Cost escalation for fighter aircraft is arguably not sustainable. Pushing frontiers of technology by incremental improvements of traditional platforms has led to an exponential increase in cost. This paper addresses the process of concept generation with the purpose to explore how affordability is managed in that process, in order to identify possible measures to improve the likelihood of generating affordable concepts. This is done by studying two cases of concept generation of future combat air systems. The concepts generated in these two cases are however not curbing the cost escalation and are, with only one notable exception, based on incremental innovation. Nevertheless, the empirical observations offer leads to potentially foster a more innovative and cost conscious concept generation process, indicating avenues for future research.

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.

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.

While organizations increasingly implement web-enabled ideation systems to access the collective intelligence of their distributed employees, recent studies show that most attempts to use these systems underperform or fail. This article draws on a qualitative case study of the Ericsson system “Idea Boxes” to explore a novel approach to manage ideation based on the use of the moderator role. The aim of this study is to understand to what extent and how the introduction of moderators can contribute to a better management of web-enabled ideation systems and to overcome the shortcomings commonly associated with their use. The contribution of this study to innovation literature is threefold. First, it develops a conceptual framework that gives insights into the practices implemented by moderators to manage ideation, namely: (1) formulating an ideation strategy, (2) combining means for community building, and (3) formalizing the ideation process. It focuses on unfolding their key complementarities. Second, this study relates these practices to the shortcomings of web-enabled ideation systems with respect to the sourcing, filtering, and handling of employees' ideas. It discusses how the identified practices can help organizations address these shortcomings by stimulating sustained employee participation, increasing the quality and fit of the ideas generated, and ensuring their efficient selection and integration. Third, this article compares moderators to other innovation roles discussed in the new product development literature with the aim of broadening the future research agenda toward an investigation of emerging organizational roles having limited formal authority to manage innovation. The findings of this study provide valuable guidelines to managers to implement more sophisticated approaches for a better management of the ideation process through web-enabled ideation tools.

Reflecting the emergence of new organizational forms and hybrid organizations, this edited collection explores the processes of exchange, collaboration and technological management that have changed organizational structures. By investigating the impact that inter-organizational collaboration can have on the production and implementation of ideas within new firms, this study contributes to the growing field of innovation and responds to the need for a greater understanding of renewed processes. The authors argue that collaborations need to go beyond existing practices to create emerging paths such as bricolage, experimentation, effectuation and learning. Drawing together a diverse body of literature on the internal dynamics that drive organizational change, Learning and Innovation in Hybrid Organizations presents multiple perspectives on combining organizational flexibility with learning and innovation, and provides implications for future practice. 

One of the hot topics currently in manufacturing domain is direct digital manufacturing. With introduction of cheap three-dimensional printers, the direct digital manufacturing seems to become a new manufacturing paradigm with an entirely different impact on society; nevertheless how this will impact the society and the differences between the paradigms are unclear. According to this background, this paper presents a comprehensive analysis of direct digital manufacturing from different perspectives in comparison to various traditional manufacturing paradigms. Authors are using a societal viewpoint to see, describe and analyse the subject instead of traditional manufacturing viewpoint. For the better understanding of direct digital manufacturing origins, a classification and historical background about available techniques are described. Furthermore, direct digital manufacturing as a paradigm is analysed and compared with craft production, mass production and mass customisation. Direct digital manufacturing's sustainability aspects related to social, economical and environmental dimensions are gathered and analysed for a better insight of this technique. A detailed case study demonstrates the energy use differences of direct digital manufacturing and mass production in depth. According to the present work, direct digital manufacturing has the possibility of combining the advantages of the other production paradigms and can have a positive impact on sustainable development; yet, there are several challenges to overcome both in technical and sociality aspects. A challenge within the social aspects can be the life style changes which can impact the job market, working environment, waste management and more.

