Innovation Capabilities: Affirming an Oxymoron?


Book Description

The relationship between resources and capabilities and performance has been discussed since Edith Penrose addressed the mechanisms behind the growth of the firm (Penrose, 1959). Early contributions to this area of research suggest that valuable and inimitable resources and capabilities are the primary sources of superior performance and sustained competitive advantage (Barney, 1991; Wernerfelt, 1984), while more recent contributions suggest that the ability to change and re-configure resources and capabilities (dynamic capabilities) are the most important for performance, especially when the market is unstable (Teece, 2014; Teece, Pisano & Shuen, 1997). It has also been argued that firms may utilize their resources and capabilities through the development of innovations in the form of new products, services or processes (Hill, Brandeau, Truelove & Lineback, 2015), and empirical research has confirmed that there is a positive relationship between the implementation of innovation activities and the future performance of firms (Bowen, Rostami & Steel, 2010; Rubera & Kirca, 2012). However, innovation as a phenomenon entails change, as opposed to resources and capabilities that represents a firm’s ability to reproduce a certain performance – and as such involves stability. Viewed in this way the very term innovation capability can constitute an oxymoron. The study of innovation capabilities is therefore a complex field of study that is emerging. The topic has already attracted interest from a number of scholars (e.g. Forsman, 2011; Guan & Ma, 2003; Hertog, van der Aa & de Jong, 2010; Wang, Lu & Chen, 2008; Yam, Lo, Tang & Lau, 2011), but despite these important advances there is still a lack of consensus in the literature and a pressing need to clarify what type of resources and capabilities drive innovation in different contexts (Lidija & Robert, 2014), and how these capabilities are developed and utilized (Helfat & Peteraf, 2003).




Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Organizations’ Business Performance


Book Description

If there are concepts that have huge academic literature and are of outstanding practcal signifcance in corporate practce, then business performance is certainly one of them. However, the authors of this special issue add interestng and excitng elements to our knowledge regarding business success and performance in many ways. This special issue underlines that business success, which has both fnancial and social components, depends to a great extent on the knowledge, skills, and cooperatve skills of people in the organizaton, and their openness to the world of external and internal stakeholders. The behavior of people, when heavily influenced by the values of the organizaton and its associated business ethics, has a major impact on business success. This is also true for ethically and socially controversial industries, such as pharmaceutcal, alcohol and tobacco. The research results of the authors in this special issue show that different organizatonal frameworks and solutons can lead to the success of a business. There is, of course, no single, infallible “recipe” leading to success. However, developing project management skills and applying a project management approach within an organizaton can increase the organizaton’s entrepreneurial ability. The key feature of such a soluton is that the organizaton becomes more open to stakeholders and processes in its local environment. This also means that an organizaton’s ability to innovate, and improve the efciency of its innovaton processes, increases. It is an excitng feature of the special issue that most of the studies deal with a specifc area of the global economy, namely Central and Eastern Europe. Empirical research carried out in Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary, and a comparatve analysis of them, is a valuable contributon to the increasingly rich literature dealing with this region, as well as the academic literature in the more general sense. The frst paper by Majra Hodžić and Helena Hrůzová, “A study of project management practces in the Czech Republic,” addresses the importance of project management for organizatons’ innovaton and performance. Based on the example of the Czech Republic, Hodžić and Hrůzová study current practces used in the feld of project management and underline the importance of stakeholders’ main demands and requests, and the level of use of project management methods. The results that are presented provide practcal implicatons, especially for new start-ups wantng to boost their compettveness and innovatveness, by displaying success factors for project management and the necessity for innovaton in this area. The subject of project management is contnued in the second paper by Katarzyna Grzesik and Katarzyna Piwowar-Sulej enttled “Project managers’ competencies and leadership styles from the perspectve of organizatons functoning in Poland.” Grzesik and Piwowar-Sulej discuss the signifcance of project managers’ different competencies and project leadership styles, which are especially important nowadays considering the increasing dynamics of the organizatons’ environment. The needed and adopted competences are compared between the strictly project-oriented organizatons (implementng projects for external clients) and organizatons that manage projects for internal purposes. The authors identfy competencies which are important for organizatons’ success in the area of project management and may, in turn, lead to beter business performance. The importance of human capital for organizatons’ performance and compettve advantage is addressed in the third paper by Łukasz Bryl called “Human capital orientaton and fnancial performance. A comparatve analysis of US corporatons”. In the paper, Bryl verifes whether human capital orientated organizatons generate a positve or even above-average fnancial performance due to: higher skills of employees, greater motvaton and, thus, higher overall effectveness. The paper has signifcant practcal implicatons for both managers aiming at increased compettve advantage and investors in terms of the possible directons of stock market investments aimed at achieving above-average returns. Financial success and high performance may also be gained by innovatveness. In the fourth paper, “An innovaton capability development process for frms in developing countries: A theoretcal conceptual model,” Gezahegn Tesfaye and Daniel Kitaw analyze the problem of innovaton capability development. The much-needed complexity of the analysis is reflected by combining both the technical and the fnancial aspects of innovaton capability development. The proposed model identfes three key innovaton capability constructs and is of practcal value, especially to organizatons from developing countries, as it helps to progress the innovaton capabilites more effectvely. The ffh paper by Włodzimierz Sroka and Richard Szántó, “CSR and business ethics in controversial sectors: analysis of research results,” addresses the issue of organizatons’ performance from a different perspectve, namely the partcular obligatons toward society or the environment consttuted by corporate social responsibility. Based on the example of controversial sectors of the economy (pharmaceutcal, tobacco and alcohol) Sroka and Szántó examine the scale and scope of the use of business ethics principles and practces in Poland and Hungary. The analysis provides not only signifcant fresh insights in this feld but also shows that business ethics have an influence on business success and the corporate image of organizatons. The sixth paper, “The themes of entrepreneurship discourse: A data analytcs approach” by Philip T. Roundy and Arben Asllani, considers the importance of the language used by entrepreneurs. Roundy and Asllani identfy fve dominant themes in entrepreneurship discourse which address, among other things, technology and professional investments. The analysis of the most recurring themes in entrepreneurship discourse, and their change over tme, sets directons for future research and indicates the importance of entrepreneurship discourse for organizatons’ business success. We would like to thank all the authors for their contributon to this special issue and for sharing their research. We believe that this new research represents a valuable input to our knowledge regarding business success and organizatons’ performance. We also want to thank the reviewers whose comments contributed to the improvement of the papers and the whole of this special issue. We hope the artcles presented here will be of interest to readers, scholars and researchers around the world, and that they will inspire them on to further scientfc and practcal research in the feld of business performance.




