Liv Gish

The framing of product ideas in the making: a case study of the development of an energy saving pump

Research regarding work with ideas in industrial settings has predominantly treated ideas as rather stable ‘black boxes’. This article contributes a new understanding of idea work and seeks to expand our understanding of how a product concept is constituted and synthesised through socio-material interaction of organisational members and engagement in idea work. The article contributes a case study of the development process behind the energy-saving Alpha Pro circulator launched by the Danish pump manufacturer Grundfos. Based on an analysis of how organisational players engage in the controversial and shifting understandings of what seems to constitute a successful product, the article offers a new perspective on navigating the players’ ideas in the political processes of innovation. It suggests that navigation of technological frames can offer a new perspective to make explicit the implicated actors’ world views, including what they perceive as relevant problems and related strategies for solving them.

THREE PERSPECTIVES ON MANAGING FRONT END INNOVATION: PROCESS, KNOWLEDGE AND TRANSLATION

This paper presents three complementary perspectives on the management of front end innovation: A process model perspective, a knowledge perspective and a translational perspective. While the first two perspectives are well established in literature, we offer the translation perspective as a complementary perspective. The paper combines a literature review with an empirical examination of the application of these multiple perspectives across three cases of front end of innovation (FEI) management in mature product developing companies. While the process models represent the dominant, albeit rather simplistic perspective, they primarily serve as a reference point and communication device. Here, the knowledge perspective offers a supplementary perspective by filling the gaps left by the formal processes with informal cross boarder knowledge exchange. In comparison, the translation perspective is found to represent an emergent approach in managing FEI where process models, knowledge strategies and objects be...

Distance management – a challenge in participatory interventions in virtual organizations

Virtual organizations challenge the first line managers as they have to be able to manage from afar as distance managers. Investigating distance management in participatory multi-level interventions this paper presents a case study of four SMEs which have applied the multi-level participatory PoWRS program (Prevention of Work-Related Stress) over a six month period. Interviews were conducted with employees, in-house process facilitators, project managers and first line managers. The results show that distance managers are even more challenged in interventions especially regarding coordination of activities and ensuring commitment.

Design for Fidelity – Inscription of Intended Actions, Participation and Behavior in Intervention Frameworks

Occupational health interventions are designed by researchers and occupational health professionals to improve psychosocial working conditions in workplaces. Many intervention frameworks have been designed but with differing outcomes and varied implementation success. Previous intervention studies point to some factors which improve the chances of successful implementation e.g. employee participation, management support and a structured intervention process. Thus many frameworks take these factors into account. For researchers to conclude whether or not an intervention has been successful or worked as intended, researchers advocate fidelity is important. Fidelity describes the extent to which the intervention has been implemented as it was originally intended, and is regarded critical for determining the validity of the research results.