In a volatile business world, continuous advancements within the technology sector along with increased competition has led the retailing landscape to go through a transformation of late and have subsequently led customers to view retail stores in a different light. The rise of internet, smartphones, and social networking platforms has led to unprecedented levels of customer connection and empowerment. This development has led the customers to expect more from companies and no longer settle for a “one-size-fits-all” service experience, but instead expects individualized customization. As customers are undoubtedly in power and desires a personalized experience, technology and personalization are therefore two key components that retailers need to invest in to solidify a competitive edge in the imminent future. 

“The purpose of the thesis is to investigate what emerging technologies could be implemented in future apparel retail stores to enhance the customer experience and address the needs of the future customer.”

Based on the results and analysis derived from the study, findings suggest that companies should focus on the following technologies to have the means to meet the needs of the future customer, with the intention to enhance the overall customer experience: RFID tags, digital mirrors, online avatars, artificial intelligence, biometrics, augmented reality, and machine learning.

Purpose: This paper analyzes how the distribution and structure of employees' attention influence idea survival in an organizational internal crowdsourcing session. Design/methodology/approach: Data from an online internal crowdsourcing session carried out within a multinational company with headquarters in Sweden were used to explore how idea attention influenced idea survival. Findings: Our findings indicate that the positive relationship between attention allocation and idea survival is mediated by idea appreciation, i.e. positive comments and suggestions that employees provide in response to ideas. In addition, we find that competition for attention negatively moderates the relationship between idea attention and positive comments. Finally, our results indicate that ideas are more likely to survive if they are submitted earlier in the crowdsourcing process and when the elapsed time since previously posted ideas in the session is longer. Practical implications: This study provides organizers of internal crowdsourcing sessions with new insights about factors influencing idea survival and about potential systematic biases in idea selection due to timing and competition between ideas. Originality/value: This paper contributes to the literature highlighting the relevance of attention-based theory in the context of crowd-based creativity and innovation management.

This study addresses innovation development with a focus on risk-taking, widely considered a relevant driver for the exploration and exploitation of new ideas. The study empirically examines the effects of risk-taking propensity on innovation performance and its antecedents. We consider the role of several key antecedents related to the organizational structure and the activities of firms aimed at encouraging employees to take risks in innovation. We performed an empirical survey within a global and innovation-oriented Swedish company to test our hypotheses. Correlation and linear regression analyses were used to analyze the collected data. The results highlight the significant effect of risk-taking on innovation performance and show that the availability of organizational resources, innovation support activities, clear innovation goals, and collaboration have a significant positive effect on risk-taking. However, contrary to the hypothesis, well-established innovation processes have a significant but negative effect on risk-taking and innovation performance. This study contributes to existing knowledge on the role of risk-taking for innovation, providing insights into designing organizational contexts that encourage an appropriate risk appetite in employees.

Convergence between technologies can be regarded as an increasingly emerging trend. and has received Particular attention in the coming-together of previously distinct products and Solutions within the information and communication technologies (ICT) industry. In previous research, the overall impact of the convergence phenomenon remains ambiguous. Whereas some scholars Suggest convergence to be associated with disintegration, entry and growth, others relate the phenomenon to opposite effects, Such as consolidation and shakeouts. This inconsistency in managerial conceptions on convergence formulates a need for an integrated understanding. Within a multi-case study approach, the convergence within ICT has been observed through examining the coevolution of actors in a converging environment, and patterns in innovation dynamics and managerial responses have been identified. In reflection with existing models of innovation cycles, a model for convergence innovation processes is elaborated and discussed. In particular, the reasoning within the ICT case set is transferred onto the Currently emerging entrepreneurial activities in the intersection between nano- and bio-technologies (NBT), resulting in a comparison between ICT and NBT convergences, and deriving recommendations from a retrospective to a predictive context.

