Annabeth Aagaard

Supporting radical front end innovation: Perceived key factors of pharmaceutical innovation

This article explores how radical front end innovation is supported in pharmaceutical companies. The empirical field is an explorative case study of front end innovation in the pharmaceutical industry, with an in‐depth case study of the Danish pharmaceutical company, H. Lundbeck A/S, and explorative studies of seven European and American pharmaceutical companies. We aim to show how pharmaceutical innovation is unique in terms of front end innovation (FEI) and what this implies for effective management and organization of radical pharmaceutical FEI. The value added and the contribution of this article to the existing FEI literature is therefore in the specificity of the empirical setting in which the issue is investigated.

Key drivers for informal project coordination among sub-contractors: A case study of the offshore wind energy sector

Purpose – Despite good project front-end planning, projects typically need continuous coordination among the participants concerning scope of work, pace, and timing during the execution phase to be accomplished without delays. Coordination can be formal or informal. Research shows that informal coordination of residual and unforeseen interdependencies enhances time saving and facilitates better understandings. Still though, many sub-contractors choose not to coordinate informally. The purpose of this paper is to identify drivers that enhance or inhibit informal coordination among sub-contractors during project execution. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative, explorative case study approach was applied, involving 15 SME sub-contractors within the offshore wind power energy sector. Findings – Six drivers which enhance informal coordination and three drivers which inhibit informal coordination among sub-contractors in projects were identified. Practical implications – The findings imply that managemen...

The Opportunities and Challenges of Persuasive Technology in Creating Sustainable Innovation and Business Model Innovation

The opportunities of persuasive technology in facilitating sustainable innovation and business model innovation have been witnessed continuously during the last decade. The unique ability of persuasive technology in interacting and mediating across users, customers, decisions makers and other stakeholders provides access to core knowledge about behavior and opportunities to influence and even change their behavior in a positive and more sustainable manner. Sustainable innovation and business model innovation is gaining more and more competitive leverage due to customer requirements, the growing strength of NGO’s and the increasing sustainable agenda of global businesses. However, getting knowledge of the stakeholders and their behavior as well as the potentials in actively supporting more sustainable behaviors provides totally new and unique opportunities for radical and customer-focused sustainable innovation and business model innovation, which is explored through a theoretical review and case examples in the present study. The findings reveal a number of key opportunities to pursue and a number of critical challenges to adjust to as presented in propositions.

The Sensing Business Model

The business model concept is not new and there has been an increasing number of papers published, fast growing communities on Business model’s (BM) and an abundance of conference sessions and panels on the subject of BM’s. Business model and business model innovation has been the focus of substantial attention by both academics and practitioners. However, it appears that researchers and practitioners have yet not researched widely on how sensors can be applied and embedded in BM’s and what businesses can gain from sensing business models (Lindgren and Taran in J Green Eng 2:1–10, 2011). Society and Businesses today invest tremendous amount of resources in sensors and digitalization to achieve better and deeper understanding of their BMs. Taking these enormous amounts of resources invested into account, when creating a “sensing BM” still turn out to be a very complex venture and has several invention iteration still to go before we reach a full scale “sensing business model”. The paper shows different levels and attempt of sensing business models and shows these in reference of a definition and framework of a sensing business model. Five different businesses—working with different sensing BM’s and sensor technology—are presented. The use cases show combination of biological and mechanical sensors together with physical and digital sensors. In combination the sensoring BM could lead businesses into a new area of business modeling.

How can HR practices support front-end innovation and increase the innovativeness of companies?

This theoretical review is investigating how selected HR practices can help overcome the challenges companies face in establishing a basis for continuous innovation and thereby economic performance. In particular, the front end of innovation is being emphasised as a key element in companies’ innovativeness. If HR is to support these activities, focus should be on broader issues such as team-based organising, founded on a questioning attitude and a management style with a high level of empowerment. In addition, traditional HR themes such as recruitment, training and development have to be reinterpreted in a context of heterogeneity and polyvalence. Finally performance management and talent management should play a greater role in emphasising exclusive values and rational goal-oriented behaviour among employees, compared to the more inclusive mainstream values that characterise much HRM literature. A number of propositions for further research are presented.

