Tracking hidden innovations in tourism

Hidden innovations are innovations that have been overlooked, forgotten or ignored. In this context, this study explores hidden innovations in tourism—innovations not captured by frequently used quantitative instruments such as the Eurostat's community innovation survey (CIS). The study also explains why several innovations have remained hidden in the tourism industry. It identifies and analyses processes producing hidden innovations and determines the characteristics and types of these innovations. The study analyses 13 interviews in four tourism businesses—one Alpine centre and three hotels. Empirical testing indicates the inadequacy of CIS measurement in capturing these innovations. The findings reveal several hidden innovations. In the tourism context, we find two types of hidden innovations—hidden stage-wise and stage-merged innovations. These hidden innovations have two triggers. The first trigger refers to the evaluation of work processes carried out at the decentralized levels of companies. The second trigger is the work climate combining staff willingness (W) and opportunities (O) (WO-oriented work climate)—where the employees are willing to engage with innovation and are provided with an innovation opportunity. This study has important implications for extending the understanding of hidden innovations, especially in tourism, and guiding managers to facilitate, motivate and support work environments that allow employees' freedom and help them take responsibility to generate ideas and innovations.publishedVersio

Norges-image blant utenlandske turister

Temaet for denne forskningsrapporten er Norges-image blant utenlandske turister. Problemstillingene dreier seg om hvilke image utenlandske turister har av Norge som feriemål, og hvilke forhold som bidrar til å forklare variasjoner i ulike image. Datamaterialet består av 1188 intervjuer av utenlandske turister på innreise til Norge sommeren 1998. Image er målt både gjennom et åpent spørsmål og gjennom en strukturert tilnærming med 46 beskrivelser av Norge som reiselivsmål (imagevariabler, femdelt Likertskala). Det åpne spørsmålet dreier seg om turistenes spontane assosiasjoner, og er ment som en kartlegging av holistisk image. De 46 beskrivelsene av Norge er i hovedsak ment å fange opp attributtbasert image. Turistenes spontane assosiasjoner av Norge er sterkt preget av natur-”bilder”. Åtte av ti turister har slike assosiasjoner sjøl om det også er viktige nyanser i assosiasjonene. En betydelig andel av utvalget har kun generelle betraktninger om norsk natur, kombinert med skjønnmalende adjektiver som for eksempel vakker, storslått, nydelig, fantastisk og ubeskrivelig. Mange turister er mer konkrete, og forbinder Norge med kjente landskapselementer som fjord, fjell, fosser, kystlandskap eller lignende. Mindre andeler av turistene har mer mytiske forestillinger om uberørt og nærmest sagnomspunnet natur. Kun en liten andel av utvalget nevner kulturelle trekk ved Norge. Samtidig er det heller ikke mange som skriver om norsk prisnivå. Gjennom faktoranalyse av de 46 beskrivelsene av Norge er det utledet fem imagedimensjoner: • Kulturrelatert image bestående av forestillinger om kulturminner/historiske steder, kunst-/ håndverkstradisjoner, museer, arkitektur og pittoreske bygder. • Urbant, konsumorientert image med forestillinger om underholdning/natteliv, bydannelse, restauranter, underholdningsparker og shopping. • Image preget av forestillinger om infrastruktur og økonomisk utvikling. • Image preget av forestillinger om servicetjenester, servicenivå og hygienestandard. • Image preget av forestillinger om frie naturgoder, det vil si forestillinger om fri-camping, allemannsretten, nasjonalparker, lite forurensning Analysene viser at imagene varierer med sosiodemografiske variabler som kjønn, alder og utdanning og til dels nasjonalitet. Tidligere besøk i Norge kan også i noen grad forklare variasjoner i image. Videre er det påvist relativt klare sammenhenger mellom feriemotivasjon og image. Det er også påvist sammenhenger mellom ulike informasjonskilder og image, selv om sammenhengene er til dels svake og har overraskende fortegn. En mer fullstendig redegjørelse for hovedresultater er gitt i kapittel 13.2. I det avsluttende kapitlet i rapporten er praktiske implikasjoner diskutert

