The main key to any innovation is the idea management process which is also known as the front-end phase of the innovation. An idea management is a systematic process of searching, collecting, developing and implementing of ideas. This study focuses on idea management process within the energy sector of Sweden, as there is no well-defined process within the area that captures the voice of the employee. The solution is present in the form of newly designed process that takes into consideration the voice of the employees, technology for supporting and delivering the shared responsibilities. The main purpose of this study is that the energy sector of Sweden is being less explored that leaves out the sector from adapting to the idea management process. This sector lacks in considering the different tools, techniques and methods to be used that will help in searching, capturing, evaluating and selecting ideas. In order to explore the energy sector within Sweden a single case study on business unit Vattenfall heat, Uppsala, a Swedish multinational national energy company has been selected. To reach the bottom line of exploration ten semi-structured interviews were used to collect data and were grounded using “Gioia methodology”. The grounded theory model designed can be used by energy sector to design an idea management process for idea capturing, idea screening, idea selecting an idea implementing. The outcomes were recorded to be four main aggregate dimensions in designing the idea management process for the energy sector of Sweden. It was discovered that the four-aggregate dimension “people”, “process” and “workspace culture” are interconnected and to manage the overall process there is a requirement of strong “policy”. Considering these outcomes as main important drivers a new design is created which streamlines for searching, capturing, evaluation and implementing of ideas for the energy sector of Sweden. This study can further be elaborated and can be an important source of information for an organization willing to have a digital platform for the idea management process. The study can also be used in creating a central platform involving the different actors into an idea management process.

Att snabbt kunna anpassa sig till förändringar inom teknik, marknad, och kunders krav harblivit en allt mer viktig egenskap hos företag. Idag rör sig samhället oerhört fort. Digitalisering,Internet of Things, maskininlärning, Artificiell Intelligens, och blockchain är bara några exempelpå tekniker som förändrar beteenden, hur värde skapas och hur företag arbetar. Trots detta ärföretag på många sätt fortfarande inte organisatoriskt anpassade för att snabbt kunna förändras.Innovationsförmåga är en av grundpelarna för att långsiktigt kunna vara konkurrenskraftiga.All innovation börjar någonstans som en enkel idé, och således är idéhanteringsförmågaen kritisk egenskap för företag. Det är dock vanligt att lönsamma idéer implementeras trotsmånga organisatoriska hinder, inte tack vare dem. Ineffektiva och långa processer, osystematiskoch inkonsekvent utvärdering, resurs- och tidsbrist är bara några exempel på hinder som idéermåste ta sig förbi. Det finns flera lösningar för detta, men då mycket forskning har fokuserat påproduktföretag, är lösningarna också anpassade med dem i åtanke. Tjänsteföretag, och specielltdigitala tjänster har ökat dramatiskt i värde de senaste decennierna och det är därför intressantatt se vilka specifika utmaningar inom idéhantering sådana företag står inför. Det finnsflera viktiga skillnader mellan produkt- och tjänsteföretag som också påverkar utformandet avidéhanteringssystem, till exempel att tjänsteföretag tenderar att ha en större närhet till sinakunder, och att de ofta saknar en formell R&D-avdelning, eller motsvarande.Syftet med detta examensarbete har därför varit att undersöka vilka faktorer som påverkaridéhanteringsförmågan i digitala tjänsteföretag. För att assistera i att utvärdera och förbättraidéhanteringsprocessen är även mätning och uppföljning av detta mycket viktigt. Därför hararbetet också ämnat att identifiera vilka faktorer som behöver tas i beaktning vid utformandetav mätsystem kopplade till idéhantering.Studien har genomförts på Thomas Cook Northern Europe, ett internationellt charter- ochresebolag. Företaget har upplevt att de haft en kreativ arbetsmiljö, men har identifierat problemmed hur idéer hanteras. Studien samlade in kvalitativ data från 23 respondenter viasemi-strukturerade intervjuer. Denna data analyserades och resulterade i ett ramverk med 5utmaningar för idéhantering, som är uppdelade i 23 delutmaningar med avseende på insamling,förbättring, samt utvärdering av idéer. Även 12 faktorer som mätsystem för idéhanteringsförmågabehöver ta i beaktning identifierades. Med hjälp av dessa utmaningar och faktorer kandigitala tjänsteföretag utforma idéhanteringssystem samt kopplade mätsystem. / Being able to quickly adapt to changes within technology, markets, and customer needs havebecome an increasingly important ability for companies. Today’s society is moving extremelyfast. Digitalization, Internet of Things, machine learning, Artificial Intelleigence, and blockchainare just a few examples of technologies that change behaviours, how value