- Professor of Entrepreneurship & Innovationedit
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This paper proposes science-based organization design that uses construction principles and design rules to guide practitioner-academic projects. Organization science implies construction principles for creating and implementing designs.... more
This paper proposes science-based organization design that uses construction principles and design rules to guide practitioner-academic projects. Organization science implies construction principles for creating and implementing designs. These principles serve to construct design rules that are instrumental in developing organization designs. Testing and implementing designs require pragmatic experimentation in complex, dynamic settings. The authors explore a circular design process as an example of science-based organization design. Tests of this circular process in over 30 organizations suggest that construction principles are important for creating new design rules as well as for a deeper understanding of the systems and practices created from these rules. In addition, explicit principles and rules for organization design appear to facilitate the transfer of learning between different projects. As such, they can help reconnect organization research to ongoing design work.
Research Interests: Design, Organizational Theory, Design Science, Evidence Based Practice, Cybernetics, and 12 moreOrganization Design, Boundary objects, Organization Science, Business and Management, Design Principles, Circular Organizing, Experimentation, Sociocracy, Academic Practitioner Divide, Organizational Architecture, Design rules , and Double linking
Research Interests: Business, Entrepreneurship, Engineering, Design, Knowledge Management, and 10 moreAcademic entrepreneurship, Organization Design, Technology Entrepreneurship, Social Science Research Network, Product, University Spinoffs, Steel Concrete composite structures, Spin Offs, Product innovation management, and Product Innovation in the domain of Commerce and Management
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Climate change and urbanization have resulted in several societal challenges for urban areas. Nature-based solutions (NBS) have been positioned as solutions for enhancing urban resilience in the face of these challenges. However, the body... more
Climate change and urbanization have resulted in several societal challenges for urban areas. Nature-based solutions (NBS) have been positioned as solutions for enhancing urban resilience in the face of these challenges. However, the body of conceptual and practical knowledge regarding NBS remains fragmented. This study addresses this gap by means of a systematic review of the literature, to define NBS as a theoretical concept; its broader significance with respect to societal challenges; the key stakeholders in NBS planning, implementation and management; and major barriers to and enablers of NBS uptake. The results of this review reveal that, despite a lack of consensus about the definition of NBS, there is a shared understanding that the NBS concept encompasses human and ecological benefits beyond the core objective of ecosystem conservation, restoration or enhancement. Significant barriers to and enablers of NBS are discussed, along with a proposed strategic planning framework f...
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Large, mature organizations are often capable of exploiting existing products efficiently, but are typically less effective in being innovative. Financial systems and bureaucratic procedures adopted to control processes in large... more
Large, mature organizations are often capable of exploiting existing products efficiently, but are typically less effective in being innovative. Financial systems and bureaucratic procedures adopted to control processes in large organizations tend to be hostile towards innovative ideas, proposals and initiatives. One of the solutions to this problem is to structurally separate exploitation tasks and innovative exploration activities, the latter, for example, in a new venture unit. On the other hand, such a structurally separate unit still needs to have some degree of integration with the parent organization, which forms the lifeline for new ventures in terms of resources and reputation. As such, the new venture unit acts as an ‘ incubation’ semi-structure that mediates organizational rigidities and supports organizational renewal by means of entrepreneurship. Previous studies have provided detailed assessments of the layout of such a new venture unit and its simultaneous integration with and separation from the host organization (e.g. Jansen et al. 2009). However, how these units are established in the first place has largely remained unaddressed. In this respect, our understanding of the process of designing such units is still in its infancy, and studies considering how designers use knowledge to deal with the complex contexts of this design process are rare. Here, this study contributes to the innovation and corporate and academic entrepreneurship literature by studying the interaction between the design processes of new venture units and diverse complex design contexts. The way designers use and process knowledge can be conceptualized in terms of three design strategies (Gavetti et al. 2008): off-line reasoning and planning, feedback-driven learning and associative reasoning. Research on designing new venture units implies that in many organizations this design process is especially driven by experimentation (i.e. feedback-driven learning) or by copying designs (i.e. associative reasoning) from other organizations (Hill and Birkinshaw 2008). An important question then is how specific contexts enable or hamper particular design strategies.
