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1 – 9 of 9This paper aims to shed light on how offshore wind park business networks can orchestrate dynamic capabilities to enable innovation for the competitive advantage of renewable…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to shed light on how offshore wind park business networks can orchestrate dynamic capabilities to enable innovation for the competitive advantage of renewable offshore wind energy.
Design/methodology/approach
The research is based on a qualitative multiple-case study of operation and maintenance activities in offshore wind parks, starting in June 2014 with a pilot qualitative case study and the main qualitative multiple-case research conducted via in-depth interviews with 20 enterprises. The preliminary findings were presented for the qualitative triangulation of comments in a seminar in May 2015.
Findings
The findings explain the need for collaboration across the business network through the use of an open innovation platform for orchestrating dynamic signature capabilities in combination with ordinary capabilities. Both locally distributed leadership and central leadership in knowledge creation are necessary ingredients. The model developed from the research findings shows the need to change the competitive advantage criteria within business networks to VRIS (valuable, rare, imitable, substitutable) in contrast to the traditional criteria for individual enterprises of VRIN (valuable, rare, imperfectly imitable, non-substitutable).
Research limitations/implications
The research is focused on offshore wind park business networks, and therefore, the generalizability of this qualitative case study to other contexts can be limited. Further research is thus needed to verify the findings.
Originality/value
A three-fold contribution is made to the understanding of the integrated combination of orchestrating dynamic capabilities in the offshore wind energy sector. Business networks, academia and policy bodies are given a model for enacting the competitive advantage of renewable offshore wind energy for the benefit of society.
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This paper aims to reveal how larger enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can enable innovation collaboration for enhanced competitiveness of the offshore…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to reveal how larger enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can enable innovation collaboration for enhanced competitiveness of the offshore wind energy sector.
Design/methodology/approach
The research is based on a longitudinal qualitative study starting in 2011 with a project-based network learning course with 15 SME wind farm suppliers and follow-up interviews with 10 SMEs and continued with interviews conducted with 20 individual enterprises within operation and maintenance conducted in 2014-2015.
Findings
The findings reveal challenges as well as opportunities for innovation collaboration between larger enterprises and SMEs to contribute to the innovation and competitiveness of the offshore wind farm sector. A glass ceiling is revealed for demand-driven positions if the SME does not possess rare and specific valuable knowledge. There are opportunities revealed in general for supplier-driven positions if SME suppliers can collaborate and develop interesting solutions for larger enterprises. If SMEs succeed in either of these aims, the SMEs have an opportunity to attain partner-driven collaboration. However, challenges are present according to the understanding of the different organisational approaches in SMEs and larger enterprises and in the different business approaches.
Research limitations/implications
The research is limited to the offshore wind energy sector. Further research is needed for verification of the findings in other energy sectors.
Originality/value
A fourfold contribution is made to enhance the understanding of innovation collaboration and to enable competitiveness for the offshore wind energy sector. SMEs, larger enterprises, academic researchers and policy bodies are provided with a model for action within the four positions for innovation collaboration.
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The purpose of this paper is to reveal how management of uncertainty can enable sustainability of complex projects.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to reveal how management of uncertainty can enable sustainability of complex projects.
Design/methodology/approach
The research was conducted from June 2014 to May 2015 using a qualitative deductive approach among operation and maintenance actors in offshore wind farms. The research contains a focus group interview with 11 companies, 20 individual interviews and a seminar presenting preliminary findings with 60 participants.
Findings
The findings reveal the need for management of uncertainty through two different paths. First, project management needs to frontload important issues, which results in the need to use resources much earlier than noted in the usual stage gate approach. Additionally, the base organisation needs the capacity to both explore and exploit important issues. In the summarisation of findings, a tool is developed for the two paths to join efforts.
Research limitations/implications
Further research is needed to reveal the generalisability of the findings in other complex project contexts containing “unknown unknowns”.
Practical implications
The research leads to the development of a tool for uncertainty management for sustainability of complex projects, which is termed “UMSCoPS”. The model provides a guide for insight and understanding of uncertainty management.
Originality/value
The previous knowledge on managing uncertainty for sustainability of complex projects is enhanced regarding the uncertainty management in complex projects. The approach to uncertainty has returned to the original notion of the “unknown unknowns”, and project management thereby leaves the widely used stage gate approach. The developed tool provides a fresh understanding of the challenges of uncertainty.
