The purpose of this descriptive case study was to identify the strategies used by post-secondary military institutions to adopt, implement and train faculty for the use of new instructional technologies in the learning environment. Termed the Innovation Migration Process, it includes: 1) the adoption decision (selection of the innovation), 2) strategies for implementation and, 3) how faculty are trained on its use. The study was a two phased, explanatory, mixed-methods design beginning with a quantitative survey, followed by twelve qualitative interviews conducted at two exemplary institutions. The study identified two strategies are used to adopt new technology: 1) authoritative decisions from the "top-down" and 2) a bottom-up strategy where new technology is first used by innovators who work with a central organization to adopt the change. Five strategies were identified to implement the innovation: 1) centralized training; 2) leadership commitment; 3) tapping expertise; 4) well defined support for pedagogy and technical issues; and 5) a robust infrastructure. Four strategies were found for training faculty: 1) tapping expertise (indicating training and implementation are interwoven); 2) formal training; and 4) dedicated training time. The fourth strategy, incentives and rewards, was used successfully by one of the two exemplary institutions, but few of the other institutions offered either of these for training. Suggested guidelines for post-secondary, military institutions include: create a culture of innovativeness; demonstrated commitment by the leadership; follow Ely's Eight Conditions for Implementation; develop a centralized training organization; develop a robust technical support organization; invest in the infrastructure; seek out and support innovators; use a formal faculty development program. / Ph. D.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to find out what activities of ambidexterity impact start-up companies’ efficiency and business growth in Sweden’s market.Methodology: To understand the research objectives, a qualitative study with 10 in-depth and semi-structured interviews was conducted with startup companies, founders and managers to gain insights.Findings: This study identified two new constructs; environmental dynamism and company nature, that are novel to measure ambidexterity start-up business performance.Research limitations/implications: The focus on Swedish startups limits the transferability. Therefore, future research should be conducted in other countries or in different context settings.Originality/value: This study contributes to the entrepreneurial research proposing proactive and reactive engagement with clients and contributes to strategic leadership theory, identifying that organization such as self-learning and collaboration fosters innovation among employees

A closer look at innovation for and from emerging markets respectively developing economies reveals that a variety of different terms and concepts related to this type of innovation exist. The goal of my conceptual paper is to present a comprehensive overview of related terms and concepts and to suggest theoretical based classification criteria in order to differentiate them. After a first investigation in relation to innovation for and from emerging markets the keywords ‘reverse’, ‘frugal’, ‘jugaad’, and ‘bottom of the pyramid / bottom of pyramid / bop’ were identified and used for searching the database of Google Scholar. For further investigation only texts were considered with at least eight various terms. 19 different texts were identified which classified for a further analysis. As results 33 identified terms in relation to innovation for and from emerging markets, various spellings and synonyms and references with at least two mentions in the identified texts are presented. As theoretical based classification criteria ‘market orientation’, ‘determinants’ (of innovation for and from emerging market)’, ‘nature’ (of innovation for and from emerging markets), sophistication’, ‘sustainability’, ‘novelty’ and ‘innovator type’ were identified.

In recent decades, many multinational corporations have used nature inspired innovation (NII) strategies as a mechanism of sustainability-oriented innovation (SOI). In this context, these activities are typically initiated by sustainability or innovation managers who are seeking to utilise novel tools and approaches but generally do not have specific innovation goals. For some, NII is viewed as a new product development tool and for others, it is a broad perspective that defines a larger sustainability narrative for the organisation. This analysis of six cases describes the diversity of innovation types of NII in multinational corporations aiming to apply these models to sustainability-oriented innovation at multiple levels. Data was collected via semi-structured interviews (n=45) with NII team members from both inside and outside of the organisation. Additional data included internal project documents and web-based content associated with the NII projects. Cases were then compared and contrasted to identify patterns and anomalies of factors that influence the adoption of NII. While perceptions of NII were relatively consistent across cases, several factors were identified related to sustainability perspectives, the role of management, organisational structures, and innovation culture that influenced adoption. This thesis makes an original contribution to knowledge within the NII, sustainability-oriented innovation, and innovation adoption literatures by differentiating NII as an approach to SOI in MNCs, establishing an innovation typology in this context, and identifying three SOI narratives that influence the adoption of NII. Specific factors related to sustainability narratives, innovation culture and infrastructure, and management styles that support and inhibit SOI and NII in MNCs are used to distinguish three unique SOI narratives – Ambiguous, Accountable, and Aspirational. Conclusions suggest a NII readiness assessment may facilitate the adoption of NII by identifying the most effective approaches depending on the narrative of SOI within the company.