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The notion of organizational hierarchy is disputed, also in view of the rise of new organizational forms claimed to have “hierarchies without bosses.” To better understand the contested nature of hierarchy, this essay provides a systemic... more
The notion of organizational hierarchy is disputed, also in view of the rise of new organizational forms claimed to have “hierarchies without bosses.” To better understand the contested nature of hierarchy, this essay provides a systemic perspective on organizational hierarchy defined as a sequence, or ladder, of accountability levels. I then argue this ladder can be used in a top-down manner (e.g., as a chain of command), but also in bottom-up ways (e.g., by employees taking charge of higher-level responsibilities). Subsequently, several propositions that may guide future work in this area are formulated, and the implications for organization design are fleshed out. Overall, the notion of hierarchy may become less contested by defining it as an accountability ladder which can be instantiated and used in highly different ways.
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Our electricity is predominantly powered by alternating current (AC), ever since the War of Currents ended in the favor of Nicola Tesla at the end of the 19th century. However, lots of the appliances we use, such as electronics and lights... more
Our electricity is predominantly powered by alternating current (AC), ever since the War of Currents ended in the favor of Nicola Tesla at the end of the 19th century. However, lots of the appliances we use, such as electronics and lights with light-emitting diode (LED) technology, work internally on direct current (DC) and it is projected that the number of these appliances will increase in the near future. Another contributor to the increase in DC consumption is the ongoing electrification of mobility (Electric Vehicles (EVs)). At the same time, photovoltaics (PV) generate DC voltages, while the most common storage technologies also use DC. In order to integrate all these appliances and technologies to the existing AC grid, there is a need for converters which introduce power losses. By distributing DC power to DC devices instead of converting it to AC first, it is possible to avoid substantial energy losses that occur every time electricity is converted. This situation initiated ...
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De sterk verouderde structuur van de kapitaalmarkt en de vennootschap verschaft een vruchtbare voedingsbodem voor fraude, bedrijfsblindheid, misbruik van bedrijfsmiddelen, ontoereikende accountantscontrole en klachten over het gebrek aan... more
De sterk verouderde structuur van de kapitaalmarkt en de vennootschap verschaft een vruchtbare voedingsbodem voor fraude, bedrijfsblindheid, misbruik van bedrijfsmiddelen, ontoereikende accountantscontrole en klachten over het gebrek aan invloed van aandeelhouders op beursgenoteerde ondernemingen. Een herbezinning op de vennootschap, het aandeel en de aandeelhouder noodzaakt tot fundamentele oplossingen. In dit artikel wordt een mogelijke oplossing verkend, namelijk een vennootschap op basis van consentaandelen. Betoogd wordt dat deze vennootschapsvorm bijdraagt aan een moderne invulling van eigendomsverhoudingen waarin kapitaalverschaffers gelijkwaardig zijn aan andere ‘eigenaars’, zoals de verschaffers van arbeid en kennis.
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Door de opkomst van informatietechnologie (IT) zijn de mogelijkheden en de belangstelling voor kennismanagement sterk toegenomen. Te vaak wordt kennismanagement gelijkgesteld aan IT. Dit artikel bespreekt waarom investeringen in... more
Door de opkomst van informatietechnologie (IT) zijn de mogelijkheden en de belangstelling voor kennismanagement sterk toegenomen. Te vaak wordt kennismanagement gelijkgesteld aan IT. Dit artikel bespreekt waarom investeringen in IT-gestuurd kennismanagement in sommige gevallen niet de gewenste resultaten opleveren. Besproken wordt het onderscheid tussen impliciete en expliciete kennis en de verschillende soorten kennisprocessen en kennisactiva die voor bedrijfsprocessen van belang zijn. Vervolgens worden verschillende wegen naar kennismanagement beschreven waarin IT een ondergeschikte rol speelt, en één weg waarin IT de hoofdrol speelt.
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Door de turbulente gebeurtenissen in de Nederlandse politiek in de afgelopen maanden, is de aandacht van de media voor de discussie over de rol van de accountant wat weggezakt. Toch wordt nog steeds alom gesproken over een crisis in de... more
Door de turbulente gebeurtenissen in de Nederlandse politiek in de afgelopen maanden, is de aandacht van de media voor de discussie over de rol van de accountant wat weggezakt. Toch wordt nog steeds alom gesproken over een crisis in de accountancy, vooral naar aanleiding van het Enronschandaal (bijvoorbeeld: Business Week, 28 januari 2002, pp. 50-55).
