Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You and Your Team.

Learn More →

Towards a multidisciplinary definition of innovation

Towards a multidisciplinary definition of innovation Purpose – This paper aims to undertake a content analysis of extant definitions of “innovation” as a basis for proposing an integrative definition of organizational “innovation”. Design/methodology/approach – A literature review was used to generate a representative pool of definitions of organizational innovation, including definitions from the different disciplinary literatures of economics, innovation and entrepreneurship, business and management, and technology, science and engineering. A content analysis of these definitions was conducted in order to surface the key attributes mentioned in the definitions, and to profile the descriptors used in relation to each attribute. Findings – The key attributes in the paper present in definitions were identified as: nature of innovation; type of innovation; stages of innovation, social context; means of innovation; and aim of innovation. These attributes are defined, descriptors assigned to them, and both a diagrammatic definition and a textual definition of organizational innovation are proposed. Originality/value – As a concept that is owned and discussed by many business disciplines, “innovation” has many different definitions that align with the dominant paradigm of the respective disciplines. Building on these diverse definitions, this paper proposes a general and integrative definition of organizational “innovation” that encompasses the different perspectives on, and aspects of, innovation, and captures its essence. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Management Decision Emerald Publishing

Towards a multidisciplinary definition of innovation

Anahita Baregheh; Jennifer Rowley; Sally Sambrook
Management Decision , Volume 47 (8): 17 – Sep 4, 2009
Download PDF
17 pages
Read Article

Loading next page...
 
/lp/emerald-publishing/towards-a-multidisciplinary-definition-of-innovation-0Uc4l1LJiq
Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © 2009 Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.
ISSN
0025-1747
DOI
10.1108/00251740910984578
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Purpose – This paper aims to undertake a content analysis of extant definitions of “innovation” as a basis for proposing an integrative definition of organizational “innovation”. Design/methodology/approach – A literature review was used to generate a representative pool of definitions of organizational innovation, including definitions from the different disciplinary literatures of economics, innovation and entrepreneurship, business and management, and technology, science and engineering. A content analysis of these definitions was conducted in order to surface the key attributes mentioned in the definitions, and to profile the descriptors used in relation to each attribute. Findings – The key attributes in the paper present in definitions were identified as: nature of innovation; type of innovation; stages of innovation, social context; means of innovation; and aim of innovation. These attributes are defined, descriptors assigned to them, and both a diagrammatic definition and a textual definition of organizational innovation are proposed. Originality/value – As a concept that is owned and discussed by many business disciplines, “innovation” has many different definitions that align with the dominant paradigm of the respective disciplines. Building on these diverse definitions, this paper proposes a general and integrative definition of organizational “innovation” that encompasses the different perspectives on, and aspects of, innovation, and captures its essence.