ICPDI 2023


Book Description

The 2nd International Conference on Public Management, Digital Economy and Internet Technology (ICPDI 2023) was successfully held on 1-3 September 2023 in Chongqing, China. This conference aimed to bring together researchers, scholars, and practitioners from various fields to exchange ideas and discuss advancements in the areas of public management, digital economy, and internet technology. The conference featured a diverse range of research topics, including but not limited to Public Management, Digital Economy and Internet Technology. The conference fostered a rich and stimulating intellectual environment. The program included keynote speeches by renowned experts in the field, parallel sessions for paper presentations, and panel discussions addressing emerging trends and challenges. The conference proceedings showcased a wide array of research papers, providing valuable insights into the latest theoretical and practical developments in the field of public management, digital economy, and internet technology. Participants had the opportunity to engage in constructive discussions, offer feedback, and establish potential collaborations for future research endeavors. We extend our gratitude to all participants, presenters, organizers, and sponsors for their contributions in making this conference a resounding success. We look forward to the 3rd edition of this conference, where we can further explore the dynamic intersections of public management, digital economy, and internet technology.




ECIE 2021 16th European Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship Vol 1


Book Description

These proceedings represent the work of contributors to the 16th European Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ECIE 2021), hosted by ISCTE Business School, Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Portugal on 16-17 September 2021. The Conference Chair is Dr. Florinda Matos and the Programme Co-Chairs are Prof Maria de Fátima Ferreiro, Prof Álvaro Rosoi and Prof Isabel Salavisa all from Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Portugal. ECIE is a well-established event on the academic research calendar and now in its 16th year, the key aim remains the opportunity for participants to share ideas and meet the people who hold them. The conference was due to be held at Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Portugal, but due to the global Covid-19 pandemic it was moved online to be held as a virtual event. The scope of papers will ensure an interesting two days. The subjects covered illustrate the wide range of topics that fall into this important and ever-growing area of research. The keynote presentation is given by Soumodip Sarkar, Vice-Rector, from University of Évora, Portugal on the topic of Social Intelligence. The second day of the conference will open with an address by Professor Vittorio Loreto, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, who will talk about Exploring the adjacent possible: play, anticipation, surprise.




