Markus Laursen and Catherine P. Killen
The purpose of this paper is to holistically explore value creation approaches in a program of cultural projects to inform the practices of project/program management in both…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to holistically explore value creation approaches in a program of cultural projects to inform the practices of project/program management in both public and private sectors.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper brings together the literature on project, program and portfolio value creation to inform a case study conducted with engaged scholarship research methods.
Findings
Three themes of value creation are revealed: managing collaboration, coordination and perception. Effectuation and causation are both observed, demonstrating that a combination of logics underpin decision making in projects.
Research limitations/implications
The results are based on a single case in a cultural context. Further research is needed to determine whether the observed value creation themes apply more generally, and to explore more deeply the use of logics associated with entrepreneurship in project decision making.
Practical implications
The study reveals several non-commercial aspects of value creation that may play a role across a range of project environments. Practitioners may be able to recognize a wider range of value creation and to better nurture these previously unacknowledged types of value.
Originality/value
The study provides new insights on value and decision logic through in-depth analysis of value creation in a program of culture projects.
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Louise Ejgod Hansen and Markus Laursen
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the management challenges related to the transition from the application phase to the delivery phase of the project of being a European…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the management challenges related to the transition from the application phase to the delivery phase of the project of being a European Capital of Culture (ECoC).
Design/methodology/approach
Case study based on qualitative research interviews with the management team, combined with existing research on ECoC and documents on the Aarhus 2017 project.
Findings
The first main finding is that the challenges are caused by the way in which the transition from applicant to designated ECoC includes a change in management, shifting from a project to a programme structure and change in organisation. The second main finding is that stakeholder management in relation to politicians and cultural agents is challenged by a high level of ownership and expectation.
Research limitations/implications
The study focuses on just one case and one phase of the project.
Practical implications
Consequences for the way ECoC are managed and the programme organised could be drawn from this.
Originality/value
The originality of the work is in that it studies this very critical phase in the project’s life-cycle in great detail, and focuses specifically on the management of ECoC.
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Wei Wang, Ximing Yin, Ryan Coles and Jin Chen
Current open innovation (OI) and external knowledge search (EKS) research primarily shows a positive linear relationship between EKS and innovation at an individual level…
Abstract
Purpose
Current open innovation (OI) and external knowledge search (EKS) research primarily shows a positive linear relationship between EKS and innovation at an individual level. However, organizational scholarship argues that excessive EKS may harm innovation. This study combines the knowledge-based view (KBV) and attention-based view (ABV) to articulate a nonlinear theory of EKS and innovation at the individual level.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors constructed a multi-sourced dataset covering 59,798 USA pharmaceutical patents spanning from 1975 to 2014 and employed negative binomial fixed-effect models to examine theoretical hypotheses.
Findings
We find a significant concave curvilinear relationship between EKS and innovation quantity as well as innovation quality at an individual level. An individual’s knowledge breadth and depth moderate the relationship between EKS and innovation, such that the threshold at which EKS has diminishing returns for individual innovation is higher for inventors with a broad range of knowledge and those with deeper expertise in the domain where they are innovating.
Research limitations/implications
Managers should guide inventors toward a moderate investment of time and effort in EKS and should caution against over searching. Besides, managers should recognize that an inventor’s capacity for EKS is determined in part by their breadth of knowledge across various domains as well as the depth of knowledge they have in the knowledge domain where they are innovating.
Practical implications
We provide both parties with a clearer understanding of when EKS can begin to deteriorate an individual’s innovation performance why that deterioration occurs, and we also highlight two individual-level knowledge characteristics to take into consideration when deciding when to cease the EKS process.
Social implications
This study provides a novel holistic understanding of OI and knowledge management for policymakers and organizations to nourish innovation dynamism and make the best of knowledge stocks in the community, which in turn will create endless power for sustainable social change and inclusive development.
Originality/value
This study contributes to OI theory by highlighting the non-linear nature of the relationship between EKS and innovation on an individual level. This represents a fundamental shift in theory on EKS and individual innovation by suggesting a major rethinking of how the two concepts relate, revealing the dark side of EKS in knowledge management if inventors engage in excessive EKS. Likewise, our study’s incorporation of the ABV informs KBV scholarship by highlighting the role of the limited attentional capacity of individuals in firm knowledge management.
