Meeting the demands of a circular economy entails substantial organizational change and innovation, particularly by industrial incumbent organizations. This paper aims to deepen understanding of how such organizations use management controls to strengthen circular principles and drive innovation, while also shedding light on tensions in the management control system that may occur following the contrasting logics of linearity and circularity. The study collects qualitatively rich empirical data from three large industrial organizations in Sweden, employing 38 semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis. The study suggests that the management control system serves as a valuable instrument for implementing circular principles through interventions, and conversely, as a system that can entrench a linear logic in organizations. Specifically, the analysis reveals that while circular principles are not fully integrated into all aspects of the management control systems, specific identified factors enable or impede innovation in the circular transformation. Imbalances and inconsistencies in the use of action-, result-, and cultural controls were also identified. The practical implications emphasize a risk of reducing circular initiatives to minor improvements without a comprehensive understanding of the needed radical changes and corresponding adjustments to the management control system. Overall, the research provides valuable and qualitatively rich insights connecting the adoption of the circular economy in incumbent organizations and further strengthens the bridge between literature on innovation management, circular economy, and management control systems, highlighting the importance of addressing tensions and imbalances for successful circular transformations.

BACKGROUND: Harnessing mobile health (mHealth) solutions could improve the delivery of mental health services and mitigate their impact in Uganda and similar low-resource settings. However, successful adoption requires that mHealth solutions have good usability. We have previously implemented a telephone service to provide mental health information and advice in English and Luganda, utilizing an automated interactive voice response (IVR) system linked to live agents, including mental health care workers and peer support workers. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the usage and usability of this mental health telephone service. METHODS: We obtained usage data from the system's call logs over 18 months to study call volumes and trends. We then surveyed callers to gather their characteristics and assess usability using the Telehealth Usability Questionnaire. Additionally, call recordings were evaluated for conversation quality by 3 independent health care professionals, using the Telephone Nursing Dialogue Process, and correlations between quality and usability aspects were investigated. RESULTS: Over 18 months, the system received 2863 meaningful calls (ie, calls that went past the welcome message) from 1125 unique telephone numbers. Of these, 1153 calls (40.27%) stopped at the prerecorded IVR information, while 1710 calls (59.73%) opted to speak to an agent. Among those who chose to speak with an agent, 1292 calls (75.56%) were answered, 393 calls (22.98%) went to voicemail and were returned in the following working days, and 25 calls (1.46%) were not answered. Usage was generally sustained over time, with spikes in call volume corresponding to marketing events. The survey (n=240) revealed that most callers were caregivers of patients with mental health issues (n=144, 60.0%) or members of the general public (n=46, 19.2%), while a few were patients with mental health issues (n=44, 18.3%). Additionally, the majority were male (n=143, 59.6%), spoke English (n=180, 75.0%), had postsecondary education (n=164, 68.3%), lived within 1 hour or less from Butabika Hospital (n=187, 77.9%), and were aged 25-44 years (n=160, 66.7%). The overall usability score for the system was 4.12 on a 5-point scale, significantly higher than the recommended target usability score of 4 (P=.006). The mean scores for usability components ranged from 3.66 for reliability to 4.41 for ease of use, with all components, except reliability, scoring higher than 4 or falling within its CI. Usability scores were higher for Luganda speakers compared with English speakers, but there was no association with other participant characteristics such as sex, distance from the hospital, age, marital status, duration of symptoms, or treatment status. The quality of call conversations (n=50) was rated at 4.35 out of 5 and showed a significant correlation with usability (Pearson r=0.34, P=.02). CONCLUSIONS: We found sustained usage of the mental health telephone service, along with a positive user experience and high satisfaction across various user characteristics. mHealth solutions like this should be embraced and replicated to enhance the delivery of health services in Uganda and similar low-resource settings.

This paper explores practices associated with involving customers in the pricing process of new digital offerings in a business-to-business context (B2B), including the degree and timing of engagement, as well as the related challenges. The scientific contribution is related to testing and innovative pricing of digital offerings used in production, manufacturing, and construction contexts, and four pricing tests in four different organizations are presented and analyzed. Data were collected in a multifaceted approach using a diverse set of information sources, including semi structured interviews, workshops, internal documents, and email conversations. Results show that traditional pricing practices and product logic mind-sets are hard to break andit's difficult to create a mind-set focused on values. The results indicate that a key to increasing and achieving a deeper degree of customer involvement in B2B-context is to engage the sales organizations.

Description

Today, we find ourselves in a global situation where conflicts within and between countries are increasing, or at least becoming more apparent and having greater consequences than just a decade ago. Military build-up and increased policing are current responses to the rising violence in these situations. We argue that humanity lacks much-needed knowledge about the crucial factors when societal climates deteriorate. While external factors like resource scarcity, limited freedoms, and reduced influence are recognized as triggers for negative reactions, comprehending how societal climates shift, even in relatively prosperous environments, remains a challenge. We want to investigate and discuss whether peace innovation is a missing research area that has the potential to contribute to increased global peace and fewer conflicts in society. We see this research field as interdisciplinary but emerging from a technical perspective, meaning that we incorporate technology and disruptive new technological areas as means to achieve our goals.

We envision opportunities to strengthen innovation processes that enhance understanding among people and improve communication capabilities and increase empathy among different groups and cultures. Inspired by initiatives such as Stanford’s Peace Innovation Lab (https://www.peaceinnovation.stanford.edu/), a center aiming at creating technology that systematically augments our ability to engage positively with each other, we see this conference as a unique opportunity to discuss what establishing such a field would entail. We would love to run a 2-hour workshop aims to familiarize participants with the concept of peace innovation and explore strategies for promoting positive engagement across diverse boundaries. The agenda includes an introductory session, an icebreaker activity focusing on group identity mapping, an interactive exercise simulating interactions (based on contact theory principles), a brainstorming session on Peace Tech/innovation interventions, and a closing discussion on how to collaborate to contribute to the planned special issue.