Weathering the Storm: Innovation-Driven Human Resource Management Practices


Book Description

Innovation-driven human resource management practices: A systematic review, integrative framework, and future research directions Abstract PURPOSE: It is increasingly emphasized that human resource management practices (HRMP), which refer to recruiting and selection, training and development, compensation and performance appraisal, are of great importance for creating innovation. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that traditional HRMPs are already insufficient, which entails the need to rethink and reformulate them in the direction of more effective innovation while also allowing organizations to survive COVID-19-like crises. While there is an extensive literature on human resources management and innovation, there is still no consensus on innovation-driven HRMP. This study aims to identify and synthesize most significant and trustworthy research contributions of innovation-driven HRMP. In addition, to facilitate theory building in the field of HRMP, this article consolidates the existing knowledge into an integrative framework. This framework can be used by future researchers to identify gaps and ambiguities in the meaning of innovation-driven HRMP. METHODOLOGY: The article presents the results of a systematic literature review of 71 empirical research articles referring to innovation-driven HRMP from the Web of Science and Scopus databases. FINDINGS: The systematic literature review allowed us to identify innovation-driven HRMP, taking into account three levels of analysis: individual, group and organizational, with the latter level of analysis being dominant in previous publications. Recognition of innovation-driven HRMP, taking into account the levels in question, is included in an integrative framework, which is the theoretical basis for guiding future research. Our results confirmed the growing trend in the number of publications on the subject since 2010. Most researchers used a quantitative approach. Based on the first author’s affiliation, authors from Great Britain contributed the largest number of publications. Articles are published in various journals, but mainly in those on human resources management. The research took into account a variety of organizational contexts, predominantly in dynamic and complex industries. Our findings show that the current state of research on innovation-driven HRMP confirms the need for further research in this area. Based on this, we provided thematic gaps and potential questions for future research divided into three levels of innovation-driven HRMP. IMPLICATIONS: Our systematic literature review allowed us to propose implications for future researchers planning to conduct research in the field of innovation-driven HRMP. ORIGINALITY AND VALUE: Our systematic literature review focuses on identifying innovation-driven HRMP along with determining the current state of knowledge and future research directions in this area. In addition, we developed an integrative framework that aims at organizing existing literature but also at identifying promising future research directions into innovation-driven HRMP. Keywords: human resources management, human resources management practices, innovation, innovation-driven, integrative framework, systematic literature review, thematic gaps, emerging research directions Sustainable human resource management practices in organizational performance: The mediating impacts of knowledge management and work engagement Abstract PURPOSE: Modern business and global organizations are regularly presented with challenges caused by unpredictable competitive environments. Human resource management (HRM) practices give sustainable opportunities for employees to use their abilities and express their enthusiasm to obtain skills and knowledge and to apply them at the workplace with a view to achieving engaged individuals and increasing organizational performance. This article presents a recent study outcome to examine (i) the mediating role of knowledge management and work engagement and (ii) the effect of sustainable HRM practices on organizational performance. METHODOLOGY: 500 self-reported questionnaires were distributed to Jordanian university lecturers (research population) for data collection. The study data were assessed with structural equation modeling (SEM) using IBM-SPSS-AMOS 25.0. FINDINGS: Two pivotal outcomes were identified: (i) sustainable HRM practices, knowledge management, and work engagement were positively associated with organizational performance; (ii) knowledge management and work engagement played a mediating role in the sustainable HRM practice-organizational performance correlation. IMPLICATIONS: Overall, employee cooperation proved essential to optimize organizational performance, specifically during their engagement in sustainable HRM practices and knowledge management. Finally, the research proposed several practical recommendations and interventions on sustainable HRM for future research. ORIGINALITY AND VALUE: The research has provided proof of five variable relationships contained in the model. Firstly, organizational performance increased with sustainable HRM practices through knowledge management. Secondly, organizational performance increased with sustainable HRM practices through work engagement. Thirdly, work engagement increased with sustainable HRM through knowledge management. Fourthly, organizational performance increased with knowledge management through work engagement. Fifthly, organizational performance increased with sustainable HRM through knowledge management and work engagement. Keywords: sustainable HRM practices, organizational performance, knowledge management, work engagement, Ability-Motivation-Opportunity (AMO) theory Predictors of fairness assessment for social media screening in employee selection Abstract PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to analyze the factors that determine the response of potential candidates to the screening of private (represented by Facebook) and professional (LinkedIn) social networking sites (SNS) for personnel selection purposes, and in particular to examine how SNS screening in the personnel selection process is perceived by innovative candidates. METHODOLOGY: The empirical data were obtained through an e-questionnaire survey among c. 150 young Polish Internet users in 2021. Multiple linear regression with backward elimination was used to determine the predictors of perceived justice of Facebook and LinkedIn screening in the selection process. FINDINGS: The results confirmed previous scientific findings that the perceived justice of Facebook cybervetting is significantly lower than for LinkedIn and the privacy invasiveness of Facebook screening was rated significantly higher than for LinkedIn. The results of linear regression with backward elimination indicated that among the assumed factors influencing the perceived justice of Facebook and LinkedIn screening in the selection process (i.e., privacy invasiveness, personal innovativeness, self-image management, risk aversion, ability to control a social networking site’s information, above average performance self-assessment, a general concern for internet privacy, and – in the case of LinkedIn – having an account on LinkedIn) the perceived privacy invasiveness is the best predictor of perceived justice of both private (Facebook), and professional (LinkedIn) social networking site screening for personnel selection purposes. Also, the candidate’s self-image management affects the perceived justice of both types of social media used as selection tools, whereas personal