The topic of this thesis is Innovation Management in the Chosen Organization. The aim of this work was to evaluate the actual state of innovation management, to identify possible weaknesses of this and to propose changes which can improve the present state. The thesis is divided into two parts. In the theoretical part there is a literary review of term connected with the topic of the thesis. There are descriptions of the terms like innovation, innovation management or innovation process. The practical part begins with the introduction of chosen organization. Then there is described a current state of innovation management in detail. The analysis of actual state of innovation management is based mainly on information obtained in interviews with the director of company and other staff. After that part, there are given some recommendations to improve current situation.

Vorliegender Leitfaden ist eines der Ergebnisse des Forschungsprojekts „Open Innovation in Life Sciences“ (OIL), das von Mai 2008 bis April 2011 an der Universität Potsdam durchgeführt wurde. Er nimmt für sich in Anspruch, gerade Innovationsmanager in kleinen und mittleren Unternehmen (KMU) der Pharmaindustrie bei der Einführung des Open Innovation Managements zu unterstützen. Zielsetzung des Forschungsprojekts war es, (1) die Chancen und Risiken von Open Innovation unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Anforderungen von Pharma-KMU zu analysieren und (2) daraus abgeleitet ein Konzept zur Implementierung von Open Innovation bei Pharma-KMU zu entwickeln. Der Ausgangspunkt des Projektes war die Erkenntnis, dass die Life Sciences-Branche im Allgemeinen und die Pharmaindustrie im Besonderen durch eine steigende Komplexität der Innovationsprozesse und eine zunehmende Tendenz zu Kooperationen gekennzeichnet ist. Vor diesem Hintergrund eröffnet gerade der Open Innovation-Ansatz für die Pharmabranche neue Gestaltungs- und damit Wachstumsmöglichkeiten. Open Innovation – definiert als die planvolle Öffnung der Innovationsprozesse und die strategische Einbindung des Unternehmensumfelds – wird dabei als zentraler Erfolgsfaktor für die Innovationsfähigkeit beschrieben. / The job title of innovation manager is a comparatively new phenomenon in innovation management. The field of responsibility spans the entire innovation process, from fundamental research, development and production, until the market launch. The competencies include technology, product, service and market orientation, and an innovation manager should have skills in both the strategic as well as the operational sphere. They direct the innovation process, cultivate both internal and external contacts and organise the communication of all persons involved. It is self-evident that these tasks – particularly in the pharmaceutical industry with its complex and long-term processes – present a considerable challenge for every innovation manager. With this in view, the following guidelines are directed primarily at innovation managers in medium sized pharmaceutical companies. The guidelines convey the knowledge and tools that enable the development of market and customer oriented products and services in the pharmaceutical industry from the very start. By means of images and descriptions it demonstrates which steps should be followed from idea generation, to project realization, until the market launch. The centerpiece is formed by the division of the innovation process into manageable, clearly defined phases, specifically tailored for the pharmaceutical industry. The guidelines particularly focus on the question of how customers, suppliers, competitors, etc. can be integrated into this process. This approach – termed open innovation in innovation management – when applied as a deliberate strategy, has the potential to reduce the costs of development and to raise the speed of passage of projects.

