Paul Couchman

Innovation and HRM: absences and politics

This article analyses the role of HRM practices in the implementation of an innovative cross-functional approach to new product development (concurrent engineering, CE) in Eurotech Industries. Contrary to CE methodology stipulations, and despite supportive conditions, HRM received scant attention in the implementation process. Organizational power and politics were clearly involved in this situation, and this article explores how their play created such HRM ‘absences’. The article builds on a four-dimensional view of power in order to provide a deeper understanding of the embedded, interdependent and political nature of HRM practice and innovation.

Lost in translation? Building science and innovation city strategies in Australia and the UK

Abstract With the development of the ‘knowledge economy’ in many advanced industrial nations, there has been a growing interest in regional innovation systems and the role that universities might play in these. One result has been the demarcation by government actors of specific spaces for the creation, transfer and transformation of knowledge. Such spaces have been given various names, such as ‘smart regions’, ‘science cities’ and ‘innovation corridors’. Whilst the associated policy rhetoric has much in common with the earlier interest in science and technology parks there are also clear distinguishing differences. More recent policy initiatives have sought to foster industry clusters within these spaces to contribute to economic development and diversification and link this to economic, social and cultural regeneration. This paper explores policy-driven creation of ‘innovation areas’ by focusing on two contrasting examples: Newcastle Science City in the North East of England and the Gold Coast Pacific Innovation Corridor in Queensland, Australia. The paper compares the rhetoric of university–industry–government policies with the realities.

Managing Risk in Cross‐sector R&D Collaborations: Lessons From an International Case Study

Cross‐sector collaborations to perform R&D are on the increase, but they do involve various risks for each of the partners. Project risks in such ventures are explored through a case study, a successful collaboration involving an Australian Cooperative Research Centre and Ciba Vision, a division of the Swiss multi‐national Novartis. The analysis examines the projects success factors and its risks. The reputation of researchers, the development of mutual trust among the partners, and the importance of credible commitments made at project initiation are three key factors contributing to the success of commercially focused R&D collaborations.

Achieving effective cross-sector R&D collaboration : a proposed management framework

Abstract Cross‐sector R&D collaboration, as exemplified by the Australian Cooperative Research Centre Program, is increasing in incidence due to government policies and corporate practices. While the benefits of such collaborations are widely promoted, the resulting relationships (typically involving companies, universities and public sector research agencies) can be difficult to manage so as to achieve beneficial outcomes for all partners. A management framework for establishing these collaborations is proposed. This framework is based on four tensions in cross‐sector collaborations, and it takes the perspective that knowledge created for mutual benefit is the common focus of these ventures.

Examining partner experience in cross-sector collaborative projects focused on the commercialization of R & D

Abstract The paper reports key findings from a four year study of cross-sector collaborative Rol) projects in Australia testing a theoretical model formulated to explain partner collaboration experience and perceived project success. The study contributes to the understanding of knowledge-intensive collaborations, and indicates how their benefits can be sustained under conditions of high uncertainty. The study was of cross-sector collaborative projects within the Australian Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) Program which involved multiple partners and which were focused on the commercialization ofR&D. The model was empirically tested through a survey of project leaders and the results provided support for the three main effects hypothesized. The theoreticab methodological and practical implications of the study’s findings for the field of interorganizational relations (10R) are discusseeZ and a new construct of project management competence is proposed as a determinant of positive partner experiences at the project level. This study adds to the growing body of work on interorganizational collaborative arrangements by providing systematic empirical support for a theoretical model of cross-sector Ref) collaboration at the project level and at the completion or near completion phase of project development.

Friend or foe? The effects of managerial politics on NPD team communication, collaboration and project success

Much existing work on new product development (NPD) team integration takes an economically rational perspective, specifying appropriate systems, structures and interactions. Few studies however have explored the effects of politics on working relationships between technically trained managers (TTMs; e.g., research and development managers) and marketing managers (MMs) during NPD. Our results reveal that intra‐team politics has positive and negative effects on TTM/MM communication. This is important because communication positively influences collaboration and NPD success. Moreover, the effects of communication variables on these two outcome variables differ depending on whether one is a TTM or MM.

Tomorrow's Car - For Today's People: Can Tilting Three Wheeled Vehicles be a Solution for the Problems of Today and the Future?