innovativeness increases the acceptance of private social media (Facebook) scanning for this purpose. IMPLICATIONS: This study contributes to the body of knowledge regarding the perceived justice of ICT-based selection tools, and of social networking site screening for personnel selection purposes in particular. It expands the knowledge about the applicability of social networking site content analysis of Polish users, especially of innovative candidates. The paper also provides some practical recommendations to help organizations apply social media content analysis in a way that minimizes potential candidates’ perception of privacy invasiveness and increases their fairness perception. ORIGINALITY AND VALUE: It is the first application of a cybervetting scale on a Polish sample that is advantageous in terms of comparability of data from different countries. We found that activities focused on creating one’s online image foster a higher acceptance of cybervetting that can diminish predictive validity of this type of selection practices. Keywords: social networking sites, ICT-based selection tools, employee selection, fairness assessment, cybervetting Overcoming the pitfalls in employee performance evaluation: An application of ratings mode of the Analytic Hierarchy Process Abstract PURPOSE: Employee performance evaluation is a common exercise conducted in many organizations. Employees need to know the feedback on their performance from the management. Often the results of performance evaluation exercises are used for promotion, confirmation in service and awarding of bonuses for employees. However, the performance evaluation exercise often meets with criticism due to the presence of subjective factors and, specifically, the way in which these factors are handled. The purpose of the present paper is to show how the Ratings mode of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) can be applied to evaluate employee performance using objective as well as subjective criteria. METHODOLOGY: The whole AHP exercise for the present employee performance evaluation has been shown through a case study on CLSB, a company in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Four senior managers and the Managing Director of the company were involved in all phases of the present evaluation exercise, including elicitation of the criteria, sub-criteria and assigning weights to them. The AHP data were analyzed using software called AHP Calc version 24.12.13 developed by Klaus D. Goepel and available online. In particular, the Ratings mode of AHP was used to evaluate employees’ performance at CLSB. FINDINGS: Five criteria, namely Services, Quality, Financial, Timing, and Teamwork, are found to be important for the evaluation of employee performance at CLSB. Each of these criteria has sub-criteria. Harmonious work, Skills, and Punctuality are found to be the three most important sub-criteria for the present evaluation exercise. The outcome of the evaluation exercise provides an ordered set of ranks of 20 employees working in the company. Apart from the application of AHP for performance evaluation, an ordered set of detailed rubrics for all the criteria have been developed. The rubrics provide precise guidelines to the evaluators at the time of evaluating employees’ performance. IMPLICATIONS: An evaluation scheme that is scientific and systematic, such as the present one, will minimize criticism levied against the performance evaluation exercise. Once the employees are aware of the criteria and sub-criteria set along with the associated weighting scheme and the evaluation process itself, they will be motivated to perform their tasks and discharge their duties accordingly. Hence, employee job satisfaction and productivity are expected to increase. This will bolster not only the employees’ morale but also the organization’s overall performance. ORIGINALITY AND VALUE: In the literature, many schemes are available to evaluate employees’ performance. But often, these methods are criticized as they either take all the criteria of evaluation as equally important or they lack the capability to strike a balance between objective and subjective factors. The main contribution of the present work is to show how AHP can alleviate the above drawbacks of the existing methods. The present research work has developed a performance evaluation method, which is simple and straightforward, and the detailed steps have been elaborated on how the method can actually be applied to measure the performance of employees. The method can be applied to measure employees’ performance of other companies with the necessary modification of the criteria set and assigning appropriate weights to them. Keywords: employee performance, employee performance evaluation, reward, training need, AHP Ratings The influence of e-trust on a job performance model based on employees’ dynamic capabilities during a crisis caused by a Black Swan event Abstract PURPOSE: In a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic, employees play a key role in the ability to survive and achieve both sufficient and outstanding performance in the organization. Therefore, both the characteristics of people in the organization and the possibility of influencing the improvement of their performance at work, have become the focus of attention of scientists and practitioners. In this context, the purpose of this article is to analyze the role of e-trust in strengthening the influence of employees’ dynamic capabilities on the job performance of employees among organizations operating under the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODOLOGY: An empirical study was performed based on the Employees’ Dynamic Capabilities model. In order to verify the potential relations, empirical studies were conducted in 1200 organizations located in Poland, Italy and USA. The companies were selected on the basis of the purposive manner. The structured questionnaire was prepared and the CAWI (Computer-Assisted Web Interview) method was used in this research. The reliability of the scales used in the survey was tested and afterwards a multigroup path analysis was performed using IBM SPSS AMOS. The model was verified, confirming the presumed relationships between the variables. FINDINGS: It has been proven that the higher the level of e-trust is, the stronger the influence of EDC is on job performance of organizations operating under a crisis caused by a Black Swan event mediated by P-J fit, work motivation, job satisfaction and work engagement. IMPLICATIONS: This study contributes to the current knowledge of management, in particular human resource management. In the theoretical area, the relationships between the factors influencing job performance in the difficult conditions of the crisis caused by the Black Swan event were described. On the other hand, from a practical point of view, indications on how to shape leadership behavior during remote work, with particular emphasis on the e-trust aspect, seem to be important. ORIGINALITY AND VALUE: This research enriches the considerations regarding the existing Employees’ Dynamic Capabilities model. The role of the e-trust factor, which is an important part of e-leadership, in the context of the impact on this model was indicated and discussed. The conclusions are a solid step in the development of knowledge about managing employees during remote work, which not only became a solution for the time of the crisis, but was also permanently introduced to the current work organization. Keywords: management, e-trust, employee dynamic capabilities, person – job fit, motivation, satisfaction, work engagement, job performance.




