Abstract
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Davide Chiaroni, Vittorio Chiesa and Federico Frattini
The purpose of this paper is to focus on the adoption of the open innovation paradigm in the bio‐pharmaceutical industry and investigate through which organisational modes (e.g…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to focus on the adoption of the open innovation paradigm in the bio‐pharmaceutical industry and investigate through which organisational modes (e.g. collaborations, in‐ and out‐licensing) open innovation has been implemented and how these modes are interwoven with the different phases of the drug discovery and development process. Open innovation is currently one of the most debated issues in management literature. Few contributions, however, have paid attention so far to systematically and longitudinally addressing the adoption of open innovation in a specific industry.
Design/methodology/approach
A two‐step research strategy has been adopted. First, a panel study of top industry representatives was organised to operationalise the concept of organisational modes of open innovation in the bio‐pharmaceutical industry. Second, the open innovation modes used by the first 20 pharmaceutical biotech firms worldwide have been documented over the period 2000‐2005 in the various phases of the drug discovery and development process.
Findings
A framework of analysis, establishing the relations between open innovation modes and the phases of the drug discovery and development process, has been developed and assessed in the industry, allowing the determinants of adoption of different modes and their managerial implications to be discussed and to relate them to the peculiarities of the biotech industry.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to the ongoing debate on open innovation by representing one of the first attempts to systematically and longitudinally assess the extent and particularly the determinants of the adoption of open innovation in a specific industry.
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C.A. Voss, V. Chiesa and P. Coughlan
Sets out to examine two questions: first, can an academic‐based approachcontribute to benchmarking and self assessment and, second, can tools bedeveloped for use in manufacturing…
Abstract
Sets out to examine two questions: first, can an academic‐based approach contribute to benchmarking and self assessment and, second, can tools be developed for use in manufacturing, in particular those to do with technology management. Proposes and tests a procedure for developing and evaluating benchmarking tools and frameworks. Illustrates this with the development of an overall technology management framework and detailed frameworks and tools for process technology and innovation management.
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Patrick T. Hester and Thomas J. Meyers
Historically, public and private sector enterprises have been viewed as existing on opposing ends of the performance measurement spectrum, due to seemingly incompatible…
Abstract
Historically, public and private sector enterprises have been viewed as existing on opposing ends of the performance measurement spectrum, due to seemingly incompatible worldviews. Private sector enterprises are traditionally viewed as profit-driven and focused on a return on investment paradigm, while public sector enterprises are seen as mission-oriented and answerable to a paradigm less focused on investment and more on improving enterprise capability. The authors propose that, in fact, these worldviews are not mutually exclusive, as private and public sector enterprises must both account for investment and mission concerns. In order to leverage real synergy to be gained from distinct but complementary viewpoints, a systemic approach to evaluating organization performance through the novel fusion of operational test and evaluation and multi-criteria decision analysis is developed. Use of this framework is demonstrated within an enterprise that involves consideration of public and private sector concerns. The authors hope that the approach proposed in this chapter will enable public and private sector enterprises to comprehensively address performance.
Vittorio Chiesa, Alfredo De Massis, Federico Frattini and Raffaella Manzini
The purpose of this paper is to study nanotech technical and scientific seminars (TSS) companies from a managerial perspective. Specifically, it means to: firstly, understand how…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study nanotech technical and scientific seminars (TSS) companies from a managerial perspective. Specifically, it means to: firstly, understand how TSS firms manage the sale of their services; and secondly, to identify the implications that different approaches in the TSS sale management have on the client firm's innovation process.
Design/methodology/approach
First, a literature analysis identifies the critical variables of a service sale management model for nanotech TSS firms. Then, an empirical investigation involving ten nanotech Italian companies was conducted. The empirical results were analytically generalised and integrated with suggestions from the literature to provide general insights into the research topic.
Findings
The paper shows that nanotech TSS companies adopt two alternative models for managing their service sale: a customised approach and a standardised one. They differ in terms of: management of the commercial relationship; phases of interaction with the client firm; and degree of standardisation of the provided service.
