Karen Venturini

Open innovation and new issues in R&D organization and personnel management

The steady growth of R&D costs and the increasingly widespread dissemination of information and communication technology over the past decade have resulted in the affirmation of the paradigm of open innovation, which consists in the continual expansion of access to sources of technological innovation outside the firm itself. Industrial companies are, in fact, turning more frequently to collaboration with university departments and other public and private research centers, and there is a notable increase in agreements regarding technological cooperation and the exchange of know-how between companies. In addition, recourse to highly specialized small research companies is on the rise. This is common, for example in the pharmaceutical sector and, more generally, in the area of biotechnological research. Furthermore, we are witnessing the development of the new role of innovation broker. These factors alter the traditional profile of company R&D structures, within which the role of researchers and technologists often changes. In particular, matrix and network organizational models are on the increase, and the professional figures of ‘integrators of knowledge and expertise’ (T-men) are assuming major importance at the expense of traditional scientists. As a consequence, the model for training and managing scientific personnel tends to change. This model, as it moves away from the prevailing pattern adopted by firms in Anglophone countries, is continually drawing closer, even from a cultural standpoint, to the R&D management approach found in the Japanese and German companies. The aim of this article is to investigate how the adoption of open innovation has changed the organizational structures of R&D and altered the methods used in managing its personnel. The results of the study are based on the analysis of four case studies of Italian multinational firms operating in the pharmaceutical, food, specialty chemical, and aerospace industries.

External technology sourcing: evidence from design‐driven innovation

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to analyse the changing of governance modes for the acquisition of external technology in the context of design driven innovation.Design/methodology/approach – This is an explorative study drawing on cases of new product development (NPD) by six design‐oriented Italian firms. In analyzing the cases a longitudinal approach is taken.Findings – The analysis of the cases shows a similar pattern for technology sourcing during the NPD process, starting with informal networks and ending with hierarchical structures. In the early stages of NPD, when market uncertainty and technological uncertainty are very high, these companies choose an informal network. However, once the product concept is defined and the companies need to become familiar with a technology, they move to strategic alliances with partners. In the final stages of NPD, more hierarchical structures seem to prevail.Research limitations/implications – There are two main limitations of the study. The paper investig...

Managing Risks in SMEs: A Literature Review and Research Agenda

In times of crisis, companies need to carefully monitor current expenses and forecast potential costs, which could be caused by risky actions. Risk is inherent in all business functions and in every kind of activity. Knowing how to identify risks, attribute a value and a priority scale, design actions and mechanisms to minimize risks, and continuously monitor them, are essential to guarantee companies’ survival and create sustainable value. This is especially true for small- and medium-sized businesses that are most exposed to the harmful effects of the risks, due to limited resources and structural features. The objective of this study is to analyze available literature on the subject of risk management for small- and medium-sized enterprises from 1999 to 2009. The analysis derives interesting characteristics from the scientific studies, highlighting gaps and guidelines for future research.

Development paths of risk management: approaches, methods and fields of application

In the most recent stage of development of modern society, the growing complexity and dynamism of the contexts firms operate in has led to a relentless increase in the level of risk in all areas of firms’ management and activities. For this reason, the discipline and practice of risk management (RM) has taken hold more and more in very different sectors and contexts: from nuclear to supply chain to healthcare. The evolutionary path of RM has followed distinct paths of development that have adopted specific perspectives and, backed by different cultural matrices, led to unique approaches and methods. The aim of this paper is to provide a contribution to the identification and characterization of new paths of development based on a thorough analysis of the academic and managerial literature. This taxonomy can serve as an integrated reference to the RM discipline allowing those who deal with RM to identify and characterize the most suitable paths of development for a given context, within a comprehensive framework. This study can also promote a sort of ‘cross fertilization’ between experts in specific areas of RM as has been the case of clinical RM which draws from the experience gained in the field of complex engineering systems.