Introduktion: Studien behandlar små och medelstora företag (SMFs) inom fordonsindustrin. Kontexten berörs med hänsyn till att forskningsfronten saknar empiriska exempel avseende relationen mellan olika inbound open innovation aktiviteter och företagens innovationsprestation. Fenomenet inbound open innovation innebär att företag genom olika samverkansaktiviteter utnyttjar externa flöden av kunskap och teknologi, för att främja framkomsten av nya produkter och processer. Följaktligen utreder studien relationen mellan företagens innovationsprestation och aktiviteterna; (1) teknologisk rekognosering, (2) vertikal teknologisk kollaboration, (3) horisontell teknologisk kollaboration, (4) teknologisk anskaffning.   Syfte: Syftet med studien är att undersöka relationen mellan fyra former av inbound open innovation aktiviteter och innovationsprestation i små och medelstora företag, inom fordonsindustrin. Insikterna från studien ämnar stärka de små och medelstora företagens konkurrenskraft på en globaliserad marknad. Studien ämnar även främja helhetsbilden av vilken effekt olika inbound open innovation aktiviteter har i praktiken.     Teori: Studien baseras på tidigare forskning och teorier avseende inbound open innovation i små och medelstora företag (SMFs).      Metod: Studien bedrivs via en kvantitativ metodansats. Ett själv-administrerat frågeformulär har distribuerats ut via mail till 370 stycken VD:s. Insamlad data har bearbetats i SPSS genom flertalet statistiska tester, vilket utmynnade i att studiens fyra hypoteser testades och utreddes.   Slutsats: Studiens resultat påvisar att SMFs inom fordonsindustrin kan förbättra sin innovationsprestation genom att bedriva aktiviteterna teknologisk rekognosering, vertikal teknologisk kollaboration samt horisontell teknologisk kollaboration. Aktiviteten teknologisk anskaffning befanns inte ha någon signifikant inverkan på innovationsprestationen. Studiens insikter kan stärka de små och medelstora företagens konkurrenskraft på en globaliserad marknad. Insikterna främjar även helhetsbilden avseende vilken effekt olika inbound open innovation aktiviteter har i praktiken. / Introduction: The study concerns small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the automotive industry. The context is touched because the research front lacks empirical examples of the relationship between different inbound open innovation activities and innovation performance. The phenomenon of inbound open innovation means that companies, through different collaborative activities, exploit external flows of knowledge and technology to promote the emergence of new products and processes. Consequently the study investigates the relationship between innovation performance and the activities; (1) technological scouting, (2) vertical technological collaboration, (3) horizontal technological collaboration, (4) technological acquisition.   Purpose: The aim of the study is to investigate the relationship between four forms of inbound open innovation activities and innovation performance in small and medium-sized enterprises, in the automotive industry. The insights from the study aims to strengthen the competitiveness of SMEs in a globalized market. The study also aims to promote the overall picture of the impact of different inbound open innovation activities in practice.   Theory: The study is based on previous research and theories regarding inbound open innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).   Method: The study is conducted through a quantitative methodology. A self-administered questionnaire has been distributed by mail to 370 CEOs. The collected data has been processed in SPSS through different statistical tests, which resulted in the study's four hypotheses being tested and investigated.   Conclusion: The studies result shows that SMEs in the automotive industry can improve their innovation performance by conducting the activities of technological scouting, vertical technological collaboration and horizontal technological collaboration. Technological acquisition was found to have no significant impact on innovation performance. The findings can promote the competitiveness of SMEs in a globalized market. The insights also promote the overall picture of the impact of different inbound open innovation activities in practice.

Si l’explosion du système Est-Ouest marque la fin de l’idée de confrontation globale en tant que modèle de la guerre depuis la fin du second conflit mondial, on doit plus fondamentalement s’interroger sur les changements intervenus depuis les années 90 en ce qui concerne le statut de la guerre elle-même et sur le rôle des opérations de paix dans les relations internationales. Les crises politiques découlant de conflits internes sont des sources de déstabilisation et de fragilisation des institutions locales qui subissent le tumulte et affaiblissent la capacité des acteurs à sortir d’une telle situation politique. La nécessité de renforcer les capacités locales pendant cette période charnière afin d’éviter les crises récurrentes se traduit par la présence de la Communauté internationale qui déploie une multitude de stratégies. Il existe en effet, dans la grammaire des Nations Unies, un continuum de modes de gestion des crises qui va des formes les plus réservées de la persuasion à certaines modalités de diplomatie coercitive, impliquant un usage limité de la violence. Lorsqu’on examine les opérations de paix en RDC, un ensemble dynamique de tensions et de liaisons, oscillant entre ordre et désordre dans ses expressions institutionnelles, le constat qui se dégage est que la question de la paix exige une analyse qui prenne en compte plusieurs facteurs. D’où le recours à une approche interdisciplinaire, mobilisant des courants critiques au sein des relations internationales tout en alliant la sociologie des relations internationales. Notre approche interdisciplinaire qui est au centre de cette thèse peut aussi être d’un grand intérêt dans le renforcement de l’approche polémologique, elle-même fort utile pour appréhender les modalités de gouvernance par les groupes politico-militaires. Notre étude s’attache à évaluer la pertinence et la cohérence des pratiques et conduites des acteurs internationaux pour mieux dégager les contours axiologiques et idéologiques de la gestion des crises itératives. / If the explosion of the East/West system marks the end of the idea of global confrontation as model of the war since the end of the second world conflict, we more fundamentally have to wonder about the changes which took place since the 90s as regards the status of the very war and about the role of the peace operations in the international relations. The political crises ensuing from internal conflicts are sources of destabilization and weakening of the local institutions which undergo the tumult and weaken the capacity of the actors to go out of such a political situation. The necessity of strengthening the local capacities during this pivotal period to avoid the recurring crises is translated by the presence of the international community which spreads a multitude of strategies. There is indeed in the grammar of United Nations a continuum in the modes of crises’ management which goes the most reserved forms of the persuasion to certain modalities of coercive diplomacy, implying a use limited by the violence. When we examine the peace operations in RDC, dynamic set tensions and connections, oscillating between order and disorder in its institutional expressions, the report which gets free is that the question of the peace requires an analysis which takes into account several factors. Hence the use of an interdisciplinary approach, involving both critical currents in international relations (critical constructivism) while combining the sociology of international relations. Our study attempts to estimate the relevance and the coherence of the practices and the conducts of the international actors in a better way axiological and ideological outlines of the management of the iterative crises.