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In dit artikel wordt ingegaan op de vraag of een synthese tussen werknemerschap via het arbeidscontract enerzijds en partnerschap in de deelname in eigendom en leiding van de onderneming anderzijds mogelijk is. Met andere woorden, kan het... more
In dit artikel wordt ingegaan op de vraag of een synthese tussen werknemerschap via het arbeidscontract enerzijds en partnerschap in de deelname in eigendom en leiding van de onderneming anderzijds mogelijk is. Met andere woorden, kan het binden en boeien van medewerkers tegelijkertijd worden vormgegeven en gerealiseerd? De kringorganisatiemethode wordt beschreven als een mogelijke oplossing voor deze vraag.
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This is the introduction chapter (and summary) of The Quest for Professionalism: The Case of Management and Entrepreneurship (Oxford University Press, 2016).
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In het hoger onderwijs wordt frequent gebruikgemaakt van schriftelijke werkstukken om bepaalde onderwijsdoelen te realiseren. In het algemeen zijn er twee typen werkstukken te onderscheiden: relatief kleine werkstukken, zoals de analyse... more
In het hoger onderwijs wordt frequent gebruikgemaakt van schriftelijke werkstukken om bepaalde onderwijsdoelen te realiseren. In het algemeen zijn er twee typen werkstukken te onderscheiden: relatief kleine werkstukken, zoals de analyse van een case of het verslag van een practicum; en grotere werkstukken, die naar aanleiding van een project-, stage- of afstudeeropdracht worden geschreven. Vooral bij individuele afstudeerwerkstukken nemen naast de docent-begeleider ook andere beoordelaars – zoals collega-docenten, externe deskundigen en de opdrachtgever – deel aan de beoordeling. Daarnaast bestaat de mogelijkheid om medestudenten te laten adviseren over de beoordeling van een schriftelijk werkstuk. Dit hoofdstuk behandelt de toetsing van schriftelijke werkstukken, zoals afstudeerscripties en stageverslagen. Vier aspecten van dit toetsingsvraagstuk komen aan bod: waarom is een goede aanpak van de beoordeling van werkstukken noodzakelijk, welke criteria spelen een rol, wie beoordeelt, en hoe wordt beoordeeld in geval van meerdere beoordelaars? Aan het eind van het hoofdstuk staat een uitgewerkt voorbeeld van een zogenoemde ‘afstudeerkring’.
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... Organization Science 13, no. 2: 109-127. Romme, A Georges L. 2003. Making a difference:Organization as design. Organization Science 14, no. 5: 558-573. Schumpeter, Joseph A. 1942. Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy. 3rd ed. New... more
... Organization Science 13, no. 2: 109-127. Romme, A Georges L. 2003. Making a difference:Organization as design. Organization Science 14, no. 5: 558-573. Schumpeter, Joseph A. 1942. Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy. 3rd ed. New York: Harper & Row. ...
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Institutional theory emphasizes the institutional constraints that render radical innovations illegitimate, but fails to explain how such innovations might succeed. Adopting a micro-institutional perspective, this paper addresses why and... more
Institutional theory emphasizes the institutional constraints that render radical innovations illegitimate, but fails to explain how such innovations might succeed. Adopting a micro-institutional perspective, this paper addresses why and how embedded agency may overcome legitimacy crises within established systems. Drawing on a sample of 20 legitimacy problems identified in five radical innovation trajectories at two mature companies, we develop an empirically grounded theory of the institutional work through which proponents legitimize radical innovations within established firms. This theory describes a variety of micro-institutional affordances that enable different strategic responses to legitimacy crises. We thus extend institutional theory by explaining embedded agents’ use of a range of options to pursue radical innovation, providing a robust explanation of both institutional stability and radical change.
