Member-care leadership in regional innovation networks: caring for single members – a hidden process?

Although MSMEs are expected to benefit the most from participating in collaborative innovation, they often struggle to gain these benefits. This study contributes knowledge about how to reduce the barriers. Three regional innovation networks were studied primarily through semi-structured interviews. They were formal networks, and the tourism sector was the main industry. Data analysis followed the grounded theory. A hidden but essential practice of network orchestration is constructed, i.e. ‘member-care leadership.’ Involving the subpractices of empathizing, engaging, and supervising single members’ to increase value from participating in the network. In particular, member-care leadership enables MSMEs to prioritize and carry out network activities and innovation at and between network gatherings. The care subpractices are interdependent, dynamic, and relational. The practice triggered learning and innovation within the enterprises and increased the enterprises ‘of-gathering activity’, knowledge sharing, and performance at the network level. This suggests that innovation network literature should take a humanistic and relational approach to orchestration. The study also provides an understanding of how network-driven innovation involves multileveled and dynamic processes, with orchestration and activity at the enterprise and network levels and between these levels. A policy implication is that member-care leadership should be acknowledged and allocated human and economic resources.publishedVersio

Member-care leadership in regional innovation networks: caring for single members – a hidden process?

Although MSMEs are expected to benefit the most from participating in collaborative innovation, they often struggle to gain these benefits. This study contributes knowledge about how to reduce the barriers. Three regional innovation networks were studied primarily through semi-structured interviews. They were formal networks, and the tourism sector was the main industry. Data analysis followed the grounded theory. A hidden but essential practice of network orchestration is constructed, i.e. ‘member-care leadership.’ Involving the subpractices of empathizing, engaging, and supervising single members’ to increase value from participating in the network. In particular, member-care leadership enables MSMEs to prioritize and carry out network activities and innovation at and between network gatherings. The care subpractices are interdependent, dynamic, and relational. The practice triggered learning and innovation within the enterprises and increased the enterprises ‘of-gathering activity’, knowledge sharing, and performance at the network level. This suggests that innovation network literature should take a humanistic and relational approach to orchestration. The study also provides an understanding of how network-driven innovation involves multileveled and dynamic processes, with orchestration and activity at the enterprise and network levels and between these levels. A policy implication is that member-care leadership should be acknowledged and allocated human and economic resources

Member-care leadership in regional innovation networks : caring for single members – a hidden process?

Although MSMEs are expected to benefit the most from participating in collaborative innovation, they often struggle to gain these benefits. This study contributes knowledge about how to reduce the barriers. Three regional innovation networks were studied primarily through semi-structured interviews. They were formal networks, and the tourism sector was the main industry. Data analysis followed the grounded theory. A hidden but essential practice of network orchestration is constructed, i.e. ‘member-care leadership.’ Involving the subpractices of empathizing, engaging, and supervising single members’ to increase value from participating in the network. In particular, member-care leadership enables MSMEs to prioritize and carry out network activities and innovation at and between network gatherings. The care subpractices are interdependent, dynamic, and relational. The practice triggered learning and innovation within the enterprises and increased the enterprises ‘of-gathering activity’, knowledge sharing, and performance at the network level. This suggests that innovation network literature should take a humanistic and relational approach to orchestration. The study also provides an understanding of how network-driven innovation involves multileveled and dynamic processes, with orchestration and activity at the enterprise and network levels and between these levels. A policy implication is that member-care leadership should be acknowledged and allocated human and economic resources

Grunnleggende utfordrende – utfordringer i undervisning i grunnleggende organisasjonsfag

Denne artikkelen tar opp utfordringer ved å undervise på grunnleggende kurs i organisering og ledelse. Problematikken er hovedsakelig motivert av to forhold. For det første er undervisningen ofte studentenes første møte med kritisk og analytisk tenkning, drøfting og oppgaveskriving på høgskolenivå – uavhengig av fag. For det andre skal grunnlaget legges for forståelse av hva som skjer i organisasjoner, for neste generasjon ledere og arbeidstakere. Utfordringene diskuteres gjennom å sette søke lyset på krav til undervisning og læring og hvordan disse kravene kan innfris innenfor dagens rammebetingelser og grunnleggende antakelser og teori er og dessuten hvordan faget kan gjøres praksisnært. Utfordringene er mange og delvis motstridende: På den ene side er det et krav at undervisningen skal være forskningsbasert, og at studentene skal øves i refleksjon og kritisk tenkning. Et definert læringsutbytte er å kunne anvende teori er for å forstå organisasjoner og kunne vurdere løsninger og prioriteringer i organisasjonsmessige sammenhenger. På den annen side blir organisasjons- og ledelses fag ofte undervist i store grupper i auditorium, noe som gjør det vanskelig å legge til rette for interaksjon og kollektiv refleksjon. De underliggende antakelsene i de teoretiske rammeverkene er tilstede, men de er ofte usynlige og implisitte. Ghoshal (2005) hevder blant annet at teoriene karakteriseres av underliggende antakelser om opportunisme og konkurranse, mens for eksempel etisk refleksjoner helt fra værende. Distansen mellom teori og praksis oppfattes som stor av studentene. Det skyldes særlig studentenes unge alder og der ved knappe erfaring med arbeidslivet, noe som også øker ut fordringene i undervisningen og stiller større krav til eksempelbruk og bruk av eksterne undervisere