The Potential of Big Data Analytics for Decision Support in Sports – The Case of Soccer

Compared to other popular sports, soccer is quite a fluid sport with high degrees of freedom, which is why evaluating games or single players\u27 performance is more demanding and complex. Even though the availability of different types of soccer data has increased steadily over the last few years, the process of strategic and tactical decision-making is still traditionally done by single specialists. In this context, the potentials of big data analytics (BDA) provide an advantage in automatically assessing and assembling data from various sources and generating insights that exceed the analytical capability of individual human experts. We focus on this potential by developing a design science research-based BDA artifact, which aims at providing strategic decisional support for managers and experts. In several evaluations with different soccer and sports experts, we are able to show advanced usability of the artifact\u27s instantiation over traditional tools provided by large stats providers

Flexible assertive community treatment teams can change complex and fragmented service systems: experiences of service providers

Background Implementing innovative health service models in existing service systems is complicated and context dependent. Flexible assertive community treatment (FACT) is a multidisciplinary service model aimed at providing integrated care for people with severe mental illness. The model was developed in the Netherlands and is now used in several countries, such as Norway. The Norwegian service system is complex and fragmented, with challenges in collaboration. Limited research has been performed on FACT teams and other new integrative health service models as part of such systems. However, such knowledge is important for future adjustments of innovation processes and service systems. Our aim was to explore how FACT teams are integrated into the existing formal public service system, how they function and affect the system, and describe some influencing factors to this. We sought to address how service providers in the existing service system experience the functioning of FACT teams in the system. Methods Five focus group interviews were undertaken 3 years after the FACT teams were implemented. Forty service providers representing different services from both levels of administration (primary and specialist healthcare) from different Norwegian regions participated in this study. Team leaders of the FACT teams also participated. Service providers were recruited through purposeful sampling. Interviews were analysed using thematic text analysis. Results The analysis revealed five main themes regarding FACT teams: (1) They form a bridge between different services; (2) They collaborate with other services; (3) They undertake responsibility and reassure other services; (4) They do not close all gaps in service systems; and (5) They are part of a service system that hampers their functioning. Conclusions The FACT teams in this study contributed to positive changes in the existing service system. They largely contributed to less complex and fragmented systems by forming a bridge and undertaking responsibility in the system and by collaborating with and reassuring other services; this has reduced some gaps in the system. The way FACT teams function and needs of the existing system appear to have contributed positively to these findings. However, complexity and fragmentation of the system partly hamper functioning of the FACT teams.publishedVersio

Integration of Care in Complex and Fragmented Service Systems: Experiences of Staff in Flexible Assertive Community Treatment Teams

Introduction: To provide more integrated care, several countries have implemented the Flexible Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) model. However, this model does not guarantee full integration, especially in complex and fragmented service systems like in Norway. Hence, we investigated which barriers that might reduce the potential for integrated care in the Norwegian system, as described by staff in FACT teams, and how they adjust their way of working to increase the opportunities for integration. Methods: Online focus group interviews involving 35 staff members of five Norwegian FACT teams were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide. The material was analysed using thematic text analysis. Results: Six themes described the barriers to integrated care in the service system: fragmentation, different legislation and digital systems, challenges in collaboration, bureaucracy and limited opening hours. Three themes described adjustments in the teams’ way of working to enhance integration: working as the responsible co-ordinator, being a collaborator, and the only entry channel into the service system. Conclusion: The FACT team staff described several barriers to integration within the system. However, they made some adjustments in their way of working that might provide opportunities for integrated care within complex and fragmented service systems.publishedVersio

Flexible Assertive Community Treatment in Rural and Remote Areas: A Qualitative Study of the Challenges and Adaptations of the Model

