Nowadays innovation is a multi-actor process that implies intraand inter-organisational integrati... more Nowadays innovation is a multi-actor process that implies intraand inter-organisational integration managed through networks and facilitated by Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Newest innovation management models consider systemic approaches, flexible, immediate and customized responses, multidisciplinary and complex projects involving competent people. It is in this context that universities represent an important player that ultimately contribute to socio-economic wealth generation, through education, research and -gradually increasing and intensifyingthird mission activities such as technology valorisation and commercialisation. Even policy makers do realise the importance of such activities and create favourable conditions and incentives towards its realisation, the reality of the academic community as knowledge transferor has great potential towards improvement in both quality and quantity. The Open Innovation defined as a distributed innovation process based on purposively managed knowledge flows across organizational boundaries, using pecuniary and non-pecuniary mechanisms in line with the organization's business model considers the business model a key aspect of the new paradigm. A recent report of the European Commission (2012) on knowledge transfer in Europe titled “Barriers and drivers in European university business cooperation” identifies a series of barriers that act as hindering factors. Barriers are grouped in three main categories: i) usability of results, ii) funding, and iii) relational barriers. Beyond the mentioned categories, teaching and research staff representing the academic community often also lacks knowledge on the complex process of technology valorisation implying strategic analysis and decisionmaking, innovation management, market research and consumer behaviour and satisfaction aspects. Accordingly the aim of the present contribution is to provide a decision making framework in order to elaborate some innovative possible business models so as to valorise specific research carried out in universities. The case of the Universitat de Girona, Spain (UdG) and more precisely the Visio per COmputador i ROBotica (ViCOROB) research group will be discussed. Discussions about implication, future works and limitations of this framework are also given.
Abstract There is now evidence of a growing demand for green product innovation (GPI), leading to... more Abstract There is now evidence of a growing demand for green product innovation (GPI), leading to reduced negative environmental effects. This context is an opportunity for the organizational reconfiguration of companies in the manufacturing sector to accommodate these new product attributes and characteristics. Although the identification of the determinants of GPI has improved, its characterization is still fragmented and there is limited coherence in terms of the administrative approach leading to GPI development. The main purpose of this paper is the selection and configuration of the determinants of GPI and their organization into an innovation management model. This is achieved by identifying and categorizing the determinants of GPI in association with green innovation capabilities (GIC) and organizational dimensions (OD). The results provide a set of determinants of GPI, paving the way for organizational challenges, the adaptation and definition of new GIC, and the selection of green-oriented OD. All the above is represented in a framework showing the structural relationships and operationalized in a matrix product of the taxonomy referring to how the determinants of GPI affect GIC and OD, thus facilitating the definition of the variables that assess the progress of the company in pursuit of GPI. This research contributes in the field of management and organizational theories for the managerial transition to sustainable development from the dynamics typical of innovation. It also widens the scope of study for researchers, manufacturing company managers, and governmental bodies responsible for environmental management.
Journal of Organizational Change Management, Apr 8, 2014
Purpose – This paper aims to map the incidence of teamwork in European manufacturing industries a... more Purpose – This paper aims to map the incidence of teamwork in European manufacturing industries and describe the process of teamwork diffusion over time. The impact of country, company size, manufacturing sector and other factors on teamwork diffusion is identified. Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on data from 3,522 companies gathered by the European Manufacturing Survey covering ten European countries with a common survey tool. Findings – Overall, six out of ten manufacturers with more than 20 employees have implemented teamwork in production. Furthermore, the authors show that implementation rates vary significantly by country, firm size and, to a lesser extent, sector of the company's activity. R&D expenditure, product complexity, innovation capability, strategy and to a lesser extent international competition and supply chain position create significant differences between firms opting for teamwork as a work organization practice and companies neglecting it. Research limitations/implications – The main limitations of the paper derive from the concept of EMS as a multi-purpose survey and the lack of adequate representation across European countries. Originality/value – The value of this research is the ability to offer recent, international and relevant figures about teamwork implementation and diffusion. Furthermore the data set makes it possible for the first time to describe the process of teamwork diffusion over time.
Innovation, technology and knowledge management, Nov 17, 2011
The First Bank of Cents (FBC) provides social currencies, a type of money for social usages, to f... more The First Bank of Cents (FBC) provides social currencies, a type of money for social usages, to feed the behavior shift of targeted communities into more sustainable development. FBC can turn driving into a social asset by reinventing the carpooling practice through rewards for social drivers, those who share their cars, and social networks that provide trust among users and confidence on having safe round-trip transportation. FBC provides the rewards so that social drivers obtain cheaper fuel, car maintenance, and parking; hitchhikers comfortably, and with trust, ride for free most of the time; and carpooling works as a powerful loyalty marketing service for local, sustainable businesses. FBC shows how different entities (business, academia, government, and society) can add value through stronger networks that better involve and engage different actors—companies, customers, and knowledge generators, among others. FBC could therefore be viewed as putting the Quadruple Helix into practice, as it seeks to engage public administrations, users, and private enterprises around a common cause of sustainable mobility, which also has the added bonus of being socially responsible.