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Yalan Wang, Chengjun Wang, Wei Wang and Xiaoming Sun
This study aims to investigate the influence of inventors’ abilities to acquire external knowledge, provide broad and professional knowledge and patenting output (i.e. different…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the influence of inventors’ abilities to acquire external knowledge, provide broad and professional knowledge and patenting output (i.e. different types of inventors) on the formation of structural holes.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors collected 59,798 patents applied for and granted in the USA by 33 of the largest firms worldwide in the pharmaceutical industry between 1975 and 2014. A random-effects tobit model was used to test the hypotheses.
Findings
The inventors’ ability to acquire external knowledge contributes to the formation of structural holes. While inventors’ ability to provide broad knowledge positively affects the formation of structural holes, their ability to provide professional knowledge works otherwise. In addition, key inventors and industrious inventors are more likely to form structural holes than talents.
Originality/value
The results identify individual factors that affect the formation of structural holes and improve the understanding of structural hole theory. This study is unique in that most scholars have studied the consequences of structural hole formation rather than their antecedents. Studies on the origin of structural holes neglect the effect of inventors’ knowledge abilities and patenting output. By addressing this gap, this study contributes to a more comprehensive theoretical understanding of structural holes. The results can guide managers in managing structural holes in accordance with inventors’ knowledge abilities and patenting outputs, which optimize the allocation of network resources.
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Xianglin Zhu, Naiding Yang, Mingzhen Zhang and Yu Wang
Technical knowledge is a key factor in firm innovation. This study aims to construct a theoretical framework of technological boundary-spanning search, exploratory innovation and…
Abstract
Purpose
Technical knowledge is a key factor in firm innovation. This study aims to construct a theoretical framework of technological boundary-spanning search, exploratory innovation and exploitative innovation to help firms adjust their search strategies and improve the effect of external resources on internal innovation.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses questionnaires to collect data and conducts empirical analysis using SPSS25 and AMOS24.
Findings
Technological boundary-spanning search is positively correlated with ambidextrous innovation. Additionally, knowledge base positively moderates the effect of technological boundary-spanning search on ambidextrous innovation and knowledge distance negatively moderates the effect of technological boundary-spanning search on ambidextrous innovation. When a firm’s knowledge base is robust, its ambidextrous innovation can benefit more from technological boundary-spanning search. Additionally, when the knowledge distance is less, a firm’s ambidextrous innovation can benefit more from technological boundary-spanning search.
Originality/value
Considering organizational ambidexterity, this study divides firm innovation into exploratory innovation and exploitative innovation and presents a theoretical framework for the effect of technological boundary-spanning search on ambidextrous innovation. Additionally, it provides a comprehensive understanding of the crucial roles of knowledge base and knowledge distance in the relationship between technological boundary-spanning search and exploratory and exploitative innovation.
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Feng Dong, Xiao Wang and Jiawen Chen
This study aims to investigate the impact of family ownership on cooperative research and development (R&D). Drawing on the ability and willingness paradox framework in family…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the impact of family ownership on cooperative research and development (R&D). Drawing on the ability and willingness paradox framework in family business research, the authors suggest that family ownership influences cooperative R&D via two opposing mechanisms: power concentration and wealth concentration. It also deepens the current understanding of the boundary conditions of informal institutions for the impact of family ownership on cooperative R&D by investigating the moderating role of political ties.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors analyze a panel of 610 Chinese manufacturing family firms and 2,127 firm-year observations from 2009 to 2017. Fixed effects regression analysis is used to test the hypotheses, with the two-stage Heckman model to address sample selection bias.
Findings
The research findings indicate that family ownership has an inverted U-shaped relationship with cooperative R&D and political ties moderate the relationship in such a way that the inverted U-shaped relationship will be steeper in firms with more political ties than in firms with fewer political ties.
Practical implications
Family ownership influences firms’ cooperative R&D through the positive effect of power concentration and the negative effect of wealth concentration. Family owners should, therefore, take advantage of concentrated power, for instance, by adapting quickly and committing sufficient resources to cooperative R&D opportunities, while controlling path-dependent relationship development caused by concentrated family wealth. The effect of political ties on the relationship between family ownership and cooperative R&D is found to be a double-edged sword.
Originality/value
This study extends the ability and willingness paradox framework and provides novel insights into cooperative R&D in family businesses by integrating power concentration and wealth concentration associated with family ownership. Moreover, this study provides a contingency perspective and introduces the moderating role of political ties in shaping cooperative R&D in family firms.
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Steffen Roth, Markus Heidingsfelder, Lars Clausen and Klaus Brønd Laursen
Markus Heidingsfelder, Peter Zeiner, Kelvin J. A. Ooi and Mohammad Arif Sobhan Bhuiyan