is created, and howcompanies work. Despite these trends, companies are still struggling to adapt organizationalstructures that can deal with quick changes.Innovation capability is one of the pillars for creating long term competitive advantage. Allinnovation begins with an idea, and innovation capability is therefore a critical capability forcompanies. It is however common that valuable ideas are implemented despite many organizationalobstacles, not because of them. Ineffective and long processes, unsystematic and inconsistentevaluation, scarcity of time and resources are just a few examples of obstacles ideas must overcome.There are several solutions for these problems, but since much research is focused onproduct developing companies, the solutions are designed with those in mind. Service companies,and especially digital services, has increased drastically in value during the last decades.It’s therefore interesting to see which specific challenges within idea management these types ofcompanies face. There are several important differences between product and service companieswhich also impacts the design of idea management systems.The aim of this master’s thesis has therefore been to examine which factors that affectidea management in digital service companies. To assist in evaluating and improving the ideamanagement process, measurement and follow up is also very important. Hence, this thesis hasalso aimed to identify which factors should be considered in the design of measurement systemsassociated with idea management.The study has been performed at Thomas Cook Northern Europe, an international charterand travel company. The company has a creative working environment, but have identified problemswith how ideas are managed. The study collected qualitative data from 23 respondentsthrough semi-structured interviews. The data was analyzed and resulted in a framework with 5challenges related to idea management, divided into 23 sub-challenges based on the collection,improvement, and evaluation of ideas. Additionally, 12 factors that measurement systems foridea management capability need to consider have been identified. With the help of these challengesand factors digital service companies can develop idea management systems and coupledmeasurement systems.

Denna studie baseras på en fallstudie på myndigheten Statens tjänstepensionsverk (SPV). Myndigheten har hand om tjänstepensioner till personer som varit eller är statligt anställda. Studiens syfte var att kartlägga hur en svensk myndighet arbetar med innovationens in­ledande faser, idégenerering och idéhantering samt urval av idéer. Metoderna som användes var intervjuer av medarbetare samt en enkätundersökning på myndigheten. Resultatet visar att det råder olika uppfattning om vad som ska definieras som innovation bland de tillfrågade. Det finns i dagsläget inte något strukturerat sätt att arbeta med innovationens inledande faser på SPV. Däremot finns det en tydlig process för idéer kopplat till utvecklingsarbete. Förslag och idéer på mindre vidareutvecklingsprojekt kan hanteras direkt i teamen, medan vid mer omfattande idéer behövs ett initiativ skickas in för att därefter prioriteras i en gemensam portfölj. I studien framkom det att för idéer som inte rör det dagliga utvecklingsarbetet så var processen mer otydlig. Över 29 % svarade i enkätstudien att de inte visste var de ska vända sig med idéer. Urvalet av idéer sker direkt i teamen tillsammans med chef i de fall förslagen inte är allt för omfattande. För större projekt sker urvalet av de som ansvarar för portföljen. Fyra grundläggande kriterier vid urval och prioritering framkom. Dessa var kundnytta, rätts­säkerhet, effektivitet och kvalitet. / This study was based on a case study on Statens tjänstepensionsverk (The National Government Employee Pensions Board, SPV). The government agency handles occupational pensions for persons that are or have been a government employee. The purpose of this study was to chart how a Swedish government agency works with the front end of innovation, idea generation and idea management together with selection of ideas. The methods used were interviews of co-workers and a survey on the government agency. The result shows that there are different opinions about what are to be classified as an innovation and not among those surveyed. Today, there are no structured way to work with the front end of innovation at SPV. However, there are a clear process for ideas concerning development, where suggestions and ideas for smaller development projects can be handled directly by the teams, whilst for more large-scale projects an initiative must be sent in for prioritizing in SPV’s joint portfolio. In the study it emerged that for ideas concerning the daily development work the process is more indistinct. Over 29 % answered in the survey that they did not know where to go if they came up with an idea. The selection of ideas is done directly in the teams together with the boss in those cases the idea is not too extensive. For larger projects, the selection is made by those responsible for the portfolio. Four fundamental criteria used for selection and prioritising where found. These were customer value, the rule of law, effectiveness and quality.