Journal

Management Decision – Emerald Publishing

Published: Sep 4, 2009

Keywords: Innovation; Organizational innovation; United Kingdom

References

  • Innovation management measurement: a review
    Adams, R.; Bessant, J.; Phelps, R.
  • Qualitative Media Analysis
    Altheide, D.L.
  • Building creative ideas for successful new product development
    Alves, J.; Marques, M.J.; Saur, I.; Marques, P.
  • How to prevent creativity mismanagement
    Badawy, M.K.
  • Innovation
    Barnett, H.
  • The Free‐Market Innovation Machine: Analyzing the Growth Miracle of Capitalism
    Baumol, W.J.
  • The innovative organization: a selective review of current theory and research
    Becker, S.W.; Whisler, T.L.
  • Content Analysis in Communication Research
    Berelson, B.
  • Innovation or customer orientation? An empirical investigation
    Berthon, P.; Hulbert, J.M.; Pitt, L.
  • Innovation and Entrepreneurship
    Bessant, J.; Tidd, J.
  • Managing innovation beyond the steady state
    Bessant, J.; Lamming, R.; Noke, H.; Phillips, W.
  • Introduction to Innovation – Managing Ideas into Action
    Brown, M.
  • Social Research Method
    Bryman, A.
  • Knowledge codifiability, resources, and science‐based innovation
    Cardinal, L.B.; Alessandri, T.M.; Turner, S.F.
  • A note on departmental autonomy and innovation in medical schools
    Caroll, J.
  • Measuring intellectual capital: a new model and empirical study
    Chen, J.; Zhaohui, Z.; Xie, H.Y.
  • A multidimensional approach to the adoption of innovation
    Cooper, J.R.
  • Innovation overview and future challenges
    Cumming, B.S.
  • Dual‐core model of organizational innovation
    Daft, R.L.
  • Organizational innovation – a meta‐analysis of effects of determinants and moderators
    Damanpour, F.
  • Organizational complexity and innovation: developing and testing multiple contingency models
    Damanpour, F.
  • Theories of organizational structure and innovation adoption: the role of environmental change
    Damanpour, F.; Gopalakrishnan, S.
  • Phases of the adoption of innovation in organizations: effects of environment, organization and top managers
    Damanpour, F.; Schneider, M.
  • Product innovativeness from the firm's perspective: its dimensions and their relation with project selection and performance
    Danneels, E.; Kleinschmidt, E.J.
  • Innovation Nation
    Department for Innovation, US
  • Innovation Report
    Department of Trade
  • Finance, innovation and industrial change
    Dosi, G.
  • Innovation and Entrepreneurship
    Drucker, P.F.
  • The innovation funnel
    Dunphy, S.M.; Herbig, P.R.; Howes, M.E.
  • Project‐management and management of innovation in small industrial firms
    During, W.E.
  • Organizational integration and process innovation
    Ettlie, J.E.; Reza, E.M.
  • Organizational strategy and structural differences for radical versus incremental innovation
    Ettlie, J.E.; Bridges, W.P.; O'Keefe, R.D.
  • Rethinking the innovation process in large organizations: a case study of 3M
    Figueroa, E.; Conceicao, P.
  • Targeting innovation and implications for capability development
    Francis, D.; Bessant, J.
  • The Economics of Industrial Innovation
    Freeman, C.
  • Models of innovation: start‐ups and mature corporations
    Freeman, J.; Engel, J.S.
  • Influence of transformational leadership on organizational innovation and performance depending on the level of organizational learning in the pharmaceutical sector
    García‐Morales, V.J.; Matías‐Reche, F.; Hurtado‐Torres, N.
  • Content Analysis for the Social Sciences and Humanities
    Holsti, O.R.
  • Editorial: Identification and consideration of emerging research questions
    Kahn, K.B.; Franzak, F.; Griffin, A.; Kohn, S.; Miller, C.W.
  • Product design, marketing, and manufacturing innovation
    Karger, D.W.; Murdick, R.G.
  • Managerial innovation
    Kimberly, J.R.
  • The challenge of innovation implementation
    Klein, K.J.; Sorra, J.S.
  • A descriptive model of intra‐firm innovation process
    Knight, K.E.
  • Frontiers in Creative and Innovative
    Kuhn, R.L.
  • Innovation modification during intraorganizational adoption
    Lewis, L.K.; Seibold, D.R.
  • Preparing your organization for technological change
    Lorenzi, N.M.; Mantel, M.I.; Riley, R.T.
  • National Systems of Innovation: Towards a Theory of Innovation and Interactive Learning
    Lundvall, B.A.
