This study originates in a recognised unsustainable cost escalation for complex defence equipment. In order to understand how such cost escalation for complex product systems (CoPS) can be avoided, this study comparatively explores four different industrial sectors – energy, transportation, healthcare and defence – with and without intergenerational increasing costs, represented by four international companies. The results, collected from studying the development of one of each company’s products, reveal some characteristic differences in market factors between those sectors and companies having problems with intergenerational escalating costs and customer affordability, as compared to other sectors and companies. It is suggested that dependent on market characteristics, it might be necessary to actively manage affordability when CoPS are developed. Efforts made by the companies to make products more affordable were identified, and several factors enabling and disabling the development of less costly products without compromising customer needs were explored. Further, the implications of affordability management in a CoPS setting are elaborated on.

This paper addresses how personal certification in innovation management can contribute to the ongoing professionalisation within the innovation management discipline. The empirical study focused a project in Sweden initiated to develop qualification, specifically personal certification, of innovation management professionals. The project resulted in a certification process and a first batch of certified innovation management professionals. The study aimed to capture the individuals’ reasons for, as well as results and effects from, choosing to acquire a voluntary personal certification within innovation management. A wide range of reasons for taking the certifications was reported such as willingness to learn more; willingness to formalise innovation management competence; a wish to clarify roles, but also to promote the discipline itself. Certification was apprehended as a trustworthy format to achieve this. Identified effects were establishment of a common language, increased visibility of individuals, and innovation management professionals to feel more confident in their jobs.

The ISO Innovation Management System (IMS) Standard (ISO 56002) provides a much needed and well-timed input to the innovation management discipline. While research efforts within the domain of innovation management have vastly increased over the past decades, research has primarily been conducted through specific contributions to distinct areas of innovation management (e.g., top management, culture, processes), lacking a more holistic perspective. Practitioners know that managing innovation is challenging. Bringing in a globally recognised standard that offers a holistic perspective will be key in professionalising the innovation management discipline, much like quality management and project management standards have done in the past.

In this chapter, the editorial team looks across the cases and the emerging themes to offer insights about the standard and its implications for the innovation management community and the future of the innovation management discipline. For practitioners, the case is made for a call to action to rally around the benefits of the standard as a foundation for dynamic innovation capability and innovation community building that will stand the test of time. For academic educators and researchers, it is teaching about open, connected innovation models that go beyond internally focused ones and understanding through research the system element interdependencies and how these elements can be adapted in different organisational contexts. For standard developers, a key issue is to ensure that a core innovation management system can handle the variations and complexities of different organisations and types of innovations. For professional associations, it is about continuing to build the identity of the profession and supporting professionals to strengthen the innovation management discipline in organisations. For policymakers, it starts with understanding where the standard could have policy relevance and broadening the range of innovation policy instruments available. Finally, it is about imagining a future where in 10 years innovation management is a well-recognised discipline and profession, with systemic and systematic approaches that accelerate learning to realise value more quickly for a better world.

This chapter covers the purpose of this book, describes its structure and asks for a call to action for changing the impact and dynamics of innovation management. The urgent need for innovation in our organisations and societies is well recognised, yet why are we not making more progress in the field? The book's purpose is to help those within and outside the innovation management community understand the why, what, and how of managing innovation activities and the benefits of a systems approach for greater impact. The book has three parts. Part I provides background about the international standard ISO 56002 for innovation management system guidance (ISO, 2019) and the development of innovation management research, with the aim for better integration of theory and practice via the common framework of the standard. Part II is the core of the book, featuring 16 case studies about how diverse organisations built their innovation capabilities. In Part III, the editorial team looks across the cases to capture common themes, prerequisites for success and insights about the relevance of the standard for the innovation management community and the future of the field of innovation management. Most importantly, the book is a call to action for the innovation management community and others to move beyond making the case for why we need innovation. It is now time to be clearer on what it is and how to make it work through a systems approach.

Oki Electric Industry Company, OKI, a Japanese company with more than 140 years' history and proud traditions, decided to introduce Yume Pro, an innovation management system (IMS) directly corresponding to ISO 56002. Motives for this effort were both radical changes in the business context, and an identified need to enhance the entrepreneurial orientation of the employees. OKI works with all elements identified in the IMS. OKI has developed an innovation strategy with a strong emphasis on addressing the Sustainable Developments Goals, as defined by the United Nations, which supports in creating related value propositions. Key activities for building an innovation culture include awareness building, training and support. OKI has also embarked upon an ambitious plan to train many employees within a few years. Further, a strong management commitment is expressed in several ways, such as a clear strategic direction for innovation, reviews of innovation activities, as well as an involvement of the president in innovation promotion activities. OKI has implemented key performance indicators to capture the elements in the system as well as the system itself. The introduction of Yume Pro is led by the company's Chief Innovation Officer (CINO) and the Innovation Promotion Centre (IPC).

Cost escalation for many complex defence equipment is arguably not sustainable. Customer driven requirements have led to an exponential increase in costs by pushing frontiers of technology to support primarily incremental improvements of traditional equipment concepts. Accordingly, affordability has become a more discussed subject in defence acquisition. This paper addresses the process of generating complex defence equipment concepts. The purpose is to explore how affordability is managed in that process and to identify possible leads to how an unsustainable cost escalation for this type of equipment can be curbed. This is done by studying two cases of concept generation of future combat air equipment systems from a company process perspective. This applied micro perspective on cost escalation showed that none of the concepts generated in these two cases were assessed to curb the cost escalation. Further, the innovation model for the generated concepts, with only one notable exception, was incremental. Nevertheless, the empirical observations from these two cases offer leads on how to potentially foster a more innovative and affordability-oriented concept generation process for future defence equipment, as well as indicating avenues for future research.

Within the area of innovation management, an increase of new job roles, and development of standards and certifications, signals an ongoing professionalization. This paper shares findings from studying the emerging phenomenon of personal certification as innovation management professionals (IMP). The study aimed to investigate motivational factors related to entering (or not entering) a process of IMP certification, as well as perceived impact and effects on innovation management quality and practice from such certification. The study was conducted through interviews, including a comparative element interviewing both certified IMPs and non-certified IMPs. Both intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors for IMP certification were identified, but also amotivation related to not favouring standardization. Several examples of effects from IMP certification were reported, where the most significant was revolving around the IMP being more self-confident, based on both external validation and knowledge enhancement.

Early preliminary concepts are claimed to have a profound impact on the final product. Since these concepts often are based on intuitive judgements, it is important that these judgements are appropriate for the desired outcome. Intuition is derived from what one brings to mind, and consequently, the access to information is important for making relevant judgements. Therefore, when a departure from a present path of development is sought for, access to new information is likely to be required. Results from an experimental study, addressing affordability and concept generation, indicated that individuals were influenced, by the provision of selective information, to make more cost considerations and even to change approach when generating new concepts. It was further recognized that weak abilities to estimate costs in a lifecycle and capability perspective likely hampered low-cost ambitions. The findings from this study are suggested to contribute to theory on product development, and to support affordability when new products are developed.