The current automotive industry and todays car drivers are faced with every increasing challenges, not previously experienced. Climate Change, financial issues, rising fuel prices, increased traffic congestion and reduced parking space in cities are all leading to changes in consumer preferences and the requirements of modern passenger vehicles. However, despite the shift in the industry dynamics, the principal layout of a car hasn’t changed since its invention. The design of a ’conventional’ vehicle is still principally a matchbox with four wheels, one at each corner. The concept has served its purpose well for over 100 years, but such a layout is not suited to solving today’s problems. To address the range of problems faced by the industry, a number of alternative commuting vehicles have been developed. Yet the commercialization of these ‘alternative’ vehicles has yet to be successful. This is largely due failure of these vehicles to meet the changing demands of the industry and the limited understanding of consumer behaviour, motivation and attitudes. Deakin University’s Tomorrow’s Car concept tackles all of these problems. The vehicle is a novel three-wheeler cross over concept between a car and a motorbike that combines the best of both worlds. The vehicle combines the low cost, small size and ‘fun’ factor of a motorbike together with the safety, comfort and easy to drive features of a car produce a vehicle with a fuel efficiency better than either car or scooter. Intensive market research has been conducted for various major potential markets of alternative vehicles including India, China and Australia. The research analysed consumer attitudes in relation to narrow tilting vehicles, and in particular towards Deakin’s Tomorrow’s Car (TC). The study revealed that a relatively large percentage of consumers find such a concept very appealing. For the other consumers, the overall appearance and perception of safety and not the actual safety performance were found to be the most impeding factors of such vehicles. By addressing these issues and marketing the vehicle accordingly the successful commercialization of Tomorrow’s Car can be ensured.

Empowerment and Teams: Ethics and the Implementation of Socio-technical Systems

Self-managing, self-directed or empowered work teams have become a core feature of contemporary organisational and work redesign (Ors-burn et al. 1991; Lawler et al. 1995; Knapp et al. 1996; Wellins et al. 1996). However, their application has been controversial. For promoters of socio-technical system design they represent a radical break from ‘inhumane’ Tayloristic and Fordist work design and a means by which genuinely empowered and autonomous work can be brought about. For critics, team-based working represents a new and more manipulative form of management control whereby workers become complicit in their own exploitation. The apparent ‘ethical ambiguity’ surrounding current trends towards team-based working and empowerment raises serious questions for system designers and change agents seeking to intervene in organisations along lines promoted by socio-technical theory.

Knowledge spillovers and innovation spaces in Australia

Using the theoretical framework of ‘institutional entrepreneurship’, this chapter aims to analyse the unique nature of government-university-enterprise link (i.e. Triple-Helix model) in the context of China. The case study of one institute – China University of Geosciences (CUG)’s Industry Technology Research Institute of Geo-Resources and Environment Co. Ltd. (IGE) and its incubated 21 enterprises serves as a window to look into different roles played by the government, university, academic entrepreneurs and industry to foster strategic knowledge creation and diffusion. The process of co-creating knowledge and commercialising research outputs as a part of knowledge spillover from university to enterprise is subsequently evaluated.

Engaging Small Businesses in Innovation: Building Absorptive Capacity through ‘R&D Clubs’

Small businesses in Australia tend to perform poorly on R&D and innovation, due to limitations on their absorptive capacity and a lack of resources. Network organizations, such as ‘R&D clubs’, are one means through which the absorptive capacity and innovation capability of small businesses can be improved. Such clubs can assist member firms with new knowledge exploration and new knowledge exploitation, the key elements of a strategic innovation capability. Five case studies of R&D clubs in Australia are examined with a focus on their approaches to developing the innovation capabilities of their members. The network organizations studied offer a medium to facilitate the development of social capital among their participants, and this increases the diffusion of information, creates higher levels of trust, encourages cooperative behaviour and facilitates learning and innovation. Industry members of each of the clubs have different levels of innovation capability, ranging from ‘unaware/passive’ to ‘strategic’ approaches to innovation, and this is reflected in the conditions for collaboration and the types of research project pursued. In building the absorptive capacity and innovation capability of their members, all of the case study clubs adopted ‘broadcast’ methods to raise awareness, offered ‘agent-assisted’ mechanisms to help members assimilate and exploit new knowledge, and provided ‘peer-assisted’ opportunities to learn about innovation and its benefits. The case study findings emphasize the importance of linkages and agents in helping to build the absorptive capacity of network members, and show how social capital underpins ‘peer-assisted’ capacity-building approaches. While ‘e-Collaboration’ has more recently been advocated as a key means to improve the performance of smaller firms, we conclude that direct social interaction is necessary to build effective communication, common understandings, resilient trust and the interpersonal relationships that facilitate the sharing of information and organizational learning.