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To address major threats to the sustainability and quality of life in urban settings, many municipalities have started exploring routes toward smarter cities to, for example, lower their energy consumption and carbon footprint. These... more
To address major threats to the sustainability and quality of life in urban settings, many municipalities have started exploring routes toward smarter cities to, for example, lower their energy consumption and carbon footprint. These explorations, in the form of living labs or other pilot projects, often suffer from major problems in scaling up the initial try-outs. In this study, we identify the mechanisms that facilitate the diffusion of smart city solutions, which are developed with public funds but typically lack dedicated resources to spur the diffusion of these solutions within the same municipality as well as toward other municipalities. We introduce the construct of embedded replication potential, defined as the capacity of an original project to be either scaled up locally or replicated elsewhere. Subsequently, empirical findings from a study of smart lighting projects in several municipalities in northwestern Europe serve to develop a checklist-based tool for assessing the embedded replication potential of an initial project. This tool can also be used to assess the replication potential of other smart city projects.
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A fundamental challenge in democracy is how to control civil service organizations. This challenge has been primarily addressed by creating horizontal accountability arrangements, in which independent agencies act as auditors and... more
A fundamental challenge in democracy is how to control civil service organizations. This challenge has been primarily addressed by creating horizontal accountability arrangements, in which independent agencies act as auditors and evaluators of civil service organizations. However, horizontal accountability only partially resolves this control challenge. In this paper, we adopt a design science approach and draw on insights from game theory to develop a set of design principles for controlling civil service organizations. Based on these design principles, a system for controlling civil service staff was created and implemented in a medium-sized Dutch municipality. The results obtained in this municipality are rather promising regarding the enhanced efficiency and transparency of the civil service organization, while the high level of job satisfaction among civil servants is sustained. These findings suggest that the benefits of increased transparency in how civil servants are monitored appear to outweigh the fact that they may have less discretion in their work.
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Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain You may... more
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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the objectives, tenants, spaces and services of different business center concepts and test whether the existing classifications in literature and in the real estate market draw on... more
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the objectives, tenants, spaces and services of different business center concepts and test whether the existing classifications in literature and in the real estate market draw on significantly different concepts. Design/methodology/approach – After a literature review, data on business centers were collected with a questionnaire among owners/mangers of 139 business centers in the Netherlands. The existing business center concepts are examined whether these concepts are significantly different, using bivariate analyses. Findings – The findings of this study give insight into the business center market, the existing business center concepts and (dis)similarities between the concepts. Although many dissimilarities were found between the business center concepts, like offered services, social spaces and contractual agreements, findings show that the four business center concepts can be offered in similar objects. Originality/value – Ne...
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Supplemental material, sj-pptx-1-oss-10.1177_01708406211030659 for How Structural Empowerment Boosts Organizational Resilience: A case study in the Dutch home care industry by Jennifer van den Berg, Alex Alblas, Pascale Le Blanc and A.... more
Supplemental material, sj-pptx-1-oss-10.1177_01708406211030659 for How Structural Empowerment Boosts Organizational Resilience: A case study in the Dutch home care industry by Jennifer van den Berg, Alex Alblas, Pascale Le Blanc and A. Georges L. Romme in Organization Studies
Supplemental material, sj-pdf-1-oss-10.1177_01708406211030659 for How Structural Empowerment Boosts Organizational Resilience: A case study in the Dutch home care industry by Jennifer van den Berg, Alex Alblas, Pascale Le Blanc and A.... more
Supplemental material, sj-pdf-1-oss-10.1177_01708406211030659 for How Structural Empowerment Boosts Organizational Resilience: A case study in the Dutch home care industry by Jennifer van den Berg, Alex Alblas, Pascale Le Blanc and A. Georges L. Romme in Organization Studies
Research Interests: Engineering and Elsevier
In this study, we explore how empowerment initiatives can be understood by drawing on key notions from the power literature. By conceptualizing empowerment as the transformation toward ‘power to’ by actively using ‘power over’, we uncover... more
In this study, we explore how empowerment initiatives can be understood by drawing on key notions from the power literature. By conceptualizing empowerment as the transformation toward ‘power to’ by actively using ‘power over’, we uncover power-related dynamics and tensions arising from empowerment initiatives in ways that go beyond prior work. Our in-depth case study of an empowerment initiative in a military organization highlights the complex challenges that powerful actors face when attempting to enhance the power to act elsewhere in the organization. Our findings demonstrate how power-related tensions arise between and within actors, as actors combine and shift between different power practices. We find that power tensions are not merely relational in nature (i.e. between actors), but also arise when individual cognition differs from action. By showing how the interplay of different power practices may result in major tensions, our findings provide a new perspective on why orga...
