Книги

The objective of this paper is to contribute to a perspective on economic performance; i.e. the interaction between norms specific to a company, the knowledge basis of the company and innovation. The main questions in this article are: What is the connection between norms specific to the company, the knowledge basis of the company and innovation? The main thesis in the article is that a companys capabilities are primarily developed on the basis of social norms and values already existing in the social relations of the company. This in turn influences how the company develops and applies the knowledge basis, thus influencing innovation strategies.

The present paper lists the management constraints that impact on innovation in business firms. Some of these constraints may thwart innovation, or make it slower, others may accelate the process or increase the number of innovations in the firm, others still may influence the nature of the innovations which the firm will endeavour. Only management constraints are considered here, i.e those constraints pertaining to the interface between intention and really implemented action, as well as those influencing the intention in a partially predictible manner. The related interfaces may be formalized (e.g. management tools and methods like the business plan), they may be partially or totally informal (e.g. the power system, or the innovation process itself). It may be that some of, or all the actors in the innovation do not perceive, or perceive with a bias, the very existence of the constraint, i.e. of the link it has with innovation. The first part of the paper is devoted to the constraints that impinge upon senior managers, lower level managers and others involved in the innovation process (paragraphs 1 and 2). The constraints are then viewed from an organizational standpoint (what they are in different types of organizational structures, what is the contribution of different organizational vital systems), and through models of the innovation process produced by empirically valid organization research (paragraphs 3 and 4). The paper ends with some considerations on the origin of innovative ideas and on the usefulness of constraints for innovation.

It has been assumed by design professionals and educators that designers are innovators or at least contribute to innovation, indeed there have been numerous studies linking design to creativity and innovation. Often design is linked to intangible as well as tangible values in product success but do we know exactly how; what models exist; and how do designers really provide real value to the organisation and indeed to the supply chain? These are the questions that this current research study has been addressing in the UK.