Tove Brink

Entrepreneurial learning requires action on the meaning generated

– The purpose of this paper is to reveal how managers of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can utilise their participation in research-based training to enable innovation and growth. , – Action research and action learning from a longitudinal study of ten SME managers in the wind turbine industry are applied to reveal SME managers’ learning and the impact of the application of learning in the wind turbine industry. , – The findings of this study show that SME managers employ a practice-shaped, holistic, cross-disciplinary approach to learning. This learning approach is supported by theory dissemination and collaboration on perceived business challenges. Open-mindedness to new learning by SME managers and to cross-disciplinary collaboration with SME managers by university facilitators/researchers is required. , – The research is conducted within the wind turbine industry, in which intense demands for innovation are pursued. The findings require verification in other industry contexts. , – This research contributes strategies for SME managers to utilise research-based training and for universities regarding how to work with SME training. In addition, public bodies can enhance their understanding of SMEs for innovation and growth. The learning approach that is suitable for specialisation in larger organisations is not suitable in the SME context. , – SME learning is enhanced by a social approach to integrating essential large-scale industry players and other SME managers to create extended action and value from learning. , – The findings reveal the need for extended theory development for and a markedly different approach to SME training from that used for training managers in larger companies. This topic has received only limited attention in previous research.

THE IMPACT ON GROWTH OF OUTSIDE-IN AND INSIDE-OUT INNOVATION IN SME NETWORK CONTEXTS

The purpose of this paper is to reveal what impact the dual approaches of outside-in and inside-out innovation have on growth in turnover in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) working together in network context. This is illustrated through research in three informal, Danish food industry networks with 60 SMEs responding. The research employs structural equation modelling for statistical analyses.The findings reveal that both the outside-in and the inside-out approaches have a significant positive impact on innovation and growth. The findings shed light on the need for combined dual organising of both to enable innovation and growth. Moreover, the network context does not significantly utilise theoretical insights on loose coupled systems.A contribution is made to innovation theory on the duality of the outside-in and the inside-out approaches for a combined understanding of the impact on innovation and growth. A contribution is also made to the SME-network for organising the loosely coupled system in a dual approach.

Managing uncertainty for sustainability of complex projects

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reveal how management of uncertainty can enable sustainability of complex projects. Design/methodology/approach The research was conducted from June 2014 to May 2015 using a qualitative deductive approach among operation and maintenance actors in offshore wind farms. The research contains a focus group interview with 11 companies, 20 individual interviews and a seminar presenting preliminary findings with 60 participants. Findings The findings reveal the need for management of uncertainty through two different paths. First, project management needs to frontload important issues, which results in the need to use resources much earlier than noted in the usual stage gate approach. Additionally, the base organisation needs the capacity to both explore and exploit important issues. In the summarisation of findings, a tool is developed for the two paths to join efforts. Research limitations/implications Further research is needed to reveal the generalisability of the findings in other complex project contexts containing “unknown unknowns”. Practical implications The research leads to the development of a tool for uncertainty management for sustainability of complex projects, which is termed “UMSCoPS”. The model provides a guide for insight and understanding of uncertainty management. Originality/value The previous knowledge on managing uncertainty for sustainability of complex projects is enhanced regarding the uncertainty management in complex projects. The approach to uncertainty has returned to the original notion of the “unknown unknowns”, and project management thereby leaves the widely used stage gate approach. The developed tool provides a fresh understanding of the challenges of uncertainty.