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Self-renewal, self-organization, autopoiesis and related concepts have become quite popular in strategic change research. These concepts point at the importance of deeper structures of rules governing human behavior in organizations. This... more
Self-renewal, self-organization, autopoiesis and related concepts have become quite popular in strategic change research. These concepts point at the importance of deeper structures of rules governing human behavior in organizations. This article describes the results of a study dealing with the role of management teams in strategic change processes, using the perspective of self-renewal. The results are summarized in a conceptual model of managerial behavior in the context of strategic change. The key concept is the repertoire of top management, which involves a set of recursively applied rules that govern managerial behavior. Management repertoires become institutionalized and relatively successful in particular contexts. The model describes forces contributing to the inertia, breakdown and formation of repertoires of management teams. The most important implication is that management teams could profit from trying to recognize the deeper rules governing their behavior. Managers s...
Research Interests: Management, Computer Science, Organizational Change, International Business, Leadership, and 12 moreInternational Trade, Sustainable Development, Africa, Strategic Management, Autopoiesis, Global Leadership, Top Management Teams, Organizational Development, International Management, iOS, Self Organization, and Human Resources Management Information Systems
Urban Living Labs (ULLs) are widely believed to provide a safe environment for experimentation, co-creation and evaluation of innovations in real-life settings. A growing number of cities have been adopting ULLs to co-create and test... more
Urban Living Labs (ULLs) are widely believed to provide a safe environment for experimentation, co-creation and evaluation of innovations in real-life settings. A growing number of cities have been adopting ULLs to co-create and test Nature-Based Solutions (NBS). However, many of these cities have been facing major barriers in trying to adopt the ULL approach for implementing NBS. In this study, we seek to identify these barriers and provide a systemic understanding. Barriers are identified by means of workshops and interviews. Subsequently, interpretive structural modelling serves to identify the interdependencies among the barriers, resulting in a structural model of barriers in adopting ULLs for NBS. Our results show that political and institutional barriers are significantly limiting the adoption of ULLs. Moreover, knowledge brokers and other intermediaries, as well as cross-sectoral collaboration, play a key role in getting ULLs adopted. The findings from this study can help ci...
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Previous work has demonstrated that structural forms of empowerment tend to enhance individual and team resilience. However, there is hardly any knowledge about how structural empowerment affects organizational resilience. Moreover, a... more
Previous work has demonstrated that structural forms of empowerment tend to enhance individual and team resilience. However, there is hardly any knowledge about how structural empowerment affects organizational resilience. Moreover, a widespread (though largely untested) assumption is that, in adverse times, power and authority need to be centralized at the top to enhance organizational resilience. This paper explores the effects of empowerment on organizational resilience in an in-depth case study of a Dutch home care organization, in which employees are structurally empowered. The findings from this case study suggest that structural empowerment positively affects organizational resilience, but that this effect is contingent upon a climate of psychological safety as well as top management’s sustained commitment to structural empowerment. We move beyond the extant conceptualization of psychological safety by demonstrating its inter-level nature in the context of structural empowerm...
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Transportation systems are transitioning to e-mobility, but scholars and policymakers are struggling to understand how to accomplish this transition effectively. In response, we draw on the technological innovation systems perspective and... more
Transportation systems are transitioning to e-mobility, but scholars and policymakers are struggling to understand how to accomplish this transition effectively. In response, we draw on the technological innovation systems perspective and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology to develop a theory-guided and entity-based simulation model to better understand, among others, electric vehicle (EV) adoption processes as a specific yet core element driving business innovation. By doing so, our model is among the first to capture and combine the macro-and micro-level interactions associated with the EV transition process. Our simulation results shed light on the impact of alternative innovation policies, notably by explaining relations between EV market dynamics and changes in e-mobility policies, such as EV-related subsidies and resource mobilization. As such, the simulation modeling approach adopted in this paper enables a more in-depth study of transition problems relate...