Background: Mental health conditions are a significant public health problem globally, responsible for >8 million deaths per year. In addition, they lead to lost productivity, exacerbate physical illness, and are associated with stigma and human rights violations. Uganda, like many low- and middle -income countries, faces a massive treatment gap for mental health conditions, and numerous sociocultural challenges exacerbate the burden of mental health conditions. Objective: This study aims to describe the development and formative evaluation of a digital health intervention for improving access to mental health care in Uganda. Methods: This qualitative study used user -centered design and design science research principles. Stakeholders, including patients, caregivers, mental health care providers, and implementation experts (N=65), participated in focus group discussions in which we explored participants' experience of mental illness and mental health care, experience with digital interventions, and opinions about a proposed digital mental health service. Data were analyzed using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to derive requirements for the digital solution, which was iteratively cocreated with users and piloted. Results: Several challenges were identified, including a severe shortage of mental health facilities, unmet mental health information needs, heavy burden of caregiving, financial challenges, stigma, and negative beliefs related to mental health. Participants' enthusiasm about digital solutions as a feasible, acceptable, and convenient method for accessing mental health services was also revealed, along with recommendations to make the service user-friendly, affordable, and available 24x7 and to ensure anonymity. A hospital call center service was developed to provide mental health information and advice in 2 languages through interactive voice response and live calls with health care professionals and peer support workers (recovering patients). In the 4 months after launch, 456 calls, from 236 unique numbers, were made to the system, of which 99 (21.7%) calls went to voicemails (out -of -office hours). Of the remaining 357 calls, 80 (22.4%) calls stopped at the interactive voice response, 231 (64.7%) calls were answered by call agents, and 22 (6.2%) calls were not answered. User feedback was positive, with callers appreciating the inclusion of peer support workers who share their recovery journeys. However, some participant recommendations (eg, adding video call options) or individualized needs (eg, prescriptions) could not be accommodated due to resource limitations or technical feasibility. Conclusions: This study demonstrates a systematic and theory -driven approach to developing contextually appropriate digital solutions for improving mental health care in Uganda and similar contexts. The positive reception of the implemented service underscores its potential impact. Future research should address the identified limitations and evaluate clinical outcomes of long-term adoption.

Enabling a shift towards a Circular Economy (CE) relies on the alliance of existing and new stakeholders, their innovations and capabilities, and new ways of working together to achieve a new system-level goal. This paper scrutinizes the emergence of CE ecosystems with a particular focus on two frontrunner actors: one large industrial manufacturer and one municipality within the same geographical region, both with the same ambition to drive a CE transition. Specifically, it investigates what CE ecosystems are emerging, each actor's role in these, and their untapped circularity potential. Based on interviews with respondents from each actor, the study contributes to the emerging literature on how CE ecosystems arise and develop. Furthermore, the paper discusses how the actors could seize missed potential opportunities for circular ecosystems in the region studied.

Our knowledge of how to design innovation ecosystems that effectively deal with grand challenges or wicked problems is currently insufficient due to a lack of understanding of their joint innovation processes. Through the use of an in-depth case of an innovation ecosystem designed to combat organized crime, this study shows how diverse government authorities manoeuvre innovation and interact to continuously make the challenge amenable and identify and implement provisional and innovative solutions. Drawing on extensive data gathered from observations, documentation, and interviews with multiple stakeholders, we contribute to the innovation ecosystem literature by offering a model of three interdependent and complementary innovation processes: responsive, preventive, and tactical innovation, supporting an ongoing and distributed experimentation among diverse actors. Furthermore, we emphasize the use of a hybrid interorganizational structure that combines hierarchical and horizontal structures, over one that is entirely network-based, and we highlight the crucial role of a focal collective actor as opposed to a single orchestrator of the ecosystem. Finally, the study suggests attention not only to strengths and complementary attributes but also to vulnerabilities and gaps between involved actors, providing unique innovation opportunities. The paper offers valuable guidance to designers and coordinators of innovation ecosystems addressing grand challenges.

The transition to a Circular Economy (CE) promises improved work quality, social inclusion, and solutions to climate breakdown, resource scarcity, and biodiversity loss. However, its social sustainability implications particularly on a global scale remains unclear. Given the important role of Multi-National Corporations (MNCs) in this transition, it is crucial to examine their integration of social sustainability in relation to their transition to CE. This paper enhances understanding of MNCs' engagement in fostering a just transition to CE. Semi-structured interviews (n=22) were conducted with an MNC and actors within its innovation ecosystem in both a high-income and a lower middle-income country (LMIC). The study reveals (1) the early, substantial, yet fragmented efforts by the MNC to integrate social sustainability and CE, distinguishing between compliance and strategic practices; (2) the untapped potential in subsidiaries and suppliers in LMICs; (3) contrasting perceptions concerning the implications and handling of procedural and distributional justice of CE, currently undiscussed. The study advances the emerging discourse on CE and justice and the role of social sustainability practices in providing opportunities and challenges for a just and inclusive CE innovation ecosystem. 

Management control systems offers powerful ways of guiding employee behavior and implementing organizational strategy. Given the new business logic and the extensive and complex challenges that industrial firms face in light of a circular economy transition, this paper is oriented around two questions. First, the compatibility between traditional management control systems and circular economy. Second, how management control systems can support the radical transformation of firms that circular economy entails. By scrutinizing extant research on MCS, six propositions are developed and grounded in empirical illustrations. These propositions hold relevant implications for practitioners, and several promising avenues for future research are highlighted.