Innovation in healthcare is a central way of coping with the changes affecting the healthcare system through the megatrends of demographic change, digitalization as well as the opportunities in the life-sciences sector and the “-omics” subjects. Due to the multiple facets of the topic, research on innovation in healthcare is diverse and draws insights from systems theory, management theory, human resources, innovation and change management. While the literature on innovation in healthcare has grown steadily in the last 20 years and publications on pharmaceutical and medical device innovation, health technology assessment strategies, or digital innovations have increased significantly, other areas such as sectoral health innovation systems, the creation and implementation of innovation in hospitals still remain fairly uncharted. Applying established concepts such as systems of innovation theory, mass customization theory or management of employee involvement in innovation activities to the healthcare sector provides new insights into a field that is often considered a “blackbox”. This thesis adds to the topic in three essays, each focusing on a different aspect and depth level ranging from a macro perspective on healthcare innovation on a global scale to a meso level perspective on the implementation of personalized medicine in one country and putting a micro lens on innovation activities of hospital staff. The aim of this thesis is to provide an overview for researchers, policy makers and healthcare stakeholders about current developments, propose tools for measuring innovation and allow for benchmarking the current status quo in healthcare in order to foster new and innovative developments.

Growing competition, globalisation and changing circumstances make innovation a prerequisite for the growth, success and survival of any private or public organisation. While innovation in technology, production, marketing and finance all remain essential, it is innovation in management that is most desperately in short supply. A literature study could not reveal the existence of any scale that measures all the factors and processes relevant to organisational innovation. A scale for managerial innovation was developed. This scale is based on the work of various researchers in the field of innovation. The major tasks in the process were connected to the structural arrangements and social patterns that facilitate the tasks are discussed. Innovation consists of a set of processes carried out at the micro-level, by individuals and groups of individuals, and these micro-processes are in turn stimulated, facilitated and enhanced - or the opposite - by a set of macro-structural conditions. A semantic differential scale was developed to measure managerial innovation. The scale consists of 88 items and was designed to reflect the major factors and processes of organisational innovation. Various statistical tests were used to evaluate the scale and data obtained through the scale. Five Factors were identified after the data was analysed using factor analysis. The five factors are Factor 1 (leadership and culture), Factor 2 (employee acquisition and development), Factor 3 (variables that facilitate problem solving and aid in innovation), Factor 4 (variables that impact negatively on innovation), and Factor 5 (variables external to the organisation that influence innovation). The Alpha Cronbach test for reliability showed a very high degree of reliability and the scale conformed to the criteria of content validity. Analysis Of Variance (ANOVA) was used to perform comparative analysis on the biographical variables. The relationships between age, gender, level of education, industry, length of service, and the combined effect of age and gender, age and length of service, gender and industry, and gender and length of service and the five factors were analysed. Age seems to play a significant role in Factor 1 and Factor 2 (i.e. leadership and culture as well as employee acquisition and development). For Factor 1 and Factor 2 average achievement in terms of innovation seems to increase with age. With regard to Factor 3, 4 and 5 age does not seem to impact on achievement significantly. The results of this study indicate that there are no significant relationship between gender and innovation. The results of this study indicate that there is a positive relationship between level of education and innovation for Factors 3, 4 and 5. It was found to differ significantly between the levels for two factors, namely Factor 1: leadership and culture, and Factor 2: employee acquisition and development. They seem to decline as the level of education increases. The results of this study indicate that for all five factors there seem to be a very significant difference in average achievement when individuals from different industries are compared. The results of this study indicate that there is not a significant relationship between length of service and innovation. The ANOVA results for combined variables indicate a significant difference in average achievement Factor 1 (leadership and culture) when the research participants are grouped based on both age and gender. In general, males of any age group tested equal to or higher than their female counterparts for Factor 1. Also apparent from the results is that generally the scores for Factor 1 seemed to increase with age. For Factor 2, 3, 4, and 5 there is no significant difference in achievement when participants are grouped according to age and gender. The results of the tests for difference in achievement when the research participants are grouped according to age and length of service, do not indicate that there is any significant difference in average achievement between the groups. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Human Resource Management / unrestricted