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The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered one of the deepest economic recessions in human history, largely as a result of the full lockdown strategy adopted by many national governments. This lockdown strategy was primarily motivated by the... more
The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered one of the deepest economic recessions in human history, largely as a result of the full lockdown strategy adopted by many national governments. This lockdown strategy was primarily motivated by the limited capacities of Intensive Care Units and a lack of medical staff and equipment. In this essay, I argue that the COVID crisis and the widely used lockdown response are socially constructed, which invites a public discourse on how we can design societal solutions that would prevent the need for an indiscriminate lockdown response to a future pandemic or any other similar crisis. One potential solution is further developed in this essay: the design of latent capabilities for responding to any future emergencies. These latent capabilities, embedded in many host organizations, can help in quickly resolve shortages in professional skills and resources, which are likely to occur in any future crisis. Here, the COVID-19 crisis provides a major learning o...
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Human-driven changes on this planet have been giving rise to global warming, social instability, civil wars, and acts of terrorism. The existing system of global governance is not equipped to effectively address these enormous challenges.... more
Human-driven changes on this planet have been giving rise to global warming, social instability, civil wars, and acts of terrorism. The existing system of global governance is not equipped to effectively address these enormous challenges. It is slow where one must move quickly, favors bureaucracy and politics over authentic deliberations and effective interventions, and caters to power-brokers and mega-corporations. The world therefore needs a model of global governance that serves to make and implement collectively binding decisions that acknowledge the interests of all those affected, including future generations. This governance model must coordinate the work of great (e.g. national) powers, and at the same time enable billions of people to bring their intelligence and creativity to bear on these challenges. In many ways, the quest for a new system of global governance is a grand societal challenge in itself. In this paper, we draw on idealized design to develop an ideal model of...
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Design science (DS) approaches have been emerging in engineering, management and other disciplines operating at the interface between design research and the natural or social sciences. Research informed by DS is challenging because it... more
Design science (DS) approaches have been emerging in engineering, management and other disciplines operating at the interface between design research and the natural or social sciences. Research informed by DS is challenging because it involves “mixing oil with water”, using a famous phrase of Herbert Simon. A key challenge here is the dual role of theory: one can develop a “theory of” any empirical phenomenon to explain its characteristics and outcomes, or alternatively, develop a “theory for” generating this phenomenon, focused on solving problems and enlarging possibilities. To clearly distinguish these two perspectives, we talk about theorizing in relation to theory-of and framing related to theory-for. A state-of-the-art review of how DS is applied by management researchers results in two main findings. First, explicit (re)framing efforts appear to be highly instrumental in challenging a given theoretical paradigm and thereby reduce the risk of being constrained to it; these fi...
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The notion of hierarchy is widely used in many academic disciplines but is also rather ambiguous, because there are many ways to define it. In this review paper, I explore which notions of hierarchy are being used in the field of... more
The notion of hierarchy is widely used in many academic disciplines but is also rather ambiguous, because there are many ways to define it. In this review paper, I explore which notions of hierarchy are being used in the field of management and organization studies. Four distinct types of hierarchy are identified: a ladder of formal decision-making authority, a ladder of achieved status, a self-organized ladder of responsibility, and an ideology-based ladder. A social mechanism-based perspective serves to define and distinguish these four types. Subsequently, the typology is further developed by comparing the four hierarchy types in terms of their tacit/explicitness, (in)transitivity, and behavior- versus cognition-centeredness. This review paper contributes to the literature by dissecting the general metaphor of hierarchy into four different constructs and their social mechanisms, which serves to create a typology of the various ways in which hierarchy is being used in the domain o...
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One of the biggest challenges of our time is to develop the management discipline into a true profession. In this respect, business schools have been accused for failing to promote better policies and management practices as well as... more
One of the biggest challenges of our time is to develop the management discipline into a true profession. In this respect, business schools have been accused for failing to promote better policies and management practices as well as failing to educate students, as prospective managers, about their moral and social responsibilities. This essay outlines a multi-dimensional framework for professionalization, involving the dimensions of purpose, knowledge, behavior, and expectation. Subsequently, this framework is used to define and explore various paths out of the current intellectual stasis of the field of management and business. A key pathway is creating a shared sense of professional purpose and responsibility; another important route involves developing a professional body of knowledge informed by both discovery and validation; third, so-called ‘trading zones’ need to be developed, to offer opportunities for (professionals with) different voices and interests to meet; ...