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.

Organizações têm de lidar com um ambiente dinâmico em que a inovação é essencial para o sucesso dos negócios. Além disso, a capacidade de inovar em produto de qualquer organização está diretamente relacionada a um fluxo contínuo de novas ideias capazes de atender às oportunidades de novos produtos e tecnologias. Apesar do seu papel importante no início do processo de inovação, ao contrário de tentar gerenciar o surgimento de novas ideias, a abordagem mais comumente preconizada pelas empresas é de incentivar a geração de um grande número de ideias. No entanto, o sucesso do desenvolvimento de novos produtos requer mais do que gerar ideias, outras características do processo devem ser consideradas. Para ajudar na compreensão dessas características, essa pesquisa tem como objetivo analisar como o processo de gestão de ideias de produtos é realizado nas empresas. Para atingir esse objetivo, primeiramente, é proposto um modelo conceitual síntese da gestão de ideias baseado nas características identificadas literatura. Em seguida, para compreender o comportamento dessas características na prática, é realizado um estudo de casos múltiplos em 15 empresas reconhecidas como inovadoras e de diversos setores da indústria. Por fim, baseado nos dados levantados nas empresas, as características do processo de gestão de ideias são analisadas e confrontadas com as informações obtidas na revisão da literatura. A partir do estudo é identificado que a condução do processo de gestão de ideias pode seguir diferentes lógicas conforme as características das empresas. Certos fatores, tais como: definições estratégicas, formas de condução do processo e fatores organizacionais devem ser levados em conta na definição da melhor forma de gerenciar o processo. Considerando, que os estudos identificados na literatura concentram-se em analisar características específicas do processo, tornando difícil obter uma visão completa do processo, esta pesquisa apresenta uma importante contribuição para a teoria acadêmica por meio da análise das principais características que compõem o processo. Este trabalho apresenta ainda uma contribuição para empresas, pois pode ser utilizado como referência de como o processo vem sendo desenvolvido e fornece uma visão prática de como pode ser estruturada a gestão de ideias. / Organizations have to deal with a dynamic environment in which innovation is essential for success of businesses. Additionally, the product innovation capability of any organization is directly related to a continuous flow of ideas capable of raising opportunities for new products and technologies. Despite the primary role of ideas, instead of managing the ideation process, the most common approach is the generation of a large number of ideas. However, launching new products requires more than just generating ideas, many other characteristics of the process need to be addressed. Thus, to explore these characteristics, this research has as main objective analyze how the product ideation process is carried out in companies. To achieve this goal, firstly, is proposed an ideation conceptual model, based on the synthesis of the characteristics identified in literature. Then, to understand the behavior of these characteristics in practice, is conducted a multiple case study in 15 companies recognized as innovative and from different sectors of industry. Finally, based on data collected, the characteristics of the ideation process are analyzed and compared with the information obtained from the literature review. Based on the results of the study is identified that the conduct of the ideation process may follow different logics according to the characteristics of companies. Certain factors, such as: strategies, ways of conducting the process and organizational factors should be taken into account in defining the best way to manage the process. Considering that the studies identified in the literature focus on analyzing specific characteristics of the process, making it difficult to get a complete overview of the process, this research presents an important contribution to academic theory by analyzing the main characteristics that impact the process. This work also presents a contribution to companies, as it can be used as a reference of how the process is being developed and provides a practical overview of how it can be structured.