Innovation collaboration in the renewable offshore wind energy sector

This paper aims to reveal how larger enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can enable innovation collaboration for enhanced competitiveness of the offshore wind energy sector.,The research is based on a longitudinal qualitative study starting in 2011 with a project-based network learning course with 15 SME wind farm suppliers and follow-up interviews with 10 SMEs and continued with interviews conducted with 20 individual enterprises within operation and maintenance conducted in 2014-2015.,The findings reveal challenges as well as opportunities for innovation collaboration between larger enterprises and SMEs to contribute to the innovation and competitiveness of the offshore wind farm sector. A glass ceiling is revealed for demand-driven positions if the SME does not possess rare and specific valuable knowledge. There are opportunities revealed in general for supplier-driven positions if SME suppliers can collaborate and develop interesting solutions for larger enterprises. If SMEs succeed in either of these aims, the SMEs have an opportunity to attain partner-driven collaboration. However, challenges are present according to the understanding of the different organisational approaches in SMEs and larger enterprises and in the different business approaches.,The research is limited to the offshore wind energy sector. Further research is needed for verification of the findings in other energy sectors.,A fourfold contribution is made to enhance the understanding of innovation collaboration and to enable competitiveness for the offshore wind energy sector. SMEs, larger enterprises, academic researchers and policy bodies are provided with a model for action within the four positions for innovation collaboration.

GOVERNANCE OF INNOVATION AND GROWTH IN SME NETWORKS

The aim of this article is to reveal what organising of innovation and growth can be enabled in small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) networks. This is especially interesting for the governance of loosely coupled networks. The research is conducted in the Danish food industry with three food-producing firm networks. The posed hypotheses are tested in a structural equation modelling (SEM) approach with the available data of 60 SMEs.The findings show that the governance of preferred behaviours of SMEs has a considerable significant positive impact on product and systematic innovation, which have a significant impact on growth. Governance of network connections is also found to have a significant positive impact on growth. The findings contribute to an understanding of how both governance of preferred SME behaviour and network connections enable innovation. This study provides SMEs, SME network organisations and policy bodies with an enhanced understanding of governance approaches.

Organising to enable innovation

The purpose of this conceptual paper is to reveal how organising can enable innovation across organisational layers and organisational units. This approach calls for a cross-disciplinary literature review. The aim is to provide an integrated understanding of innovation in an organisational approach. The findings reveal a continuous organising process between individual/team creativity and organisational structures/control to enable innovation at firm level. Organising provides a dynamic approach and contains the integrated reconstruction of creativity, structures and boundaries for enhanced balance of explorative and exploitative learning in uncertain environments. Shedding light on the cross-disciplinary theories to organise innovation provides a contribution at the firm level to enable innovation.

Networks and knowledge creation for meaning

The research in this paper reveals how business networks can create organisational knowledge to provide meaning for enabling innovation and reduction of Levelized Cost Of Energy (LCOE)? The research was conducted from June 2014 to May 2015, using a qualitative deductive research approach. The findings show that business networks provide an important frame for organising both central- and distributed leadership to provide meaning on all levels of the network organisations. The business network consists of customers, suppliers and business partners for support of reciprocal learning for providing the meaning necessary for innovation. In the organising process sources of systematic storage in the enterprise, education and training and the essential knowledge creation through people need to be emphasised on the creation of meaning for innovation and reduction of LCOE. Each of these sources is important and due to the organising process highly valuable findings regarding innovation can be utilised both for imp...

Passion and compassion represent dualities for growth

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to enhance the understanding of the impact of passion and compassion on innovation and growth and, in this way, add to the current knowledge on organising growth in the context of networking small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Design/methodology/approach – The research was conducted in three networks with a sample of 55 separate SMEs. Through a quantitative study, the anticipated positive impact of passion and compassion on growth and on intermediate innovation issues were tested. Findings – The analyses reveal no direct significant impacts of passion (own-profitability and interest) and compassion (other-profitability and interest) on growth. However, compassion had a very significant positive impact on manager ideas, which in turn had a positive impact on growth. Passion also had a positive impact, but this was proportionally much smaller. Moreover, the ability to organise the dualities of passion and compassion made a contribution to growth. Research limitations/implications – The results of the research enhance the understanding of an integrative approach of passion and compassion to innovation in a network context. Practical implications – Networking SMEs can use the findings to better understand and organise own actions to pursue growth. Policy bodies can use the findings to motivate SMEs to pursue growth. Originality/value – The findings of this study enhance the theoretical understanding of passion and compassion and their integrated impact on growth. In firm networks, compassion and passion have a dual impact with compassion being most significant to enable innovation and growth. A contribution is hereby made to organise growth in firm networks.