Corne Schutte

COLLABORATIVE KNOWLEDGE NETWORKS EMERGENCE FOR INNOVATION: FACTORS OF SUCCESS ANALYSIS AND COMPARISON

New product development needs new engineering approaches. Knowledge is a key resource that impacts traditional, organisational, economic and innovative models. Through NICT (New Information and Communication Technologies), globalisation encourages the emergence of networks that overcome traditional organisation boundaries. International enterprises, European-Community Networks of Excellence or Clusters (competitiveness poles) indicate the need to define a new way of thinking. This new way moves towards an agile, continuous innovative use of knowledge. Based on an epistemic study of knowledge management best practices, four examples show the barriers that can be encountered today. This paper aims defining the key elements that enhance collaborative networks. The analysis of best practices from collaborative environments enables the design of high standard information systems and initiate knowledge ecosystems. A balance between formalism required to share knowledge and fuzziness of social networks triggers new initiatives. This ensures the validity of information exchange through virtual collaboration. It helps to maintain group coherence despite exceeding the natural maximum number of collaborators. Finally the main success or failure factors are highlights and commented to ease the transition from economic-driven to expertise-driven models is then facilitated.

A perspective on open innovation in small- and medium-sized enterprises in South Africa, and design requirements for an open innovation approach

This paper provides key results from an exploratory research study aimed at understanding the current landscape in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa with regard to their appetite for, and use of, open innovation. The survey, which was conducted within a contained group of SMEs that belong to business network groups on LinkedIn, explored the current use and perception of open innovation. It was found that collaboration is the approach most preferred by the SMEs surveyed, with customers and suppliers as their preferred innovation partners. Based on the findings of the survey, this paper proposes 25 design requirements, grouped into five functional categories, for an open innovation approach. The design requirements have been developed as a primer to a more complete open innovation approach for SMEs.

Developing design propositions for an open innovation approach for SMEs

This paper proposes design propositions for an open innovation approach for small and medium-sized enterprises based on the open innovation lifecycle framework. The design propositions direct small- and medium-sized enterprises in implementing, executing, and improving open innovation in their organisations. The design propositions are developed through a synthesis of the literature on open innovation and other implementation and improvement best practices. A design sciences method is followed, using context interaction mechanism outcome logic to conduct a systematic review of the literature on open innovation, and using the open innovation lifecycle framework as boundaries. Twenty-two design propositions are formulated as a result. A case study is also discussed as an initial test of the application of the design propositions.

Towards a flexible innovation process model assuring quality and customer needs

Successful innovation projects require an adequate innovation management capability in organisations. This means a sufficiently rigorous, continuous, and goal-oriented management of innovation processes. The literature research demonstrates that an integrated innovation methodology requires highly qualitative processes that are both flexible and customer-specific in their design. This work focuses on the FuGle® innovation process model, which is applied at the Industrial Engineering Department of Stellenbosch University. The enhanced FuGle® innovation process model presents flexible processes that are supported by methods and techniques that guide the user to drive innovation projects. This paper presents an innovation approach that enables organisations proactively to manage customer needs and trends. Thus the enhanced FuGle® innovation process model aims to turn an innovation project into a marketable product.

Towards a novel technology transfer office typology and recommendations for developing countries

Potentially, technology transfer offices (TTOs) can play a significant role in facilitating the successful transfer of technologies and knowledge between universities and industry. Many developing countries are currently developing technology transfer practices within their universities. However, many developing country TTOs operate inefficiently or are ineffective. The sharing of experiences can lead to improvements in this endeavour. Advanced nations can serve as a frame of reference and a basis of policy recommendations for developing countries due to the longevity of their technology transfer activities. The authors issued 234 questionnaires to European university TTOs, of which 54 usable questionnaires were returned. They combine the data from these questionnaires with 19 interviews conducted with university TTO staff from 9 countries in an attempt to create a typology of practices that developing nations could emulate to improve technology transfer in their own contexts. While ultimately a clear typology was not forthcoming, the authors found some relationship between the dominant focus in the mission statement of developed country TTOs, the activities they undertake, their position in the university governance structure and their level of maturity which may usefully inform the development of TTO practices in developing countries.

ARCHITECTING THE ENTERPRISE TOWARDS ENHANCED INNOVATION CAPABILITY

In today’s competitive environment, organisations cannot afford to focus only on effectiveness and efficiencies – they also need to innovate. This is evident from most literature sources on innovation. Innovation topics, such as the innovation process and the drivers, barriers, principles, and success factors for innovation, have received a lot of attention in the literature. What is still lacking, however, is a consolidated view of the core requirements for building an innovation capability within an organisation. This paper lays the foundation for an innovation capability reference architecture by identifying those innovation success factors or requirements described in the literature, and consolidating and structuring it within an easy-to-use enterprise architecture framework.

A strategic framework for improbable circumstances

Rare events, known as ‘Black Swans’, have determined the course of history. One of these was the global economic crisis of 2008. Such events highlight fields like strategic management and their shortcomings in helping to prepare organisations. The Strategic Framework for Improbable Circumstances was designed to add to the strategic management process by improving organisational preparation for these rare events. The framework was validated through interviews with experts who showed the need for such a framework, and who confirmed that it is a good first step for organisations to take towards addressing these Black Swan events.

Guest editorial: "Miraculous and Almost Godlike Tasks"?

Knowledge is power, and the right knowledge lets man perform miraculous, almost godlike tasks - Prof Robert Langdon (The main character in Dan Browns novel The Lost Symbol) It is an honour to write the guest editorial for this special edition of our Journal. This edition commemorates 25 years of academic publishing. It contains articles that are an expansion of a selection from two conferences in 2011. And, our conferences have the same proud heritage. The first one took place in 1986 at the Burgerspark Hotel in Pretoria. As a post-graduate student at the University of Pretoria, I was there, and I participated, under the expert guidance of Proff Kris Adendorff and Paul Kruger, who both instilled the love for Industrial Engineering in me, and who made sure that I realise just how important activities such as the Journal and our annual conferences are for the continued growth of our discipline.