these risks when establishing an innovation ecosystem to implement a new technology in society. We conducted research in the Dutch smart grids sector and explored how these firms minimize inherent risks of coopetition. We found that system-building actors in the Dutch smart grid field not only minimize inherent risks, but from the start of their collaboration they implement so-called enablers to prevent these risks upfront

Knowledge sharing in smart grid pilot projects

The major role that the electrification of the energy system is projected to play in the transition to a sustainable economy increases the pressure on the electricity grid and thereby creates a demand for the implementation of smart grid technologies. The interdependencies present in the electricity system require, and have led to, the wide-scale adoption of pilot projects to develop knowledge about the application of these technologies. While the knowledge sharing that stems from these projects is one of the justifications for subsidising these projects, it has remained largely a black box. Based on the analysis of interviews with the project leaders of sixteen smart grid pilot projects, complementary secondary data sources and a survey, we studied knowledge sharing at four levels: intra-organisational, intra-project, inter-project and project-external knowledge sharing. At each level we observed specific sublevels, mechanisms and barriers, resulting in complex knowledge sharing dynamics. While the projects succeeded in developing knowledge, knowledge sharing between projects run by different consortium partners rarely occurred and project-external knowledge sharing was primarily unidirectional and involved generic knowledge. Based on the results a set of recommendations was developed that can stimulate the knowledge sharing and thereby increase the value generated by these projects