Identity dynamics and the emergence of new organizational arrangements: A multi-level study

Organizational and institutional scholars have advocated the need to examine how processes originating at an individual level can change organizations or even create new organizational arrangements able to affect institutional dynamics (Chreim et al., 2007; Powell & Colyvas, 2008; Smets et al., 2012). Conversely, research on identity work has mainly investigated the different ways individuals can modify the boundaries of their work in actual occupations, thus paying particular attention to ‘internal’ self-crafting (e.g. Wrzesniewski & Dutton, 2001). Drawing from literatures on possible and alternative self and on positive organizational scholarship (e.g., Obodaru, 2012; Roberts & Dutton, 2009), my argument is that individuals’ identity work can go well beyond the boundaries of internal self-crafting to the creation of new organizational arrangements. In this contribution I analyze, through multiple case studies, healthcare professionals who spontaneously participated in the creation of new organizational arrangements, namely health structures called Community Hospitals. The contribution develops this form of identity work by building a grounded model. My findings disclose the process that leads from the search for the enactment of different self-concepts to positive identities, through the creation of a new organizational arrangement. I contend that this is a particularly complex form of collective identity work because it requires, to be successful, concerted actions of several internal, external and institutional actors, and it also requires balanced tensions that – at the same time - enable individuals’ aspirations and organizational equilibrium. I name this process organizational collective crafting. Moreover I inquire the role of context in supporting the triggering power of those unrealized selves. I contribute to the comprehension of the consequences of self-comparisons, organizational identity variance, and positive identity. The study bears important insights on how identity work originating from individuals can influence organizational outcomes and larger social systems

Prototypes as identity markers: The double-edged role of prototypes in multidisciplinary innovation teams

Prototypes play a powerful role in facilitating the work of multidisciplinary innovation teams, but if not properly managed, they may inhibit innovation processes. This paper inquires into the tensions that exist around the use of prototypes in multidisciplinary teams. We studied the relationship between work identities (related to teams and subgroups within teams) and prototypes with a field study of a multidisciplinary team in an emergency department, in charge of redesigning the layout of the unit. Results show that different values of subgroup identities are reflected in the solutions devised by the team. These values become salient through the prototype; that is, the prototype is an identity marker, especially when it is characterized by higher tangibility, fidelity and validity. When the prototype is an identity marker, it sparks conflict within the team. We also find that a superordinate team identity can help in solving conflictual interactions. Our analysis contributes to revealing how prototypes as identity markers can both inhibit and facilitate the innovation process of multidisciplinary teams. We offer theoretical and practical implications for managers, team members and designers working in multidisciplinary teams

Successful implementation of discrete event simulation: the case of an Italian emergency department

This paper focuses on the study of a practical management problem faced by a healthcare {\it emergency department} (ED) located in the north of Italy. The objective of our study was to propose organisational changes in the selected ED, which admits approximately 7000 patients per month, aiming at improving key performance indicators related to patient satisfaction, such as the waiting time. Our study is based on a design thinking process that adopts a {\it discrete event simulation} (DES) model as the main tool for proposing changes. We used the DES model to propose and evaluate the impact of different improving scenarios. The model is based on historical data, on the observation of the current ED situation, and information obtained from the ED staff. The results obtained by the DES model have been compared with those related to the existing ED setting, and then validated by the ED managers. Based on the results we obtained, one of the tested scenarios was selected by the ED for implementation.Comment: 24 pages, 8 figures and 4 table

“OPER.TEN” Transform Emergency Now! - facing Covid-19 with Open Innovation and Human Centered Design

The paper presents “OPER.TEN”, a 10 days program that hybridized Human Centered Design (HCD) with Open innovation (OI), developed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The program adapted a HCD methodology so that the design teams could face the challenges of designing during a pandemic, such as relying on remote interactions only.  Methodological challenges are presented as well as tools and methods developed to overcome those challenges. To ensure fast implementation of the results, the HCD methodology was hybridized with pillars of OI by involving stakeholders of the territory that could participate with implementation capacity. The final network involved Universities, Companies, Municipality, and Government. After the design phase, 3 of 4 solutions were successfully implemented in 40 days. Results report how to hybridize a HCD with OI to push rapid implementations

