Tero Rantala

Developing collaboration structures for university-industry interaction and innovations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the doing, using, and interacting (DUI) of Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS) while developing intra- and inter-collaboration with industry. It also reviews recent literature related to the roles of absorptive capacity (AC) and social capital (SC) in interaction. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative case research on developing collaborations between UAS and small- and medium-sized enterprises for innovation activities. Findings – Prior knowledge and contacts vary in organisations, and interaction should be supported while aiming to maximise benefits of internal and external resources available for innovation. This paper contributes by pointing out the importance of the interconnection of DUI, AC, and SC while developing collaboration. Originality/value – This paper describes issues challenging the collaborative innovation activities and directions to focus on structural development to support interaction with parties having different backgrounds...

Performance measurement approach to show the value for the customer in an industrial service network

The need for a performance measurement system for the industrial service network has been presented in a prior study of performance measurement. However, there is no proper procedure for the design of a performance measurement system in the described context. This study presents a conceptual process model for the design of a performance measurement system for the industrial service network on the basis of the relevant literature. The study highlights that the state of the network, services and mutual value elements need to be properly defined before starting the design process for the actual measures. Furthermore, research gaps identified in the framework have been transformed into research questions for further studies.

Characteristics of customer value creation in digital services

This paper examines the characteristics of customer value creation in the digital services. The results of this study are based on research involving two B2B case studies. The collected data includes recorded and transcribed interviews, as well as reports from focus group meetings. Similar research processes were used in both cases to ensure scientific transparency and repeatability. Based on the results, the characteristics of customer value creation in the digital services are similar to those of traditional services, however, different characteristics are emphasized. The role of openness and communication is emphasized in the delivery of digital services, because the customer is not involved in the actual production of a service. In addition, in the digital environment, customer control is emphasized in terms of cooperation and the quality of the services.

Gaining insights into the measurement of value in industrial service network

Purpose Nowadays, maintenance companies form networks, where multiple organizations and actors can deliver value to the customers. Current literature does not take into account how the value created by the entire network can be measured. The purpose of this paper is to address this research gap by identifying how the value created by the maintenance network as well as the participating individual organization can be measured simultaneously. Design/methodology/approach The research has been carried out using the qualitative research approach. The findings of the study are based on literature search as well as research processes carried out in two maintenance service networks. Findings The study presents a framework and propositions on how to measure network value in maintenance services. According to the results, the network value can be measured from the following five perspectives: financial capital, i.e., savings or growth; end customer capital such as the end customer satisfaction and recommending customers; network capital, i.e., know-how development and learning; sustainable capital such as business continuity and environmental safety; and relationship capital, such as reputation and new contacts. Originality/value Despite the increasing amount of literature on performance measurement in networks, theory is still lacking that reflects the complexity and dynamism when value is delivered to customers through maintenance networks. Significant novelty of the research is based on combining network, service, and value perspectives in performance measurement.

Managing community engagement: A process model for urban planning

Abstract Todays society stresses the importance of public participation and the management of large stakeholder groups. To confront this challenge, community operational research (community OR), as a structured approach, could help. In this paper, we propose a process model for managing community engagement in urban planning. The model builds on ideas of facilitative modeling, problem-structuring methods and innovation management. The model is empirically validated through a case study setting, where a local entrepreneurial community was engaged in an urban regeneration plan for a city centre area in Finland. One reason for utilizing community engagement in the urban planning process is related to decreasing boundary critique, and especially preventing later conflicts. The results of the study indicate that the constructed and utilized process model was useful. The current literature on community OR recognizes that the use of transparent processes enabling dialogue between participants, accepted as fair by the stakeholder groups, has been shown to make a significant difference in peoples acceptance, even when they might disagree with the outcome of the decision. Based on the results of this study, this seemed to also be the case in the urban planning context. The findings of the study also reveal that an open innovation-based strategy and methods can bring new insights into collaboration practices in the context of community engagement and urban planning.