Research limitations/implications
Because of the applied research methodology, the findings can be generalised to TSS companies offering services in the field of nanotechnology, although implications for similar technology‐intensive sectors are discussed.
Practical implications
The two TSS sale management models have different implications on the client's innovation process, in terms of: firstly, structure of the process itself and, secondly, applied managerial and organisational practices. These effects should be considered by the innovator that wants to fully exploit the potentiality of the acquired service.
Originality/value
So far, TSS have been analysed in the literature from the client firm's point of view. The paper widens this perspective, since it considers the two opposite viewpoints in the TSS sale: the service supplier's and the service buyer's.
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Vittorio Chiesa, Federico Frattini, Valentina Lazzarotti and Raffaella Manzini
The purpose of this paper is to address the problem of designing a performance measurement system (PMS) for research and development (R&D) activities; in particular, it…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to address the problem of designing a performance measurement system (PMS) for research and development (R&D) activities; in particular, it investigates if and how different objectives for the PMS use influence the design of its constitutive elements.
Design/methodology/approach
A literature review was first conducted, aimed at identifying the constitutive elements of a PMS for R&D and the major purposes for its use. Then, a multiple case study involving four Italian technology‐intensive firms was undertaken for investigating the relationship between PMS constitutive elements and measurement purposes.
Findings
Different PMS objectives imply significantly different design choices for constitutive elements. Even when companies are very different in terms of size and sector of activity, similar objectives lead to very similar PMSs.
Research limitations/implications
The research is qualitative. Further research should aim to increase the rationality and objectivity of the proposed relationships and explore the joint effects of the measurement objectives and other contextual factors on the measurement system design.
Practical implications
R&D managers who plan to design a PMS for their departments can follow the guidelines suggested in the paper to tune the basic features of the PMS to the real objectives they mean to pursue.
Originality/value
It is the first attempt, to the best knowledge of the authors, that explicitly and practically suggests how to tailor the design of each PMS's constitutive element according to the objectives that are pursued.
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Measurement of the innovation process performance is critical for both managers and researchers. However, existing performance frameworks (PFs) neglect performance indicators…
Abstract
Purpose
Measurement of the innovation process performance is critical for both managers and researchers. However, existing performance frameworks (PFs) neglect performance indicators (PIs) and dimensions relevant to the current innovation landscape in companies as well as lack support in the definition of action plans. Thus, this paper aims to introduce a new and updated PF for measuring innovation performance and defining improvement actions.
Design/methodology/approach
The proposed PF is developed from literature and action-oriented case studies in two European manufacturing companies. First, the literature review enabled the synthesis of framework elements into a “conceptual” PF capable of illustrating the current state of knowledge in the field. Then, this PF was applied in the case studies that enriched the conceptual form with empirical insights, resulting in a new and updated PF.
Findings
The review enabled the systematisation of nine dimensions and 259 PIs that were fragmented throughout the literature. In turn, empirical insights from the case studies gave rise to an actionable procedure for providing a comprehensive diagnosis of the company's situation considering the new trends as well as defining improvement actions. Although the results from the two cases cannot be generalised, the findings encourage broader applicability.
Originality/value
The novelty of this research resides on the fact that the PF consolidates elements from the literature but combined with empirical insights in a new actionable way that supports managers in performance measurement and provides researchers with an extensive systematisation of dimensions and PIs.
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Vittorio Chiesa, Elena Gilardoni and Raffaella Manzini
This paper is aimed at studying the technology in buy‐cooperate‐sell decisions process in order to identify and analyse the logical steps that should characterise a complete and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper is aimed at studying the technology in buy‐cooperate‐sell decisions process in order to identify and analyse the logical steps that should characterise a complete and reliable appraisal process.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper develops a framework to support the whole process, based on literature analysis and an empirical study. A case study is presented in order to discuss some of the theoretical and practical problems affecting the appraiser during a technology valuation.