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Innovation ecosystems consist of independent and yet interdependent enterprises and actors. This constitutes a challenge for innovation leadership to set the direction to pursue…
Abstract
Innovation ecosystems consist of independent and yet interdependent enterprises and actors. This constitutes a challenge for innovation leadership to set the direction to pursue UN SDGs. Enhanced insights and understandings of how collaborative innovation leadership can be conducted in practice are revealed in two cases conducted using a participatory action research approach. Hereby theory and practice are linked by the ecosystem participant actions to reach competitiveness of the offshore wind energy ecosystem compared to traditional/other renewable energy sources pursuing UN SDG number 7 of ‘affordable and clean energy’. The two cases are situated in ports in offshore wind energy innovation ecosystems, respectively in the Baltic Sea and in the North Sea. The first case contains complementary ecosystem participants with both leadership and expert positions. The second case contains both complementary and competitive ecosystem participants with leadership positions. The findings note that both cases can use collaborative innovation leadership through the point of origin in the guiding star of the value proposition at ecosystem level to go beyond their own enterprise self-interest. Next, collaborative innovation leadership is based in heterogeneities of both knowledge domains and individual and organisational behaviours for the innovative imagination of future needed initiatives for collaborative design-based sensemaking. A short-term challenge is present from reduced revenue in own enterprise from future needed initiatives. This short-term impact needs to be addressed for enhanced long-term robustness. The findings are summarised in a model for dissemination of collaborative innovation leadership in ecosystems to pursue UN SDGs in practice.
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Tove Brink and Svend Ole Madsen
The purpose of this paper is to reveal how managers of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can utilise their participation in research-based training to enable innovation…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to reveal how managers of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can utilise their participation in research-based training to enable innovation and growth.
Design/methodology/approach
Action research and action learning from a longitudinal study of ten SME managers in the wind turbine industry are applied to reveal SME managers’ learning and the impact of the application of learning in the wind turbine industry.
Findings
The findings of this study show that SME managers employ a practice-shaped, holistic, cross-disciplinary approach to learning. This learning approach is supported by theory dissemination and collaboration on perceived business challenges. Open-mindedness to new learning by SME managers and to cross-disciplinary collaboration with SME managers by university facilitators/researchers is required.
Research limitations/implications
The research is conducted within the wind turbine industry, in which intense demands for innovation are pursued. The findings require verification in other industry contexts.
Practical implications
This research contributes strategies for SME managers to utilise research-based training and for universities regarding how to work with SME training. In addition, public bodies can enhance their understanding of SMEs for innovation and growth. The learning approach that is suitable for specialisation in larger organisations is not suitable in the SME context.
Social implications
SME learning is enhanced by a social approach to integrating essential large-scale industry players and other SME managers to create extended action and value from learning.
Originality/value
The findings reveal the need for extended theory development for and a markedly different approach to SME training from that used for training managers in larger companies. This topic has received only limited attention in previous research.
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The purpose of this paper is to enhance the understanding of the impact of passion and compassion on innovation and growth and, in this way, add to the current knowledge on…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to enhance the understanding of the impact of passion and compassion on innovation and growth and, in this way, add to the current knowledge on organising growth in the context of networking small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Design/methodology/approach
The research was conducted in three networks with a sample of 55 separate SMEs. Through a quantitative study, the anticipated positive impact of passion and compassion on growth and on intermediate innovation issues were tested.
Findings
The analyses reveal no direct significant impacts of passion (own-profitability and interest) and compassion (other-profitability and interest) on growth. However, compassion had a very significant positive impact on manager ideas, which in turn had a positive impact on growth. Passion also had a positive impact, but this was proportionally much smaller. Moreover, the ability to organise the dualities of passion and compassion made a contribution to growth.
Research limitations/implications
The results of the research enhance the understanding of an integrative approach of passion and compassion to innovation in a network context.
Practical implications
Networking SMEs can use the findings to better understand and organise own actions to pursue growth. Policy bodies can use the findings to motivate SMEs to pursue growth.
Originality/value
The findings of this study enhance the theoretical understanding of passion and compassion and their integrated impact on growth. In firm networks, compassion and passion have a dual impact with compassion being most significant to enable innovation and growth. A contribution is hereby made to organise growth in firm networks.
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This paper aims to establish how the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) conceptual model, which holds a lot of potential in theory, works in practice. It…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to establish how the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) conceptual model, which holds a lot of potential in theory, works in practice. It also aims to identify, and if possible, give solutions to problems found in two of the existing prototypes.
Design/methodology/approach
An independent evaluation and comparison of two of the most recent FRBR‐based prototypes, OCLC FictionFinder and the LibraryLabs, was carried out in January 2007.
Findings
FictionFinder focuses almost exclusively on the concept of work, while the LibraryLabs prototype applies an FRBR‐like structure only as part of a larger group of experiments. Neither of the prototypes fully follows FRBR, owing to issues associated with current cataloguing practice and the model itself. These barriers also cause some practical shortcomings for these prototypes, however new results displays clearly enhance the user experience.
Research limitations/implications
The prototypes may not be representative of the whole population of FRBR‐based implementations. Also, technical aspects of the implementations were not taken into account, as user experience was given full priority.
Practical implications
The identified problems and any given solutions should help not only the authors of the two prototypes, but also other researches in the field.
Originality/value
This paper offers a rare published independent evaluation of two FRBR‐based prototypes, giving pointers towards improvement and establishing the position of current FRBR implementation relative to what is expected in the future.
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