Stagewise Process Towards Collaborative and Value-Driven Decisions in Maintenance Networks

Maintenance services are created increasingly in business networks, but value management is still too often supported by separate tools used by single companies. The aim of this study is to find out how the value of industrial maintenance services can be identified and modelled considering the views of each business network member (e.g. the customer, maintenance service provider and equipment provider) and how the multiple views can be used in collaborative decision making. The paper presents a three-stage process that supports the maintenance service network member companies’ way towards more collaborative and value-driven decisions with the help of the tools created in a project called MaiSeMa. By increasing the collaboration level of the different parties, the value potential of the created tools and also the network increases.

The role of performance measurement in developing industrial services

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine inter-organisational cooperation in delivering maintenance services, focusing on the level of maturity of this cooperation and the current role of performance measurement in evaluating its effectiveness. It also determines how performance measurement should be developed to support the needs of networked maintenance. Design/methodology/approach – The empirical evidence is based on two cases of networks operating in the field of industrial maintenance. The first network operates in the energy industry, while the second operates in the mining industry. Both networks consist of machine supplier companies, performance partner companies and system supplier companies. A total of seven companies participated in workshops and interviews in 2013-2014. Findings – As a result of the study, suggestions for improving the performance measurement of service value in maintenance are presented and a framework is offered that meets the needs of the customer, service provider...

Performance measurement in university–industry innovation networks: implementation practices and challenges of industrial organisations

Abstract From the perspective of industrial small and medium size enterprises (SMEs), this study explores the implementation of performance measurement practices and challenges in university–industry innovation networks. In this research, two single-case studies were conducted to explore the implementation practices and challenges of performance measurement in university–industry collaborations. Thirty Finnish SMEs in the first innovation network and 10 Finnish SMEs in the second innovation network participated in university–industry collaboration that were established to facilitate their involvement in a long-term innovation process. The results of the study revealed that industrial SMEs are interested in the performance measurement of societal-level outputs by university–industry innovation networks, even though they face challenges in understanding the aims and goals of the funding programmes. Furthermore, the results showed that the industrial SMEs understood the intellectual nature of the university–industry innovation networks, but their performance measurement activities were business related. Also the lack of understanding of the context and the process of the performance measurement in university–industry collaborations seemed to shift industrial organisations’ focus to the content stage of the performance measurement and to the use of traditional performance measures and tools to estimate the advantages gained.

Effectiveness of innovation capability development methods

The literature presents numerous methods and practices for facilitating organizational innovation capabilities. Less attention has been paid to indicating the actual impact of these methods on different aspects of innovation capability. The current study focuses on this issue by examining three methods developed to facilitate organizational innovation capabilities and their effects on different aspects of innovation capabilities. The study uses the multiple-case study approach, focusing on the effects of the Handbook of Innovation, Theatre-based methods, and an Innovation Session on innovation capability and how these effects appear in different organizational contexts. The essential issues related to the positive effects of the methods on innovation capability are explored. The study contributes to the literature by showing that innovation capability can be developed by utilizing different kinds of participative methods. In addition, the study contributes to the current literature by presenting what kind of methods can be used to develop certain aspects of innovation capability and how the development works could be organized. The outcome helps managers of organizations select the most suitable method for developing innovation capability. This selection depends on the aspect of the innovation capability that the organization wishes to develop. The study also presents important issues that should be considered when developing innovation capability.

Value creation through measurement of innovation capability – an intellectual capital management perspective

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether prior theories of intellectual capital (IC) management can be utilised in the measurement of innovation capability. The study is based on the current literature on innovation capability and intellectual measurement and management. It examines the match between these two parameters to determine how the measurement and management of innovation capability can best be organised. The paper presents a measurement and management framework for the measurement of innovation capability by taking account of the static and dynamic view of IC. This paper proposes a framework for defining measures of innovation capability performance based on measures derived from the study of IC.