Organizações têm de lidar com um ambiente dinâmico em que a inovação é essencial para o sucesso dos negócios. Além disso, a capacidade de inovar em produto de qualquer organização está diretamente relacionada a um fluxo contínuo de novas ideias capazes de atender às oportunidades de novos produtos e tecnologias. Apesar do seu papel importante no início do processo de inovação, ao contrário de tentar gerenciar o surgimento de novas ideias, a abordagem mais comumente preconizada pelas empresas é de incentivar a geração de um grande número de ideias. No entanto, o sucesso do desenvolvimento de novos produtos requer mais do que gerar ideias, outras características do processo devem ser consideradas. Para ajudar na compreensão dessas características, essa pesquisa tem como objetivo analisar como o processo de gestão de ideias de produtos é realizado nas empresas. Para atingir esse objetivo, primeiramente, é proposto um modelo conceitual síntese da gestão de ideias baseado nas características identificadas literatura. Em seguida, para compreender o comportamento dessas características na prática, é realizado um estudo de casos múltiplos em 15 empresas reconhecidas como inovadoras e de diversos setores da indústria. Por fim, baseado nos dados levantados nas empresas, as características do processo de gestão de ideias são analisadas e confrontadas com as informações obtidas na revisão da literatura. A partir do estudo é identificado que a condução do processo de gestão de ideias pode seguir diferentes lógicas conforme as características das empresas. Certos fatores, tais como: definições estratégicas, formas de condução do processo e fatores organizacionais devem ser levados em conta na definição da melhor forma de gerenciar o processo. Considerando, que os estudos identificados na literatura concentram-se em analisar características específicas do processo, tornando difícil obter uma visão completa do processo, esta pesquisa apresenta uma importante contribuição para a teoria acadêmica por meio da análise das principais características que compõem o processo. Este trabalho apresenta ainda uma contribuição para empresas, pois pode ser utilizado como referência de como o processo vem sendo desenvolvido e fornece uma visão prática de como pode ser estruturada a gestão de ideias. / Organizations have to deal with a dynamic environment in which innovation is essential for success of businesses. Additionally, the product innovation capability of any organization is directly related to a continuous flow of ideas capable of raising opportunities for new products and technologies. Despite the primary role of ideas, instead of managing the ideation process, the most common approach is the generation of a large number of ideas. However, launching new products requires more than just generating ideas, many other characteristics of the process need to be addressed. Thus, to explore these characteristics, this research has as main objective analyze how the product ideation process is carried out in companies. To achieve this goal, firstly, is proposed an ideation conceptual model, based on the synthesis of the characteristics identified in literature. Then, to understand the behavior of these characteristics in practice, is conducted a multiple case study in 15 companies recognized as innovative and from different sectors of industry. Finally, based on data collected, the characteristics of the ideation process are analyzed and compared with the information obtained from the literature review. Based on the results of the study is identified that the conduct of the ideation process may follow different logics according to the characteristics of companies. Certain factors, such as: strategies, ways of conducting the process and organizational factors should be taken into account in defining the best way to manage the process. Considering that the studies identified in the literature focus on analyzing specific characteristics of the process, making it difficult to get a complete overview of the process, this research presents an important contribution to academic theory by analyzing the main characteristics that impact the process. This work also presents a contribution to companies, as it can be used as a reference of how the process is being developed and provides a practical overview of how it can be structured.

