Sara Bonesso

Innovation, complementarities and performance in micro/small enterprises

This paper gives an empirical contribution to the debate on new organisational forms, complementarities and their relation to a firms competitiveness by means of a study on the organisational evolution of Micro/Small Enterprises (MSEs), which represent more than 90% of European firms but are not yet well analysed from the organisational point of view. This paper, based on a survey on a sample of 147 Italian MSEs, investigates firstly the diffusion of a set of organisational and technological innovations. Secondly, the question is asked whether entrepreneurs invest in only one type of innovation or if there is a simultaneous adoption of coherent set of innovations. Finally, the relationship between the adoption of a system of innovations and the dynamic of firms performance measured by sales and product innovation is investigated.

Performance Evaluation for Knowledge Transfer Organizations: Best European Practices and a Conceptual Framework

The importance of Knowledge Transfer Organizations (KTOs) for boosting innovative performance both at regional and firm level has been highlighted by literature and empirical research (Kodama, 2008; Laranja, 2009; Muller & Zenker, 2001; Muscio, 2010; Tether T Reisman, 2005). Their mission is to be providers of knowledge intensive services to firms-receivers in the different phases of their innovation process (Howells, 2006) as well as to be part of a Knowledge Transfer (KT) infrastructure which promotes and facilitates networking activities between companies and public or private research institutions. Due to the increasing diffusion of KTOs operating in a regional innovation system and the variety of services provided, performance evaluation of these organizations is becoming paramount from different viewpoints. First, a measurement system by which different actors may gather performance information could help to overcome one of the main difficulties of creating a market for technological knowledge (Arora et al., 2001; Arora & Gambardella, 2010; Decter et al., 2007; Dosi et al., 2006; Lichtenthaler & Ernst, 2007), which is information asymmetry. Second, from the demand side, firms-receivers require a univocal method to compare and evaluate the offer of the different KTOs. Third, even KTOs need a performance measurement system on which they can rely to define their product/service portfolio and craft their competitive strategy at regional, national and international level. Finally, also local and regional institutions need to assess KTOs in order to define innovation policies and to allocate resources effectively. Despite the increasing need for measuring the effectiveness of KTOs, a still limited effort has been made by research to develop a performance measurement system based on a robust methodological framework. Approaches implemented by institutions and KTO associations like the IASP (International Association of Science Parks) or the European BIC Network, are based on multiple measures encompassing financial and economic metrics (for example the amount of investment made, the turnover generated, return on asset and return on equity), output indicators of the technology transfer process (for example the number of collaborative research agreements stipulated, the number of licenses executed or the number of spin-offs established) and input measures (such as physical space available, amount of

Boundaryless career and career success: the impact of emotional and social competencies.

Even though, over the last two decades, the boundaryless career concept has stimulated a wide theoretical debate, scholars have recently claimed that research on the competencies that are necessary for managing a cross-boundary career is still incomplete. Similarly, the literature on emotional and social competencies has demonstrated how they predict work performance across industries and jobs but has neglected their influence in explaining the individuals mobility across boundaries and their impact on career success. This study aims to fill these gaps by examining the effects of emotional and social competencies on boundaryless career and on objective career success. By analyzing a sample of 142 managers over a period of 8 years, we found evidence that emotional competencies positively influence the propensity of an individual to undertake physical career mobility and that career advancements are related to the possession of social competencies and depend on the adoption of boundaryless career paths. This study also provides a contribution in terms of the evaluation of the emotional and social competencies demonstrated by an individual and of the operationalization of the measurement of boundaryless career paths, considering three facets of the physical mobility construct (organizational, industrial, and geographical boundaries).

Open Innovation at Project Level: Key Issues and Future Research Agenda

This chapter addresses some key open issues of a project-based approach to open innovation, drawing on the empirical findings and theoretical discussion of the previous chapters. After a brief discussion of the theoretical gaps in the previous literature, we provide arguments in support of the adoption of a project-level of analysis when studying how firms organize open and distributed innovation processes. The chapter tackles two main themes of a project-based approach, identifying fertile avenues for future research. First, it analyzes factors explaining why firms decide to open their boundaries and to organize in-house tasks and outside source activities on a project basis. Antecedents related to the knowledge features of a project are discussed. Second, the chapter draws the attention to the still under-investigated relationship between the project level and the firm level of analysis. It discusses the challenge firms face in managing effectively and efficiently product development projects across boundaries in the short term as well as in building organizational capabilities and knowledge at firm level in the long run.

Students' Entrepreneurial Intentions: The Role of Prior Learning Experiences and Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Competencies†

Despite literature acknowledges that emotional, social, and cognitive (ESC) competencies favor entrepreneurial success, research has scantly investigated if they influence entrepreneurial intentions. Moreover, studies use work and extracurricular activities as proxies for competency possession without investigating their impact on competency development. To address this void, we analyze the direct and mediating effects of ESC competencies on self‐employment intentions. Results from a sample of university students demonstrate that higher levels of ESC competencies predict entrepreneurial intent, and only international and cultural experiences indirectly favor self‐employment intentions. This study offers insight to the debate on competency development in entrepreneurial education.