Nowadays innovation is a multi-actor process that implies intraand inter-organisational integrati... more Nowadays innovation is a multi-actor process that implies intraand inter-organisational integration managed through networks and facilitated by Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Newest innovation management models consider systemic approaches, flexible, immediate and customized responses, multidisciplinary and complex projects involving competent people. It is in this context that universities represent an important player that ultimately contribute to socio-economic wealth generation, through education, research and -gradually increasing and intensifyingthird mission activities such as technology valorisation and commercialisation. Even policy makers do realise the importance of such activities and create favourable conditions and incentives towards its realisation, the reality of the academic community as knowledge transferor has great potential towards improvement in both quality and quantity. The Open Innovation defined as a distributed innovation process based on purposively managed knowledge flows across organizational boundaries, using pecuniary and non-pecuniary mechanisms in line with the organization's business model considers the business model a key aspect of the new paradigm. A recent report of the European Commission (2012) on knowledge transfer in Europe titled “Barriers and drivers in European university business cooperation” identifies a series of barriers that act as hindering factors. Barriers are grouped in three main categories: i) usability of results, ii) funding, and iii) relational barriers. Beyond the mentioned categories, teaching and research staff representing the academic community often also lacks knowledge on the complex process of technology valorisation implying strategic analysis and decisionmaking, innovation management, market research and consumer behaviour and satisfaction aspects. Accordingly the aim of the present contribution is to provide a decision making framework in order to elaborate some innovative possible business models so as to valorise specific research carried out in universities. The case of the Universitat de Girona, Spain (UdG) and more precisely the Visio per COmputador i ROBotica (ViCOROB) research group will be discussed. Discussions about implication, future works and limitations of this framework are also given.
Abstract There is now evidence of a growing demand for green product innovation (GPI), leading to... more Abstract There is now evidence of a growing demand for green product innovation (GPI), leading to reduced negative environmental effects. This context is an opportunity for the organizational reconfiguration of companies in the manufacturing sector to accommodate these new product attributes and characteristics. Although the identification of the determinants of GPI has improved, its characterization is still fragmented and there is limited coherence in terms of the administrative approach leading to GPI development. The main purpose of this paper is the selection and configuration of the determinants of GPI and their organization into an innovation management model. This is achieved by identifying and categorizing the determinants of GPI in association with green innovation capabilities (GIC) and organizational dimensions (OD). The results provide a set of determinants of GPI, paving the way for organizational challenges, the adaptation and definition of new GIC, and the selection of green-oriented OD. All the above is represented in a framework showing the structural relationships and operationalized in a matrix product of the taxonomy referring to how the determinants of GPI affect GIC and OD, thus facilitating the definition of the variables that assess the progress of the company in pursuit of GPI. This research contributes in the field of management and organizational theories for the managerial transition to sustainable development from the dynamics typical of innovation. It also widens the scope of study for researchers, manufacturing company managers, and governmental bodies responsible for environmental management.
Journal of Organizational Change Management, Apr 8, 2014
Purpose – This paper aims to map the incidence of teamwork in European manufacturing industries a... more Purpose – This paper aims to map the incidence of teamwork in European manufacturing industries and describe the process of teamwork diffusion over time. The impact of country, company size, manufacturing sector and other factors on teamwork diffusion is identified. Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on data from 3,522 companies gathered by the European Manufacturing Survey covering ten European countries with a common survey tool. Findings – Overall, six out of ten manufacturers with more than 20 employees have implemented teamwork in production. Furthermore, the authors show that implementation rates vary significantly by country, firm size and, to a lesser extent, sector of the company's activity. R&D expenditure, product complexity, innovation capability, strategy and to a lesser extent international competition and supply chain position create significant differences between firms opting for teamwork as a work organization practice and companies neglecting it. Research limitations/implications – The main limitations of the paper derive from the concept of EMS as a multi-purpose survey and the lack of adequate representation across European countries. Originality/value – The value of this research is the ability to offer recent, international and relevant figures about teamwork implementation and diffusion. Furthermore the data set makes it possible for the first time to describe the process of teamwork diffusion over time.
Innovation, technology and knowledge management, Nov 17, 2011
The First Bank of Cents (FBC) provides social currencies, a type of money for social usages, to f... more The First Bank of Cents (FBC) provides social currencies, a type of money for social usages, to feed the behavior shift of targeted communities into more sustainable development. FBC can turn driving into a social asset by reinventing the carpooling practice through rewards for social drivers, those who share their cars, and social networks that provide trust among users and confidence on having safe round-trip transportation. FBC provides the rewards so that social drivers obtain cheaper fuel, car maintenance, and parking; hitchhikers comfortably, and with trust, ride for free most of the time; and carpooling works as a powerful loyalty marketing service for local, sustainable businesses. FBC shows how different entities (business, academia, government, and society) can add value through stronger networks that better involve and engage different actors—companies, customers, and knowledge generators, among others. FBC could therefore be viewed as putting the Quadruple Helix into practice, as it seeks to engage public administrations, users, and private enterprises around a common cause of sustainable mobility, which also has the added bonus of being socially responsible.
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Papers by Andrea Bikfalvi