Topic：New research interests and directions in the field of innovation management
Reporter：Mark Greeven, assistant professor of Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University
Time: 14:00-16:00, Thursday, 18 Dec
What is innovation? How can we explain innovation? What determines successful innovation for organizations?
A comprehensive perspective on innovation necessitates both a systems perspective (be it national or regional) and an organizational (capability) perspective. Innovation can only contribute to the growth of an organization if the organization develops innovative capabilities that take into account system conditions. More specifically the lecture argue that innovative capabilities are contingent on technological - and institutional conditions. Based on this understanding of the innovation process several directions for future innovation research will be discussed. Lastly, Mark Greeven would like to engage in a discussion of the various research topics studied by the students/teachers in relation to the perspective I presented.
Mark Greeven is an assistant professor at the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University. Mark’s research deals with innovation and entrepreneurship in China. Despite an institutional environment characterized by high levels of uncertainty, innovation thrives even in the technology-based sector. The research asks for explanations how innovative capabilities are developed in such an adverse institutional environment. For analyzing the institutional environment the research will rely on the business system approach (e.g Whitley) while approaches from the capabilities and resource-based theory (e.g. Penrose, Teece), innovation (Schumpeter), and social capital (e.g. Burt, Coleman, Granovetter) will be used for explaining the behavior of firms. Based on extensive field research in cooperation with Chinese entrepreneurs and academics in Hangzhou, Mark suggests that specific innovative capabilities are developed in response to technical, market and institutional (legal, regulatory) risks. Moreover, these capabilities show local and sectoral variety. He has published his work in book chapters with Edward Elgar and Springer and international academic journals such as European Management Journal and is currently working on a special issue article for Management and Organization Review. Next to publishing in these academic outlets, he frequently appears in the Dutch media. |
