Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how middle managers attempt to enhance internal innovation processes with digital usages. To do so, this research aims to open up an internal innovation process improvement ‘black box’ by looking not only at issues related to digital delivery but also at elements related to innovation culture and leadership. Design/method/approach To fulfill this purpose, this qualitative research develops a case study employing the lenses of middle managers to generate empirical data based on an interpretative approach and an in-depth semi-structured interview methodology. Findings Middle managers' attempt to enhance internal innovation processes with digital usages involves major elements related to influencing people’s mindset, motivating and embracing ideation, as well as collaboration across units leveraged by digital usages. Nonetheless, the core element of the attempt stands for the ability to root the digital tool usages not only at the individual or team level but also at the innovation process level. Contributions This study mainly contributes to theory extension by putting the individual at the heart of the organization's innovativeness culture and enlightening the leadership role of middle managers to influence innovative behaviors to embrace digital tools in the line of the organization’s strategy with major demands for change management. Originality/value By integrating the perspective of middle managers to the conceptual, this case study brings an additional piece to the puzzle of how digital tools nurture the internal innovation processes.

本論文研究探索在有外部資源幫助的內部創新過程中，管理者需調整和注意內部組織文化上的哪些要素，以利於內部創新之成效與產出。研究者透過對相關文獻進行研究，全面了解研究問題，並制定出相應的個案研究框架。選取台灣某公司合作創新專案中某創新團隊作為研究對象，使用訪談、觀察等方式蒐集個案信息，並採用質性個案研究法進行研究。本論文研究發現：在內部創新過程中，影響創新團隊的組織文化及創新行為之最主要因素在於團隊直屬主管；直屬主管對專案團隊支持程度、授權程度、不確定性容忍程度和進展檢視頻繁程度對團隊創新成效有很大影響；為更好地配合外部資源的幫助，直屬主管需在組織內部建立配套的知識管理制度和相應獎勵機制；直屬主管應注重創新團隊各成員企業家精神的保持並在創新決策過程中相信團隊的價值、參考基層員工的意見。在合作創新過程中，創新顧問透過影響組織精神文化進而影響團隊創新行為，最終影響合作創新成效。據此，論文研究提出六點實務建議和兩點後續研究建議，以供未來相關實務領域人員及研究者進行參考。 / In this paper, the researcher explores that to contribute the internal innovation outputs, what organizational culture elements should be adjusted in the process of co-creation. Through the study of relevant literature, the researcher has a comprehensive understanding of the research questions, and develops the corresponding case study framework. An internal innovation team in a co-creation project of a Taiwan corporation is selected as the research object, using interviews, observation and other methods to collect the case information, and the qualitative case study method is used. The paper shows: 1. In the internal innovation process, the main influencing factor of innovation team’s organizational culture and innovation behavior is the direct leader. 2. The extent to which the manager supports the project team, the degree of authorization, the degree of uncertainty tolerance and the frequency of progress checking have great influence on the team innovation performance. 3. To better cooperate with the help of external resources, the direct leader need to establish a knowledge management system and the corresponding incentive mechanism. 4. The direct leader should pay attention to keep the entrepreneurship of each team member at a high level, believe in the value of the team and listen to the opinions of the staff in the process of innovation decision-making. 5. In the process of collaborative innovation, the innovation consultant influences the team innovation behavior through the influence of the organizational culture, and finally affects the effectiveness of collaborative innovation. Accordingly, this paper puts forward six practical suggestions and two follow-up research suggestions for future related practitioners and researchers.

Internal ideation refers to getting the employees of a company to generate ideas for improvements and business development. Innovative companies have been working to capture their employees' creativity when it comes to innovation. In many cases, a company that is considered innovative depends on the employee's drive to continually improve and expand the company's offering. How to succeed in motivating and engaging employees at the company to create internal ideation proves to be difficult to tell. At the same time, what factors influence internal ideation and are their inter-relationships between the factors and their influence on the ideation. This study aims to answer these questions. This study consists of both qualitative and quantitative studies. A review of previous literature and six external interviews were conducted to identify the factors that influence internal ideation. The external interviews targeted companies that design idea management systems and companies that work with them. A case study was conducted at Bengt Dahlgren to understand how the various factors influence to ideation performance. The case study was performed through interviews and a survey. This study resulted in a framework describing factors influencing internal idea generation and their inter-relationships. The most important factors for internal idea generation were: Clear Vision, Resources, Responsibility, Access to Information, Communication, Interaction Arena, Culture, and Motivation. A regression analysis revealed the inter-relationships between these factors and their impact on various innovation performances. The investigation included three variables for innovation performance, the company's culture, the employees' ideation effort, and the quantity of ideas submitted. In this study, a recommendation was made for Bengt Dahlgren to utilize the factors to increase their internal idea generation. / Intern idégenerering innebär att få de anställda på ett företag att generera idéer för förbättringar och företagsutveckling. I åratal har innovativa företag arbetat med att fånga sina anställdas kreativitet när det kommer till innovation. Om ett företag anses innovativt kan det i många fall bero på det anställdas driv att ständigt förbättra och utöka företagets erbjudande. Att lyckas motivera och engagera de anställda på företaget för att förverkliga en intern idégenerering visar sig vara en svår fråga att besvara. Samtidigt vilka faktorer påverkar intern idégenerering samt vad är relationen mellan dessa faktorer och deras påverkan på idégenereringen. I detta examensarbete kommer dessa frågor att besvaras. Denna studie har utgjorts av både kvalitativ och kvantitativa studier. För att identifiera de faktorer som påverkar idégenereringen gjordes en recension av tidigare litteratur och sex externa intervjuer. Intervjuerna riktade sig mot företag som designar innovations plattformar samt företag som arbetar med dem. För att förstå hur de olika faktorerna är relaterade genomfördes en fallstudie vid Bengt Dahlgren. Fallstudien genomfördes genom intervjuer och en enkätundersökning. Denna studie resulterade i ett ramverk som beskrev faktorer som påverkade den interna idégenerationen och deras interrelationer. De viktigaste faktorerna för intern idégenerering var: Tydlig Vision, Resurser, Ansvarsroller, Tillgång till Information, Kommunikation, Interaktionsarena, Motivation och Kultur En regressionsanalys visade samband mellan dessa faktorer och deras påverkan på olika variabler som påverkar ett företag innovation förmåga. Undersökningen inkluderade tre variabler för innovation förmågan: företagets kultur, de anställdas ansträngning för att komma med idéer och antalet inlämnade idéer per person. Denna studie utvecklade också en rekommendation för Bengt Dahlgren hur dem ska använda faktorerna för att öka deras interna idégenerering.