Flexible assertive community treatment (FACT) is an innovative model for providing long-term treatment to people with severe mental illness. The model was developed in the Netherlands but is now used in other countries, including Norway, which has a geography different from the Netherlands, with many rural and remote areas. Implementation of innovations is context dependent. The FACT model’s potential in rural and remote areas has not been studied. Therefore, we aimed to gain knowledge regarding the challenges and modifications of the model in rural and remote contexts and discuss how they can affect the model’s potential in such areas. This knowledge can improve the understanding of how FACT or similar services can be adapted to function most optimally in such conditions. We sought to address the following questions: Which elements of the FACT model do team leaders of the rural FACT teams find particularly challenging due to the context, and what modifications have the teams made to the model. Digital interviews were conducted with five team leaders from five rural FACT teams in different parts of Norway. They were selected using purposive sampling to include team leaders from some of the most rural teams in Norway. The interviews were analysed using thematic text analysis. The following three themes described elements of the FACT model that were experienced particularly challenging in the rural and remote context: multidisciplinary shared caseload approach, intensive outreach, and crisis management. The following eight themes described the modifications that the teams had made to the model: intermunicipal collaboration, context-adaptive planning, delegation of tasks to municipal services, part-time employment, different geographical locations of staff, use of digital tools, fewer FACT board meetings, and reduced caseload. Rural and remote contexts challenge the FACT model’s potential. However, modifications can be made, some of which can be considered innovative modifications that can increase the model’s potential in such areas, while others might move the teams further away from the model.publishedVersio

Arbeidsmarkedet for helse- og sosialpersonell fram mot år 2020 : Modelldokumentasjon og beregninger med HELSEMOD

HELSEMOD er et planleggingsverktøy som benyttes til framskrivinger av arbeidsmarkedet for helsepersonell. På oppdrag fra de daværende Sosial- og helsedepartementet og Kirke-, undervisnings- og forskningsdepartementet, har Statistisk sentralbyrå hatt ansvar for vedlikehold og videreutvikling av modellen siden midten av 1990-tallet. Denne rapporten gir en oppdatert og fullstendig beskrivelse av modellens virkemåte og dokumenterer et sett framskrivinger som ble utført i 2001. Sammenliknet med tidligere beregninger er først og fremst utgangsdataene mye endret, både når det gjelder framgangsmåten for å avgrense og identifisere ulike personellgrupper og i bruken av administrative registre for å beskrive deres sysselsetting. Til framskrivingen er det for øvrig utarbeidet et fullt sett med nye forutsetninger

Innovation in the Norwegian Rural Tourism Industry: Results from a Norwegian Survey

-This paper focuses on innovation in the rural tourism industry. The data is a survey including 133 Norwegian rural tourism enterprises. The operational definition of innovation in this study is quite similar to the one used in the European innovation studies, the Community Innovation Survey, conducted by Eurostat. The seven hypotheses in this study are deduced from the review of the literature. The survey indicates rather high rates of innovations among rural tourism enterprises even if the rates are somewhat lower than the average of other tourism enterprises in Norway. The rural tourism enterprises’ innovative capacity is closely associated with the enterprises’ involvement in cooperation, use of market-information systems, and actions taken to increase the employees’ competence. Additionally, the enterprises with an exporting orientation generate more product innovations than other enterprises. Enterprises that acquire public grants have also on average implemented more product and market innovations compared with the rest of the enterprises. The findings give grounds for some practical recommendations. Finally, more research is needed due to the fact that research on innovation has rarely focused on small-scale, rural tourism enterprises

Innovative Processes in a Nature-Based Tourism Case: The Role of a Touroperator as the Driver of Innovation

-This paper develops four propositions for the role of a tour‐operator as the driver of innovations in a nature‐based tourism case. This system features small‐scale tourism firms that cooperate with a tour‐operator who holds the position as the driving force. The propositions are analysed in a comparison with the empirical data from a case‐study, which includes a tour‐operator and 12 firms that offer nature‐based products and services. The empirical findings indicate that the system works well for entrepreneurs still in the founding stage. Additionally, small‐ and medium‐sized firms are quite satisfied with the tour‐operator both as a transfer channel of competence and as a distributor of the supplier's services. The most professional firms are more critical of the outcome of the system. The system has, however, contributed to innovations and innovative capacity in general. To meet the skilled firms' demands for support for complex developmental processes, the system requires refinement.Research Council of Norwa