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In many urban environments, so-called Living Labs have been created. A Living Lab (LL) is an emerging innovation methodology that may serve to reduce the gap between new technology development and the adoption of this new technology by... more
In many urban environments, so-called Living Labs have been created. A Living Lab (LL) is an emerging innovation methodology that may serve to reduce the gap between new technology development and the adoption of this new technology by users, by bringing together all key actors in the innovation process: public administration, education institutes, companies, and citizens. However, a substantial number of LLs struggle to translate the customer value created into a sustainable business model. As a result, many LLs are financially not sustainable. Several previous studies found that most LLs primarily rely on public grants; thus, they often stop their activities when public funding ends. In this paper, we draw on a comprehensive literature review and practical evidence from three cases, to develop a framework of various funding options which can be employed by any LL that seeks to become more financially sustainable.
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Reflective questioning is a critical activity in management learning and education. This article describes research on the nature of reflective questioning in groups of management students working on final MSc projects. Drawing on content... more
Reflective questioning is a critical activity in management learning and education. This article describes research on the nature of reflective questioning in groups of management students working on final MSc projects. Drawing on content analysis of recorded meetings, we identify the following key dimensions of reflective questioning: provocation, need for cognition, epistemology, locus of cognition, logic, heuristics, level of abstraction, and cognitive complexity. The data suggest that individual reflection by students and collective reflection in group meetings are highly complementary in management education. In particular, individual reflection by students combined with meetings that support and provoke collective reflection may create substantial synergies between individual and collective learning. We also discuss the implications of these findings for management education.
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Herbert Simon once suggested that the social sciences are actually the hard sciences due to the enormous complexity and interconnectedness of the elements within social systems. This insight is also critical in understanding the nature of... more
Herbert Simon once suggested that the social sciences are actually the hard sciences due to the enormous complexity and interconnectedness of the elements within social systems. This insight is also critical in understanding the nature of change and development of large organizational systems. Adopting a science-based design approach, the authors place emphasis on the importance of developing construction principles and design rules for the implementation of large-scale organization development (OD) interventions. The empirical part of the article draws on several case studies of OD projects that employ the methods of circular redesign. The first case illustrates how implementation may fail as a result of a lack of awareness of the complexity of OD implementation and experimentation processes. The second case suggests that a coherent set of principles and rules can provide a common framework and language for scholars, managers, and consultants working together in large-scale organizational change projects.
Research Interests: Psychology, Cognitive Science, Design, Organizational Change, Evidence Based Practice, and 11 moreDesign Research, Organization Design, Business and Management, Case Study, Organization Development, Circular Organizing, Social System, Large Scale, Applied Behavioral Science, Social Science, and Design rules
This is Introduction chapter to "The Quest for Professionalism: The Case of Management and Entrepreneurship" (Oxford University Press, 2016).
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One important reason why there are so many very badly managed firms in the world today is the widespread belief that management should be the responsibility of a few people at the top. The future of corporations may therefore depend on... more
One important reason why there are so many very badly managed firms in the world today is the widespread belief that management should be the responsibility of a few people at the top. The future of corporations may therefore depend on the rise of distributed forms of management, such as holacracy. This short article discusses three misconceptions that have grown up around holacracy.
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In this paper on design science (DS), I outlines what DS is, what it is good for, and how it can be applied. This primer on DS also includes an annotated list of references.
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As a research methodology, design science operates at the interface of creative design and explanatory science to create and test innovative solutions. Design Science (DS) methodologies have emerged in various disciplines such as... more
As a research methodology, design science operates at the interface of creative design and explanatory science to create and test innovative solutions. Design Science (DS) methodologies have emerged in various disciplines such as information systems, operations management, innovation management, and entrepreneurship. A major source of inspiration for the rise of DS is Simon’s monograph (1969) The Sciences of the Artificial. DS can be applied to tangible artifacts (e.g. hardware and software), intangible artifacts (e.g. innovation processes and team collaboration), or combinations of the two (e.g. a system for creating deep-tech ventures). Moreover, it can draw on a diverse set of (semi)experimental and related methods for collecting and analysing (qualitative and/or quantitative) data, which also enables its application to innovation settings in which the number of observations and cases initially is rather small. DS therefore differs from action research by focusing on solutions as artifacts as well as adopting a broader and more flexible approach to data collection and analysis. DS also goes beyond merely problem-solving, because it draws on evidence-based protocols and also fuels theory development. In this primer on DS, I outline what it is, what it is good for, and how it can be used.