Health Information Systems


Book Description

Previously published as Strategic Information Management in Hospitals; An Introduction to Hospital Information Systems, Health Information Systems Architectures and Strategies is a definitive volume written by four authoritative voices in medical informatics. Illustrating the importance of hospital information management in delivering high quality health care at the lowest possible cost, this book provides the essential resources needed by the medical informatics specialist to understand and successfully manage the complex nature of hospital information systems. Author of the first edition's Foreword, Reed M. Gardner, PhD, Professor and Chair, Department of Medical Informatics, University of Utah and LDS Hospital, Salt Lake City, Utah, applauded the text's focus on the underlying administrative systems that are in place in hospitals throughout the world. He wrote, "These challenging systems that acquire, process and manage the patient's clinical information. Hospital information systems provide a major part of the information needed by those paying for health care." their components; health information systems; architectures of hospital information systems; and organizational structures for information management.










New Waves in Innovation Management Research (ISPIM Insights)


Book Description

Launched in 2011 to recognize the prolific contribution that PhD dissertations make to the field of Innovation Management, the ISPIM Dissertation Award selects three winners from the possible 100+ entries every year. Aided in the selection process by the generous support of Innovation Leaders, the ISPIM presents the awards at their annual Innovation Conference. With only three finalists being selected each year, many excellent submissions do not receive the recognition they deserve. To rectify this, the 2018 ISPIM Dissertation Award cast its spotlight beyond the top three dissertations and onto a much greater number of entries. Compiling the top 28 submissions received this year, 'New Waves in Innovation Management Research' is organized into six thematic sections that cover areas such as investments, collaboration, and creativity. Presenting a broad range of case studies and data from across global, this edited volume illustrates the breadth of research potential in the coming wave of innovation management. This book will be of interest to students, researchers and professional managers, alike, who are interested in or actively involved in the latest research on innovation management.




Business Process Maturity


Book Description

Organisations face many challenges, which induce them to perform better, and thus to establish mature (or excellent) business processes. As they now face globalisation, higher competitiveness, demanding customers, growing IT possibilities, compliancy rules etc., business process maturity models (BPMMs) have been introduced to help organisations gradually assess and improve their business processes (e.g. CMMI or OMG-BPMM). In fact, there are now so many BPMMs to choose from that organisations risk selecting one that does not fit their needs or one of substandard quality. This book presents a study that distinguishes process management from process orientation so as to arrive at a common understanding. It also includes a classification study to identify the capability areas and maturity types of 69 existing BPMMs, in order to strengthen the basis of available BPMMs. Lastly it presents a selection study to identify criteria for choosing one BPMM from the broad selection, which produced a free online selection tool, BPMM Smart-Selector.