Developing Leadership Identity and Emotional Competencies in Higher Education: Methodological Insights and Empirical Evidence from the Italian Context

Abstract Research has extensively underlined the positive impact of emotional, social and cognitive competencies on leadership effectiveness. Despite the fact that literature acknowledges that these competencies can be learned from different experiences over a person’s lifetime, research has mainly focused on leadership development in adulthood. Through the case study of the Ca’ Foscari Competency Centre, this chapter advances the understanding on how higher education can favour leadership development at the early stage, in terms of identity formation and self-regulation, through the implementation of the intentional change theory, considering that this learning process varies according to different developmental trajectories.

Metaphors for Innovation: How Entrepreneurs Narrate Different Types of Innovation

While the connection between entrepreneurship and innovation is acknowledged in literature, limited effort has been devoted to the understanding of how entrepreneurs linguistically represent their endeavour in generating and implementing different types of innovation. This paper addresses this void by bringing metaphor analysis into the field of innovation and entrepreneurship. We argue that the sensemaking and sensegiving role of figurative language is important in describing the complexity and ambiguity that characterize the innovation process. This paper provides insights about how episodes of innovation are linguistically elaborated and transmitted through ex post narration. Adopting semi-structured interviews, we found that entrepreneurs highly rely on metaphors to explain events of innovation. Moreover, each type of innovation (product, marketing, process, organizational, and strategic) is simplified differently through the use of metaphorical language in an attempt to differentiate innovations and ...

Behavioural competencies and organizational performance in Italian performing arts: An exploratory study

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the behavioural competencies of directors and managers working for cultural organizations and their relationship with organizational performance. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts an ESC competency modelling process and the technique of the Behavioural Event Interview as the primary source of data collection. In particular, the authors interviewed 14 directors and managers of six performing arts organizations operating in Emilia-Romagna, a region located in Northern Italy. Findings Findings show that directors and managers of cultural organizations are characterized by a specific set of social and emotional (e.g. persuasion and empathy), whereas cognitive competencies, such as quantitative analysis, are less frequent. Findings highlight also that a balanced portfolio of behavioural competencies emerges as importantly correlated with high organizational performance. Practical implications Findings offer relevant managerial implications for the design and implementation of a coherent set of human resource management practices, which allow cultural organizations to reach above-average performance. Originality/value This study contributes to a better understanding of the relationship between managerial competencies and the performance of cultural organizations, taking into account specific kinds of competencies – namely, behavioural competencies – which have been neglected by the previous literature.

The interplay between experiential and traditional learning for competency development

Extensive research demonstrated that firms may pursue several advantages in hiring individuals with the set of emotional, social, and cognitive (ESC) competencies that are most critical for business success. Therefore, the role of education for competency development is becoming paramount. Prior studies have questioned the traditional methods, grounded in the lecture format, as a way to effectively develop ESC competencies. Alternatively, they propose experiential learning techniques that involve participants in dedicated courses or activities. Despite the insights provided by these studies, they do not take into account a comprehensive set of learning methods and their combined effect on the individuals competency portfolio within educational programs that aim to transfer primarily professional skills. Our study aims to fill these gaps by investigating the impact of the interplay between different learning methods on ESC competencies through a sample of students enrolled in the first year of a masters degree program. After providing a classification of three learning methods [traditional learning (TL), individual experiential learning (IEL), and social experiential learning (SEL)], the study delves into their combined influence on ESC competencies, adopting the Artificial Neural Network. Contrary to prior studies, our results provide counterintuitive evidence, suggesting that TL needs to be implemented together, on the one hand, with IEL to achieve a significant effect on emotional competencies and, on the other hand, with SEL to have an impact on social competencies. Moreover, IEL plays a prominent role in stimulating cognitive competencies. Our research contributes to educational literature by providing new insights on the effective combination of learning methods that can be adopted into programs that transfer technical knowledge and skills to promote behavioral competencies.

Leveraging on projects to strategically organize open innovation

This chapter proposes a project-based view of open innovation in contexts where knowledge is dispersed and the locus of innovation does not reside inside a single organization. After a review of studies on the organization of innovative labor and the role of new product development projects, the chapter discusses how innovative projects could be conceived as a strategic site where the organization of the external network of knowledge sources takes place. It analyzes the main factors explaining firms’ propensity to design open innovation project-by-project. Adopting a contingency approach, it reviews recent research on the project features affecting inbound choices in innovative organizations and on the relation between project choices and the knowledge base of the firm. Finally, the chapter provides an overview of the chapters of the book and how they address some key theoretical and empirical open issues.