Paula Urze

Knowledge Transfer Assessment in a Co-innovation Network

Frequently, the innovation processes require knowledge in several domains that enterprises do not usually hold. In order to address this problem, the issue of the knowledge transfer in collaborative environments started to attract attention. In this context, the characterization and assessment of the knowledge transfer among members within a network is an important element for the wide adoption of the networked organizations paradigm. However, models for understanding the knowledge transfer in a collaborative environment are lacking. Starting with some discussion about the nature of knowledge production and transfer, this paper introduces an approach for analysing the level of maturity in terms of knowledge transfer in a collaborative network. Finally, based on experimental results from a Portuguese collaborative network, the Brisa case study, the benefits, challenges and difficulties found are presented and discussed.

Socio-Organizational Requirements for a VE

The virtual enterprise (VE) concept presents new challenges to the industrial sociology. The work organization and technology design requires a balanced framework pointing to the unification between technology and people. The proposal of social and organizational recommendations aims to contribute to the development of the base technology according to the socio-technical and anthropocentric theories. For those involved in technology implementation, strategic guidelines are presented, aiming to avoid unemployment and productivity dysfunction as consequence of an incorrect application of the technology.

Risk Assessment in Open Innovation Networks

Innovation is considered crucial for enterprises survival and current economic environment demands the best ways of achieving it. However, the development of complex products and services require the utilization of diverse know-how and technology, which enterprises may not hold. An effective strategy for achieving them is to rely in open innovation. Still, open innovation projects may fail for many causes, e.g. due to the dynamics of collaboration between partners. To effectively benefit from open innovation, it is recommended the utilization of adequate risk models. For achieving such models, a preliminary conceptualization of open innovation and risk is necessary, which includes modeling experiments with existing risk models, such as the FMEA.

System Thinking to Understand Networked Innovation

Today, knowledge and the capability to create and utilize it are considered to be the main source of a company’s sustainable competitive advantage. Within this assumption, the present paper aims at discussing the advantages of applying a system thinking approach in order to deepen the understanding of the factors that leverage or constrain knowledge transfer to support co-innovation, and its impact at a member level, for instance, in terms of the capacity of generating new ideas, processes and products. The paper’s empirical section is based on one case study pointed to the largest highway concessionaire in Portugal.

Industrial Networks Trust Bonds: A Sociological Perspective

The core question that supports this paper aims to identify the role of trust bonds in a subcontracting/cooperation network. The empirical research relies on a case study of an industrial network, developed in the north of Portugal (Agueda and nearby), within the bicycles’ subsector, covering about 25 enterprises. We identified patterns of relationships amongst the subcontracting and subcontracted companies. Once the relationships amongst the companies in the network were understood, it became important to place trust in business relationships. Afterwards how, and to what extent, trust interferes in these business relationships was examined.

Exploratory Study on Risk Management in Open Innovation

Open innovation is a strategy with increasing adoption by value-seeking companies using or sharing technology with the outside world. But this strategy is also accompanied by risk. However, risk management seems to have been overlooked by researchers on open innovation networks. This exploratory work clarifies to what extent the issue of risk has been considered in open innovation research. Presented results are based on interviews and analysis of existing literature on open innovation.

System thinking shaping innovation ecosystems

Abstract Over the last few decades, there has been a trend to build innovation platforms as enablers for groups of companies to jointly develop new products and services. As a result, the notion of co-innovation is getting wider acceptance. However, a critical issue that is still open, despite some efforts in this area, is the lack of tools and models that explain the synergies created in a co-innovation process. In this context, the present paper aims at discussing the advantages of applying a system thinking approach to understand the mechanisms associated with co-innovation processes. Finally, based on experimental results from a Portuguese co-innovation network, a discussion on the benefits, challenges and difficulties found are presented and discussed.

Circulation of Knowledge in a Co-innovation Network: An Assessment Approach

The development of complex products and services require the domain of distinct types of knowledge that enterprises do not usually hold. In order to address this problem, the issue of assessment the knowledge circulation in collaborative environments started to attract attention. Starting with some discussion on mechanisms of production and circulation of knowledge that might operate in a collaborative environment, this paper introduces an approach for assessing knowledge circulation in a co-innovation network. Finally, based on experimental results from a Portuguese collaborative network, BRISA network, a discussion on the benefits, challenges and difficulties found are presented and discussed.

Networked R&D Units: Case Studies on Knowledge Transfer Processes

This paper aims at identifying the knowledge transfer processes developed among R&D units and the competencies that are locally created to earn power by knowledge within these global innovation networks. Te paper’s empirical section is grounded on two multinationals with R&D units in Portugal, one from a Norwegian electronic multinational and another from a Spanish automotive component multinational. Crossing the theoretical debate with the empirical results we expect to offer an insight on the understanding of knowledge transfer processes.

Open Innovation Participants Profiling: An Archetypes Approach

Organizations adopting Open Innovation seem to express slightly specific behavioral patterns, attitudes and values, which are beneficial and that can be perceptible in their interactions with outsiders. It would be useful to find a way to identify these characteristics and to perceive them in potential participants for Open Innovation consortia. This research work explores the concept of archetypes to provide an abstract way to express how companies engaging in Open Innovation look like. The adopted method applies web mining and preliminary results are presented, which show the potential of the approach.