European Journal of Innovation Management

Agostini, Lara; Galati, Francesco; Gastaldi, Luca

doi: 10.1108/EJIM-11-2019-0330pmid: N/A

PurposeAs various scholars have pointed out, the exponential growth in digital technologies has resulted in significant improvements to many business processes, and has also played a significant role in the field of innovation. The purpose of this paper is to organise the contributions of this special issue according to a framework that considers three topics currently being debated extensively in literature: innovation inputs, innovation processes and innovation outcomes.Design/methodology/approachPapers in this special issue adopt both qualitative and quantitative approaches based on the purpose of the study, which gives also a methodological variety to the special issue.FindingsPapers in this special issue show that because of digital technologies: first, inputs are progressively becoming interrelated, making most of innovation endeavours happening in inter-organizational ecosystems of actors; second, innovation processes are gradually being compressed, anticipating and enhancing the phases in which customer feedback is gathered and employed; and finally, innovation outputs are increasingly taking the form of platforms used to create value by matching the supply of an asset with demand.Originality/valueThe value of this and other papers included in the special issue consists of embracing the topic of digital innovation from a managerial standpoint, contributing to the understanding of how the innovation process and other business processes may be affected by the use of digital technologies.

Kötting, Michael; Kuckertz, Andreas

doi: 10.1108/EJIM-07-2018-0142pmid: N/A

PurposeThe success of corporate innovation is based less upon the success of a single innovation program than on a holistic and overarching corporate innovation system integrating various activities. Taking this perspective, the purpose of this paper is to extend existing research on the design of innovation programs.Design/methodology/approachUtilizing an inductive theory-building case study approach, this study provides a detailed analysis of how one of the largest and most successful German technology companies structures its many innovation activities.FindingsThe analysis identifies key elements of innovation programs and suggests three configurations that illustrate how these generic elements can be structured so as to offer the best fit with the underlying logic of the respective innovation program. Furthermore, this study highlights how the identified configurations come together to deliver overarching strategic innovation goals.Originality/valueExisting research too often focuses solely on single innovation programs. The current research is among the first to take a holistic and overarching perspective, considering different innovation programs within a single company and analyzing their configuration and their interplay.