  • Innovation and organisational size in Irish SMEs: an empirical study
    McAdam, R.; Reid, R.; Gibson, D.
  • Innovation, competitive advantage and rent: a model and test
    McGrath, R.G.; Tsai, M.‐H.; Venkataraman, S.; MacMillan, I.C.
  • Size of firm, market structure and innovation
    Mansfield, E.
  • Organizational decline and innovation: a contingency framework
    Mone, M.A.; McKinley, W.; Barker, V.L.
  • Successful Industrial Innovations: A Study of Factors Underlying Innovation in Selected Firms
    Myers, S.; Marquis, D.G.
  • An Evolutionary Theory of Economic Change
    Nelson, R.; Winter, S.
  • Implementing Routine and Radical Innovations
    Nord, W.; Tucker, S.
  • The Measurement of Scientific and Technical Organizations
    OECD
  • The role of knowledge management in innovation
    Plessis, M.D.
  • The Competitive Advantage of Nations
    Porter, M.E.
  • The organization of innovation: collaboration, cooperation and multi‐functional groups in UK and German manufacturing
    Roper, S.; Love, J.
  • Successful industrial innovation: critical factors for the 1990s
    Rothwell, R.
  • Invention, innovation, re‐innovation and the role of the user
    Rothwell, R.; Gardiner, P.
  • The concept of innovativeness: should we need to focus?
    Salavou, H.
  • The Theory of Economic Development
    Schumpeter, J.A.
  • Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy
    Schumpeter, J.A.
  • Innovation‐resisting and innovation‐producing organizations
    Shepard, H.A.
  • Innovation studies in the twenty‐first century: questions from a user's perspective
    Smits, R.
  • The balancing of empowerment – a strategic resource based model of organizing innovation activities in service and low‐tech firms
    Sundbo, J.
  • Knowledge management and innovation: networks and networking
    Swan, J.; Newell, S.; Scarbrough, H.; Hislop, D.
  • An integrative model of innovation in organizations
    Tang, H.K.
  • Bureaucracy and innovation
    Thompson, V.A.
  • Innovation Management and New Product Development
    Trott, P.
  • Organizing for innovation
    Tushman, M.; Nadler, D.
  • Creativity and innovation in organizations
    Udwadia, F.E.
  • Innovation and Management
    Urabe, K.; Child, J.
  • Central problems in the management of innovation
    Van de Ven, A.
  • The Theory of the Leisure Class: An Economic Study of Institutions
    Veblen, T.
  • Innovation in top management teams
    West, M.A.; Anderson, N.R.
  • Innovation and Creativity at Work: Psychological and Organizational Strategies
    West, M.A.; Farr, J.L.
  • Organizational innovation – review, critique and suggested research directions
    Wolfe, R.A.
  • Innovation by teams in Shanghai, China: cooperative goals for group confidence and persistence
    Wong, A.; Tjosvold, D.; Liu, C.
  • The financial implications of fit between competitive strategy and innovation types and sources
    Zahra, S.A.; Covin, J.G.
  • Innovation or innovativeness? Results of a benchmarking study
    Zairi, M.
  • Innovations and Organizations
    Zaltman, F.E.; Duncan, R.B.; Holbek, J.

You’re reading a free preview. Subscribe to read the entire article.

Try 2 weeks free now

DeepDyve is your
personal research library

It’s your single place to instantly
discover and read the research
that matters to you.

Enjoy affordable access to
over 18 million articles from more than
15,000 peer-reviewed journals.

All for just $49/month

Explore the DeepDyve Library

or browse the journals available

Search

Query the DeepDyve database, plus search all of PubMed and Google Scholar seamlessly

Organize

Save any article or search result from DeepDyve, PubMed, and Google Scholar... all in one place.

Access

Get unlimited, online access to over 18 million full-text articles from more than 15,000 scientific journals.

Your journals are on DeepDyve

Read from thousands of the leading scholarly journals from SpringerNature, Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford University Press and more.

All the latest content is available, no embargo periods.

See the journals in your area

DeepDyve

Freelancer

DeepDyve

Pro

Price

FREE

$49/month
$499/year

Save searches from
Google Scholar,
PubMed

Create folders to
organize your research

Export folders, citations

Read DeepDyve articles

Abstract access only

Unlimited access to over
18 million full-text articles

Print

20 pages / month

Sign up
for free
Start 14 day
Free Trial