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Deep-tech startups have enormous potential to solve major societal challenges, but their failure rates are quite high (above 90%). In this respect, deep-tech systems and products have long development times and thus require substantial... more
Deep-tech startups have enormous potential to solve major societal challenges, but their failure rates are quite high (above 90%). In this respect, deep-tech systems and products have long development times and thus require substantial amounts of investment capital long before the first customer can be served. Moreover, potential investors increasingly expect that the value proposition of a deep-tech venture has a clear sustainability dimension. We therefore designed a tool that serves to develop a convincing value proposition for investors, one that is explicitly connected to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. We adopted a design science approach to develop and test this tool in the context of a deep-tech venture builder located in The Netherlands. The final tool arising from this study extends and integrates various existing tools with an explicit connection to the SDGs. As such, this tool enables deep-tech entrepreneurs to develop a value proposition that is more likely to attract early-stage investors.
Research Interests: Design Science, Design Science research, Venture Capital, Theory of Change, New Venture Creation, and 8 moreValue Propositions, Business Model Canvas, Recruitment and Selection of Talent, Valley of Death, Value Proposition Canvas, New high technology ventures, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and DeepTech
The Brainport-Eindhoven region has developed into a leading location for deeptech entrepreneurship in Europe. Against all odds, it has transformed itself from a region that heavily depended on the multinational company Philips, into a... more
The Brainport-Eindhoven region has developed into a leading location for deeptech entrepreneurship in Europe. Against all odds, it has transformed itself from a region that heavily depended on the multinational company Philips, into a diverse and fast-growing deeptech ecosystem. While this success has not gone unnoticed, there is not yet a clear account of how and why the Eindhoven region emerged as a global hotspot for deeptech innovation and entrepreneurship. Moreover, such an account might provide an exemplary model of a collaborative ecosystem, one that provides an alternative to the “winner-takes-all” entrepreneurial culture of Silicon Valley. This essay explores the performance of the Eindhoven region in terms of three structural conditions. First, the focus on deeptech R&D and entrepreneurship appears to be deeply rooted in the region’s history as well as strong competencies in systems engineering, design thinking, and multidisciplinary collaboration. Second, a collaborative approach to regional policy gives industrial, academic, and governmental actors an equivalent position in its “triple helix” governance. Finally, the Eindhoven region benefits from a systemic approach toward co-locating R&D and entrepreneurial activities on five campuses. Overall, the huge complexity of deeptech systems and products apparently requires a
truly collaborative approach at all levels of the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
truly collaborative approach at all levels of the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Research Interests:
The Brainport-Eindhoven region has developed into a leading location for deeptech entrepreneurship in Europe. Against all odds, it has transformed itself from a region that heavily depended on the multinational company Philips, into a... more
The Brainport-Eindhoven region has developed into a leading location for deeptech entrepreneurship in Europe. Against all odds, it has transformed itself from a region that heavily depended on the multinational company Philips, into a diverse and fast-growing deeptech ecosystem. While this success has not gone unnoticed, there is not yet a clear account of how and why the Eindhoven region emerged as a global hotspot for deeptech innovation and entrepreneurship. Moreover, such an account might provide an exemplary model of a collaborative ecosystem, one that provides an alternative to the "winner-takes-all" entrepreneurial culture of Silicon Valley. This essay explores the performance of the Eindhoven region in terms of three structural conditions. First, the focus on deeptech R&D and entrepreneurship appears to be deeply rooted in the region's history as well as strong competencies in systems engineering, design thinking, and multidisciplinary collaboration. Second, a collaborative approach to regional policy gives industrial, academic, and governmental actors an equivalent position in its "triple helix" governance. Finally, the Eindhoven region benefits from a systemic approach toward co-locating R&D and entrepreneurial activities on five campuses. Overall, the huge complexity of deeptech systems and products apparently requires a truly collaborative approach at all levels of the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Research Interests:
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