Key differences and similarities in ways of managing and supporting radical pharmaceutical front end innovation: A case study of the pharmaceutical industry

The purpose of this paper is to explore how Front End Innovation (FEI) is supported and managed among companies of different nationality within the context of pharmaceutical R&D. The present study is carried out in order to contribute to the development of a clearer understanding of active facilitation of innovation management and FEI in theory and in practice across international borders. I aim to show how different aspects of Pharma and nationality affect the way innovation management and radical FEI are supported within organisations. This is examined through an in-depth case study of the Danish and US based pharmaceutical company, H. Lundbeck A/S, and a comparative study including five European and American pharmaceutical companies. The findings from the study reveal a number of similarities and differences in innovation management and FEI support of radical projects and among the different nationalities. This presents propositions of important aspects to consider in facilitation of radical FEI in general and in multinational pharmaceutical companies. In addition, proposals are made for a global study of innovation management and FEI support including Chinese and other Asian pharmaceutical companies, which represent a growing market. The value added and the contribution of this paper to the existing FEI literature is therefore in the specificity of the empirical setting in which the issue is investigated.

A theoretical model of supporting open source front end innovation through idea management

Most industries face continuing pressures from rising R&D costs, shortening product lifecycles and global competition. These challenges have increased the focus on shortening development times, which again puts pressure on the efficiency of front end innovation (FEI). In the attempt to overcome these various challenges companies are looking for new models to support FEI. This theoretical paper explores in what way idea management may be applied as a tool in facilitation of front end innovation and how this facilitation may be captured in a conceptual model. First, I show through a literature study, how idea management and front end innovation are related and how they may support each other. Secondly, I present a theoretical model of how idea management may be applied in support of the open source front end of new product innovations. Thirdly, I present different venues of further exploration of active facilitation of open source front end innovation through idea management.

Leveraging Sustainable Business Model Innovation Through Business-NGO Collaboration

This chapter aims to explore and explain the use of collaborative innovation and partnerships in leveraging the development of different types of sustainable business models (SBMs). Through open source innovation and collaborations with other types of partners/stakeholders companies get access to new knowledge, capabilities, resources and networks/partners, which is a prerequisite to SBM. Thus the emphasis of this chapter is to explore the concept of businesses and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) collaborating in designing new SBMs. Through a literature review and case examples, a typology of SBM archetypes through business-NGO collaborations is identified and presented. Each of the identified four SBM archetypes through business-NGO collaborations are explained through a mapping of the unique characteristics of the archetype, a case example and a discussion of the specific drivers and potential challenges to be considered by businesses and managers in engaging in these collaborations.

Identifying Sustainable Business Models Through Sustainable Value Creation

The aim of this chapter is to identify the concept of sustainable business models (SBMs) bridging from traditional business models (BMs) to sustainable business models (SBMs) while using value creation in exploring the characteristics of SBMs. The literature review of the chapter provides the platform to assess and to map, discuss, and develop the SBM pyramid framework. The SBM pyramid provides a framework and tool for how to identify, understand, develop and evaluate the level of sustainability of BMs and the BM dimensions—theoretically and empirically. A case example is offered to provide an illustration of the concept empirically and to explore the use of the framework in exploration and assessment of the levels of sustainability of the overall BM, the individual BM dimensions and the value proposition, delivery, creation and value capture of a company/business in practice. The three-dimensional framework can be applied by theorists and practitioners in identifying, developing and evaluating the level of sustainability in the value creation, value delivery, and value capture of any existing (sustainable) BM and its BM dimensions and in designing new SBM innovations.

Summary and Concluding Remarks: The Next Step for Sustainable Business Models

Sustainable Business Models: Innovation, Implementation, and Success aims to provide new knowledge of what sustainable business models are, how they create value, how they are implemented and managed, and how to ensure their success. The purpose of this chapter is therefore to summarize each of the book’s chapter contributions and to provide an overview of the key contributions and conclusions of each chapter. Also this chapter explores potential venues for further developments of the research and practice field of sustainable business models as well as paths for future research.