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Idégenerering är den första fasen i en innovationsprocess och för att hantera den så finns det idéhanteringssystem som kort fattat är till för att generera, hantera, utveckla och utvärdera idéer. Den här processen är väldigt svår, vilket oftast har lett till att företag väljer att använda sig av en, eller flera experter för att utvärdera de idéer som kommer in. Detta är förmodligen den bästa lösningen när det gäller effektivitet och inkrementella innovationer. Däremot så är det inte optimalt när det kommer till medarbetarnas motivation, engagemang, kreativitet, idéernas kvalité och de radikala/diskontinuerliga innovationerna. Därför så har det här arbetet undersökt hur ett deltagardemokratiskt idéhanteringssystem kan fungera personalägda företag. Detta undersöktes genom fem intervjuer med respondenter som jobbade på personalägda företag, litteratursökning inom områdena deltagandedemokrati, idéhantering och personalägande, samt idégenereringsmöten med sakkunniga. Resultatet av arbetet blev ett tvåstegssystem som ska kunna hantera komplexiteten av idégenerering, hantering, utveckling och utvärdering. Det första steget är en öppen plattform där alla i företaget kan lägga in idéer, diskutera idéer och ändra idéer. På den här plattformen kan medarbetarna sedan rösta upp de idéer som dem tycker är bäst och bör tas vidare. När en idé får många uppröstningar så tas den vidare till nästa del av systemet. Fördelarna med det här steget är att företaget kan mobilisera medarbetarens kreativitet och kunskap på ett mycket bättre sätt. Till nästa del sätts en grupp ihop av personer som berör eller berörs av idéen ihop för att använda sin kontextuella kunskap för att diskutera och utvärdera idéen. Om den första urvalsgruppen är för stor för detta så görs ytterligare ett urval, för att gruppen ska kunna diskutera idéen på ett effektivt och konstruktivt sätt. När denna grupp är klar så läggs det fram ett slutgiltigt förslag som denna grupp får rösta på om det ska gå vidare eller inte. Här skapas en större känsla av delaktighet hos medarbetarna och en större förståelse/acceptans för de beslut som tas. Med det här idéhanteringssystemet stärks också medarbetarnas motivation och engagemang. Allt detta redovisas i en modell som visualiserar hur systemet fungerar och vilka vägval som görs under processen gång.

生物學的互利共生，探討兩生物體生活在一起的交互作用，互利共生雙方成員都得到好處，維持持續性的關係。由於環境不斷在變動，使得兩生物體必須共同學會適應環境，持續共生行為。設計服務產業中的供應商及市場上顧客，有如互利共生的雙方，而服務產業的變遷及新科技的注入，為這個環境加入許多不確定性。設計團隊如何利用服務科學之觀點從顧客角度建立互利共生之設計流程，遠瞻市場脈動和顧客建立長久的關係，是本研究要探討的議題。近幾年來工業設計逐漸浮出檯面。箇中翹楚，莫過於「手機設計」。過去通話是手機最基本的功能。現在，因為功能的跨界設計，讓手機不再只是一個移動式的話筒。本研究從設計的流程切入，探究工業設計團隊在初期進行創意構思到概念構成，及最後設計商品化的部分，如何使用互利共生與服務科學原則建立相關分析模型進行設計流程有效管理，使得設計師更瞭解市場和消費者的需求，並以消費者為尊的觀念，讓客製化的程度提高，建立一使得顧客與設計團隊間的交互作用得以持續。 / In service exchange, both providers and customers are involved in shaping the continuum of value co-production. Inspired by the symbiosis concepts, service exchange engaged by providers and customers can be regarded as the unfolding of mutually beneficial interactions between two species. The providers and customers in design service industry (e.g., industrial design) are the analogy as two organisms in mutualism. In this industry, there are many uncertain factors to consider and it is important for a design team to establish a mutualism relationship with their customers and unfold a design service process which can meet consumers’ expectations. This paper takes the design service of mobile phones as an example and presents an analytical model of mutualism-based idea management characterized with the principles of symbiosis concepts and service science. The model is unfolded with three symbiosis analytic tasks (concept definition, idea visualization, and commercialization) and achieves a design service process regarding the points of view of the customers in order to improve customization.