Tech to Organization. Assessing and designing technology adoption with design thinking

This article explores how design thinking can be tailored to address projects that focus on assessing the value of technology adoption within an organization and designing an appropriate application. We studied seven innovation projects conducted within a European Design Factory. We identified common patterns that define an adapted design thinking process called "Tech to Organization" to address such technology-driven project effectively. Results show how classic design thinking tools are adapted in such a process (e.g., technology abilities, technology problem-framing, technolgoy proof of value) and how the phases and milestones of the process chang

The coexistence of design thinking and stage and gate in the same organisational context-Challenges and need for integration

The current product innovation scenario is facing important changes that require the New Product Development (NPD) process to be adjusted. Despite Stage and Gate (SG) is the most adopted framework, several studies inquired how to overcome its limits; new innovation methods emerged from the practitioners\u2019 world, and, among them, Design Thinking (DT). To our knowledge, no research has inquired the coexistence of the two methods inside the same organizational context. This study is based on a single case study of a food company where the two methods co-exist. The aim is to understand if the perceptions of the employees are coherent with the pros and cons of literature and to investigate if the two methods can be compared, integrated or are mutually exclusive. Our study shows that the two methods, as parallel processes, lead to confusion among employees, due to the overlapping of some activities, with a perception of wasted resources. Moreover, emerged an interesting balance among the pros and cons of the two methods, where items have been identified as complementary. Results highlight a call for integration among the two methods with the limits of SG overtaken by the benefits of DT

TEN TRANSFORM EMERGENCY NOW! - FACING COVID 19 WITH OPEN AND FRUGAL INNOVATION

Against a pandemic, speed is crucial, and open innovation (OI) helps to empower the human capital distributed around the world to tackle the disease and to launch rapid testing of possible solutions. This article aims at showing an OI program - called “TEN” Transform Emergency Now! - ideated and developed by the University of Bologna to identify, design, and implement useful solutions to tackle specific issues coming from pandemics. With an action research-innovation management approach, the University developed two iterations to identify what elements to take into account to define a program that works for this effort. In TEN, Frugal Innovation (FI) principles were injected in a 10 days hackathon to favor the use of locally available resources and raw materials and exclude non-essential features. Results show that Frugality can become an element of OI by (1) pushing the team towards basic functionality and minimal features of the solutions and low-cost implementation. (2) Designing, in parallel with the solution, an ‘implementation network’, with a specific process design and program's organizational perspective. We believe that TEN has the potential to be an OI approach designed for emergencies

Progettare soluzioni innovative con il design thinking in sanit\ue0: il caso del pronto soccorso di Reggio Emilia

Si presenta l\u2019argomento in campo design thinking in sanit\ue0, attraverso un caso studio. Il design thinking \ue8 un approccio progettuale che permette di superare l\u2019implementazione di best practice di settore decontestualizzate dall\u2019organizzazione di riferimento e che permette di arrivare ad una risposta progettuale grazie ad un modello logico teso alla scoperta e all\u2019apprendimento della soluzione progettuale pi\uf9 opportuna per tale contesto. Il caso studio tratta la problematica del sovraffollamento all\u2019interno del pronto soccorso dell\u2019Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova a Reggio Emilia. \uc8 presentato l\u2019intero processo di progettazione sino all\u2019identificazione della soluzione, sviluppato attraverso la collaborazione tra professionisti sanitari e ingegneri, e la prototipazione iterativa di soluzioni e il loro test sul campo.The topic of design thinking in the healthcare sector is presented through a case study. Design thinking is a design approach that allows overcoming the implementation of industry best practices in a decontextualized manner by the reference organization. It allows you to come up with a design response thanks to a logical model that tends to discover and learn the most appropriate design solution for that context. The case study deals with the problem of overcrowding within the emergency department of the Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova, in Reggio Emilia. The article presents the entire design process till the identification of the solution, achieved through the collaboration between healthcare professionals and engineers, the iterative prototyping of solutions and their testing on the field