Little is known about the role of product features in shaping market orientation as most research focuses on organizational features, such as interdepartmental connectedness, centralization in the strategy formation process, and the nature of top management teams. In this study we draw on the theory of resource orchestration and hypothesize that the protect-ability and the scalability of new products relate positively to market orientation in technology-based new ventures. We also predict that the entrepreneurial experience of founders interacts positively with these product features in driving market orientation strategies. On the basis of original field data from 156 technology-based startups, we find support for the positive relationship between product features and market orientation and the proposed interaction. These findings contribute to the ongoing research on the antecedents of market orientation by showing how founders’ experience and product features shape the resource orchestration process within technology-based new ventures.@en

Rather than the view of the entrepreneur as a ‘lone ranger’, recent work has focused on the importance of teams in bringing a start-up to growth and success. Here, we aim to bridge the gap between the individual characteristics of entrepreneurs and the characteristics of their teams by examining openness of founders in relation to creative team environment (CTE), innovative work behaviour (IWB) and performance. On the basis of upper echelon theory and integrating other complementary theories such as the attention-based view, we develop a theoretical framework and test this using a survey of 322 high-tech entrepreneurs. Our findings suggest a mediating role of CTE and IWB in the relation between openness of entrepreneurs and performance. The implications of the results for managerial practices and future research directions are discussed.

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In this chapter, Verburg explores the leadership challenges associated with sustainability by highlighting the current research evidence on the links between leadership, innovation, and sustainability. There seems to be a lot of conceptual confusion in relation to sustainability leadership. Different authors offer different definitions, focusing on either specific traits, styles or behaviors that they associate with sustainability leadership. Others do not even focus on leadership roles or behaviors as such but highlight the importance of any individual’s personal proactivity in order to drive sustainability agendas. This conceptual confusion may be a significant obstacle to further the field of sustainability leadership. The purpose of this chapter is, therefore, to provide a better understanding of sustainability leadership to enable future studies.@en

This chapter introduces the background, aims, contents, and implications of the edited collection “Innovation for Sustainability: Business Transformations Towards a Better World

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This study examined how organizational control is related to employees’ organizational trust. We specifically focus on how different forms of control (process, outcome, and normative) relate to employees’ trust in their employing organizations and examine whether such trust in turn relates positively to employee job performance (task performance and organizational citizenship behavior). In addition, and in response to the recommendations of past research, we examined these relationships in a high control and compliance-based cultural context. Using data from 105 employee–supervisor dyads from professional services firms in Singapore, we find support for our hypothesized model. The implications of the results for theory and practice, and directions for future research, are discussed.

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Purpose - Since the 2008 financial crisis, the financial industry is in need of innovation to increase stability and improve quality of services. The purpose of this paper is to explore internal barriers that influence the effectiveness of projects within large financial services firms focussing on potentially disruptive and radical innovations. While literature has generally focused on barriers within traditional technology and manufacturing firms, few researchers have identified barriers for these type of firms. Design/methodology/approach - A framework of internal barriers was developed and validated by means of an explorative case study. Data were collected at a European bank by exploring how innovation is organized and what barriers influence effectiveness of eight innovation projects. Findings - Six items were identified as key barrier for potentially disruptive and radical innovations (e.g. traditional risk-avoidance focus, and inertia caused by systems architecture). As such, in the sample these were more important than traditionally defined barriers such as sources of finance, and lacking exploration competences. Research limitations/implications - Based on a small number of projects within one firm, the results highlight the need for more in-depth research on the effects of barriers and how barriers can be overcome within this industry. Originality/value - The results show that there is a discrepancy between the societal demand for radical change within the financial industry and the ability of large financial services firms to innovate. The study identifies which unique internal barriers hamper potentially disruptive and radical innovation in large financial services firms.@en

Linkage between science, engineering and technology creates and develops an academic program which includes a broad function from basic research to management of products and processes, called Technology and Innovation Management (TIM), with the aim of knowledge creation within innovation networks and subsequently, to advance humanities and develop economy. Nevertheless, given the relatively nascent nature of the TIM field, especially with respect to more established disciplines such as engineering, the occupations available to the individual actors of technical innovation networks remain unknown. As a preliminary step to addressing this gap, we identified individuals in innovation network employed in the Eindhoven province of the Netherlands, and studied what type of activities in their occupational movement they undertook. Further, we studied their linked-in profiles, which in many additional cases provides more useful information of the same type. The study results show an occupational movement typology that contains three types of paths available to the individuals - single, dual, and hybrid - pronounced by technical, managerial, entrepreneurial, consultancy, and academic occupations. The results reveal that more than half of the target sample follow a hybrid occupational movements, underlined primarily by technical activities across their work histories. We conclude our paper with implications for future research.

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This paper examines process models for innovation in complex large-scale organizations. Both models in literature and in financial services are examined. The paper proposes a spiral process model for innovation that emphasizes the continuous and evolutionary character of innovation in complex large-scale financial institutions. This is based on barriers and enablers for innovation that are identified in a study conducted at ING Bank.@en