Findings
It is found that the use of the proposed framework: forces the appraiser to perform a systematic and rational analysis, coherent with the internal and external context of the valuation; points out the most critical elements that could lead to a misleading and/or unusable and/or biased valuation; forces the appraiser to solve some critical trade‐offs and to deal with contrasting elements; imposes coherence throughout the process and consistency among the various hypotheses and assumptions needed to finally identify a (range of) final value(s); gives the appraiser a communication tool, as different people are involved during the process; allows people (even if not directly involved in the process) to understand how the value of the asset has been determined and the validity, reliability and precision of the results obtained; and increases the bargaining power of the appraiser during the negotiation with a potential counterpart, allowing a clear and complete understanding of the value of the asset.
Originality/value
This paper analyses the entire process and gives emphasis to the critical aspects of each phase, suggesting some solutions.
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Vittorio Chiesa, Federico Frattini, Valentina Lazzarotti and Raffaella Manzini
This paper aims to study the problem of designing a Performance Measurement System (PMS) for R&D. In particular, it aims at investigating the influence exerted by the type of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to study the problem of designing a Performance Measurement System (PMS) for R&D. In particular, it aims at investigating the influence exerted by the type of activity being measured (i.e. Basic and Applied Research or New Product Development) on the design of the PMS constitutive elements.
Design/methodology/approach
First, a literature review made it possible to build a theoretical model that identifies the constitutive elements of the PMS for R&D. Second, a survey involving 129 Italian firms (with a response rate of 33 per cent) was performed to unearth a number of similarities and differences between PMSs used in Research and New Product Development settings. Finally, a follow‐up multiple case study investigation made it possible to understand the reason underlying the dissimilarities which emerged from the survey.
Findings
The analysis suggests that a specialisation of the performance measurement practices in research and development is pursued by the Italian firms in the sample, especially when a number of conditions are in place (e.g. high level of uncertainty in R&D, availability of resources, organisational separation between the research and development functions).
Research limitations/implications
The empirical analyses reported here focus on R&D‐intensive firms, because they invest more heavily in R&D and hence are more interested in measuring its performance. The generalisability of these results to other empirical settings is discussed and represents a promising avenue for future research.
Practical implications
The paper provides R&D managers with a number of criteria they should employ to design more effective PMSs for the R&D activities for which they are responsible. Moreover, it suggests that designing and using two different PMSs for research and new product development can be a valuable alternative but only under specific circumstances.
Originality/value
The paper is one of the first contributions that empirically assess the differences in the approaches employed to measure performance of research and new product development activities.
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Vittorio Chiesa, Federico Frattini, Elena Gilardoni, Raffaella Manzini and Emanuele Pizzurno
The purpose of this paper is twofold: firstly, to identify the factors that are capable of influencing the value of a technological asset that is exchanged in the context of a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is twofold: firstly, to identify the factors that are capable of influencing the value of a technological asset that is exchanged in the context of a business transaction and, secondly, to identify the direction of the relationship between each factor and the technological asset value.
Design/methodology/approach
First of all, an in‐depth analysis of the available literature about the assessment of technological asset value was conducted. Then a panel study was organised, involving several intellectual property managers and consultants and senior practitioners working in the field of IP assessment. Finally, an illustrative case study was conducted.
Findings
The paper proposes a framework that encompasses the following classes of factors: asset related; firm related; context related; risk related; and transaction related. It is shown that these factors are capable of influencing the value of a technological asset that is exchanged in the context of a business transaction and the direction of their impact is indicated.
Practical implications
The paper is believed to be a useful instrument capable of supporting managers and appraisers who, in the context of a specific business transaction involving the exchange of a technological asset between the counterparts, are called to assess its value.
Originality/value
The value of a technological asset is typically estimated through monetary techniques (cost, income and market methods) that often turn out to be disappointing in practice. This is mainly due to their quantitative nature, that impedes them to appropriately take into account qualitative variables capable of affecting the value of the asset. This paper is the first attempt, to the best knowledge of the authors, that draws together these variables in a comprehensive form and suggests the direction of their impact on the asset value.