The Identification and Characterization of Open Innovation Profiles in Italian Small and Medium‐Sized Enterprises

Open innovation () denotes a companys ability to draw on a range of external sources to meet their needs for innovation. Very few empirical analyses have been conducted on the extent to which this new paradigm is embedded in small and medium‐sized enterprises (). Thus, the present studys objective is to identify and characterize different profiles of in , considering the openness of the innovation process phases, variety and breadth of collaborations, determinants, barriers, and motivations. A survey was carried out among Italian manufacturing firms, and a database of 105 companies was obtained. With regard to data elaboration, a factorial and cluster analysis was conducted, and three different profiles emerged: selective low open, unselective open upstream, and mid‐partners integrated open. The different behaviors of the three clusters in terms of determinants, performance, contextual factors, barriers, and motivations were analyzed and discussed.

Technology transfer in the Italian space industry: organizational issues and determinants

Purpose – In todays competitive market, organizations are increasingly aware of the need to exchange the technologies, experience and knowledge they have developed in order to access new markets and revenue streams. They also recognize the need to acquire new technologies and knowledge from the external environment in order to exploit their ideas and create new products. Technology transfer (TT) is defined as the process for the passing and subsequent use of technology, expertise, know‐how or facilities for a purpose not originally intended by the developing organization. Above all, the transfer of space technology is recognized as complex, even though it is increasingly adopted: space technologies can, for example, be adopted for healthcare products, improved waste management and water recovery, as well as by manufacturers. Notwithstanding, few studies have focused on the TT process inside the space sector. The purpose of this paper is to verify which process and what determinants result in the transfer...

Linking strategy with open innovation and performance in SMEs

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the linkages between company’s strategy, open innovation and innovation performance, focusing on small and medium enterprises (SMEs). In more detail, the aim is to investigate the influence of firm strategy on the level of openness adopted and then the impact of open innovation on firm performance. Finally, the influence of context-specific variables (such as firm size, technology intensity, geographical area, experience of the company and technology turbulence) on the relations mentioned above will be verified. Design/methodology/approach – A survey has been conducted in the Italian manufacturing context and a database of 107 responses was obtained. The constructs of the research framework were created and validated using factor analysis; further, structural equation modeling was performed to verify the hypothesis about the studied relations. Findings – The obtained model confirmed most of the relations hypothesized, giving useful indications on how to de...

Open innovation in the public sector: Resources and performance of research-based spin-offs

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to verify and improve the framework assessing the evolution and importance of the technological, human, social and financial resources of an Indian research-based spin-off (RBSO) throughout its four stages of development by Vohora et al. (2004). Design/methodology/approach The open innovation (OI) phenomenon is spreading among public organizations. One of the OI practices used by the public research centers to market their technologies is to set up new business entities called RBSOs. Many studies have focused on spin-offs but there are still some gaps. To overcome the existing limitations, the authors built a framework which they tested on three previous case studies. Findings The results obtained show how a parent organization and its incubator can play fundamental roles in creating and developing a successful RBSO. This is done by supplying managerial staff and providing access to skills, funds and other material and immaterial resources. Research limitations/implications The limitations of this study are related to the sectoral and geopolitical factors of the single case analyzed. For this reason, the observations that emerge should be supported by other empirical analyses. Originality/value The findings of this study can offer a better understanding of the spin-off life to managers, researchers, public organizations and government agencies. They can learn how to improve policies and practices of technology transfer and strengthen the national industrial system.

Determinants and Catalysts in Intrafirm Technology Transfer: Learning From Case Studies

The sharing of technological knowledge between firms or within the same firm is becoming essential to develop innovations. Although previous studies have investigated the determinants of technology transfer(TT), they have not pointed out the existence of catalysts, i.e. determinants that assume a more crucial role than others in making transfer effective, and which compensate for the weaknesses in other determinants. In this paper, from the analysis of transfer processes within three manufacturing multinationals, three catalysts have emerged: leadership by the top management, anticipated profitability from the adoption of the new technology, and the professionalism of centralized research and development staff.

Managing Resources in the Generation and Development of Research Based Spinoffs: Evidences from Israeli ICT Cases

Research-based spinoffs (RBSOs) have raised a great interest in recent years for their economic and social implications. The literature has studied this phenomenon from three different perspectives: resource-based, business-model driven, and institutional. Due to the possible correlation between the approaches, this work aims to suggest an integrated framework, adopting the four stages model of spinoff development. To present the application of the framework we performed an extensive examination of two RBSOs operating in the ICT sector. Results highlight the level and types of technological, human, financial and social resources (including also the institutional linkages), and their evolution and importance in the generation and development of these new high tech companies.