International Journal of Innovation Science

Trusko, Brett

2011 International Journal of Innovation Science

doi: 10.1260/1757-2223.3.4.i

Kurman, Melba

2011 International Journal of Innovation Science

doi: 10.1260/1757-2223.3.4.167

University technology transfer stakeholders lack a simple, yet meaningful way to measure how effectively and quickly a university is able to license patents into commercially successful products and to spin off startups that in turn, create jobs. Current leading count-based measures fail to account for the fact that many significant technology transfer outcomes follow a skewed distribution that when summed, provide inadequate insight into a university's ability to quickly place its patent portfolio into productive external use. This article introduces a set of three core index-based measures that overcome the limitations of conventional metrics and econometric models: a commercialization health index, job creation health index, and a licensing-speed health index. The concept underlying the technology transfer health indexes is borrowed from the h index utilized by university tenure committees to measure scholarly impact and productivity over time. The index-based measures described in this article are simple for technology transfer practitioners to apply, can be calculated using existing data, and are immune to skewing by atypical outcomes such a single, high-earning patent, and be difficult to intentionally manipulate. With little cost and no additional infrastructure, index-based measures of university technology transfer activity yield meaningful metrics that could be input into larger, economic impact studies. The index-based measures described here reward universities that have sustained and impactful technology transfer activity over time; widespread application of index-based measures would incent universities to become better stewards of federally funded scientific research.

Wirtz, Harald

2011 International Journal of Innovation Science

doi: 10.1260/1757-2223.3.4.177

Networks have become an important organization form for creating and disseminating innovations in many sectors. Innovation networks can help to cope with the demands of increasing competition and rapidly changing markets. This view has established also in the logistics sector. The objective of this treatise is to help readers understand the management of innovation networks based on a case study that examines how the DHL Group, one of the world's largest providers of logistics services, organizes its innovative activities with its network partners. The special focus is the network management and competitive advantages for DHL resulting form the network. The network of DHL Solutions & Innovations (DSI), a business unit in which the DHL Group bundles and coordinates its innovation activities, is described and analyzed. DSI utilizes a large international network of heterogeneous partners, which is largely being controlled through focal means and which is configured dynamically. Functions selection, allocation, regulation and evaluation are stringently organized within this innovation network and are highly formalized. The advantages of the chosen organizational format for the network are explained on the basis of the resource oriented approaches and the transaction cost theory.

Yadollahi, Mohammadreza; Zin, Rosli

2011 International Journal of Innovation Science

doi: 10.1260/1757-2223.3.4.193

The solution of prioritization problem for budget allocation across road infrastructure rehabilitation projects is highly complicated. This complexity is often due to the contradictions exist in budget allocation process. Such process concerns allocation of rehabilitation funds across various road infrastructures and taking into account multiple evaluation criteria. Therefore, budget allocation is a complex process with too many contradictions in form of criteria or attributes. According to the Systematic Innovation methodology, solving a problem means removing a contradiction. This paper presents a decision support approach for management of budget in rehabilitation process of road infrastructure, introducing Applied Multi-Criteria Ideal Rehabilitation Model. To achieve this, with the help of multi-criteria decision analysis, the Degree of Ideality is introduced as a function of all criteria. "Ideality" is the measure of how close the system is to the ideal final result. If the useful feature improves or harmful feature lessens, the ideality improves. In order to maximize the Degree of Ideality in the proposed Model, contradictions and resources are identified and ideal final result is introduced. This will result in a simple mechanism for allocation of budget across all the road infrastructures need to be rehabilitated.

Fortino, Andres

2011 International Journal of Innovation Science

doi: 10.1260/1757-2223.3.4.203

The story of the rise and influence of technology as a major force in our society is one of innovation. Technology needs to stay innovative to remain relevant and to keep adding value. The economist Schumpeter has shown us that technology moves in a creative destructive path. It is safe to say that the two, technology and innovation, are synonymous. Joseph Nadan, NYU-Poly Professor of Technology and Business Innovation, defines innovation as "people creating value by implementing new ideas." At the heart of that definition is the individual. It is also clear, that every nation and society needs more innovation and innovators to move forward and improve our economic conditions. Understanding who is an innovator and how we can create and educate more innovators is critical to the well-being of societies. To foster understanding it is useful to visualize the innovator as being on a journey. Joseph Campbell has shown us that since ancient times myths teach us profound lessons about the path of heroes that fulfill certain roles in society. One such role, the innovator, has a deep tradition in the myths of all societies. It is important to understand these myths and what lessons they teach us about the innovator's journey. By observing the characteristics of the path they follow and the motivations of the individual innovator, we are better positioned to educate innovators, to nurture them so they are productive in any organization, to recognize them when we are ready to employ them, and to clear a path for them to be innovative when they are ready to implement new ideas. Many ancient myths and stories of heroes are available to study the innovator's journey. The myth of Prometheus is one powerful example. In this paper we examine this myth and what it teaches us about the elements of the innovator's journey and the lessons we may learn to nurture innovation and innovators who benefit organizations. We will also examine how to foster the education of future innovators who, we trust, will push the frontiers of technology and contribute to its creative destructive path. We contend that innovation as a profession is just starting to be defined and that the elements of the Promethean journey can inform the conversation.

Bradford, William; Gupta, Praveen

2011 International Journal of Innovation Science

doi: 10.1260/1757-2223.3.4.211

Harter, Nathan

2011 International Journal of Innovation Science

doi: 10.1260/1757-2223.3.4.213

The pursuit of innovation depends on creativity as a competency, yet creativity-especially in organizational settings — is difficult to understand, let alone manage. By consulting works of Maurice Merleau-Ponty (art), Martin Heidegger (philosophy), and Hannah Arendt (political science), this article offers a composite account of creativity that suggests the aggressive pursuit of creativity in an organizational setting should include an expenditure of effort by leaders to create a social environment where participants can reflect upon and accept their own inner creativity, known as natality, as well as the creativity of others as a collective response to aspects of a reality we ordinarily overlook.

Brandman, DeLeys; Carlson, Bob; Dubey, Rameshwar; Carlisle, John; Nabor, Joseph; Gupta, Praveen; Walton, Abram; Trusko, Brett; Alexis, Jeremy; Phillips, Jeffrey

2011 International Journal of Innovation Science

doi: 10.1260/1757-2223.3.4.221