The water situation in Malaysia is not ideal. Due to the unsatisfactory quality of the piped water, the  demand  of domestic water filters in Malaysia is increasing. At the same time, 40 percent of  the  Malaysian  population  are  described  as  a  low  income  group  who  are  especially  vulnerable against increases in living costs. Developing products that meet the needs of consumers who are constrained  in  resources  is  vital  for  straining  the  growth  of  poverty  and  reaching  the  global  SDGs. To ensure that the access to clean water is achievable for all, regardless of income group, established  methodologies  within  product  development  in  emerging  markets  with  low  income  target groups needs to be identified.

The  intention  with  this  study  is  to  identify  and  evaluate  some  of  the  existing  models  and  methods  within  this  area  through  thorough  research  and  a  case  study.  The  main  focus  is  to analyse  the  methodologies  for  identifying  user  needs,  as  well  as  the  approaches  in  design  and  conceptualization,  when  developing  products  for  the  lower  income  group.  An  extensive literature study has been made, in combination with interviews from Engineers without borders, Sweden.  The  results  were  that  no  models  or  methods  were  frequently  used  in  their  different  projects  but every project was individually structured. These results were then applied in a field study in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. During the field study, a market analysis took place and a new product  concept  was  shaped.  The  project  was  in  collaboration  with  the  company  Blöndal,  a  water  purification  company  in  Kuala Lumpur. Their point of use water filter called ​Källa 8 was further  developed,  guided  by  the  identified  models  and  methods  gained  from  the  predevelopment research. 

Before the development of ​Källa 8​, the user needs were identified through surveys, in-home visits and  shorter  interviews.  To  translate  the  identified  user want and needs to product attributes, a  House  of  Quality  matrix  was  used  and  worked  as  a  basis  of  discussion  during  the conceptualization of the new ​Källa 8​. Throughout the conceptualization, the mindset originating from the theory of Frugal Innovation was constantly present. 

The  result  of  the  market  analysis  clearly  pointed  to  a  too  high  of  a  price  of  the  product,  but  stating that the already existing design of the product was both attractive and important for the lower income group. These attributes were later realized by foremost changing the configuration of the piping in the product. The purpose was to make the filters easily changeable, sparing the users  the  service  cost  of  changing  the  filters.  This  was done without interfering with the most  valued features of the product. 

Many studies in the field of innovation focus on novelty and technology, but recent literature and contemporary design practices have proposed an alternative view. Innovation has instead been suggested to bring about new meanings, often driven by design, and lately the role of tradition has been highlighted as a source of innovation rather than an obstacle. However, research has thus far not explained how tradition is actually used in innovation practice. By exploring design elements from craft-based design practice, the overall aim of this study is to identify and explore how craft-based design leads to new meaning and Innovation Through Tradition (ITT). To gain further insights into craft-based design for ITT, the Research Through Design method in combination with narrative writing was used, investigating innovation from inside design practice. The empirical design work highlights the innovation potential when craft-based design and production processes deliberately use tradition, not only by embracing the value of tradition itself, but also by creating new meaning through its unexpected combination with novel components. Finally, a visualization of key elements that can be reinvented is outlined to highlight tensions between different design elements that have the potential to produce new and valuable product meanings.

En liten del av alla företag som startas idag lyckas på marknaden och det finns behov av processer för produktutvecklingsföretag som fokuserar på test och utvärdering av produkter och koncept för att skapa en attraktiv slutprodukt. Produktutvecklingsföretag utforskar idag hur Virtual Reality (VR) kan användas inom designprocessen och vilka effekter det har på deras produkter, men det behövs forskning som ger stöd och påvisar nyttor åt företag som vill utnyttja denna teknik vilket leder till den här litteratur studiens frågeställning:

RQ: Hur kan Virtual Reality användas som ett integrerat verktyg inom produktutveckling och hur påverkar detta designprocessen?

Tre respondenter på tre olika företag i närheten av Stockholm med koppling till V Roch produktutveckling intervjuades och efter analys framställdes ett resultat som lyfter fram intressanta områden med koppling till designprocessen och hur delprocesser kan påverkas om VR integreras som ett verktyg. Studien diskuterar huranvändare blir immersed i VR-simulationer och hur denna upplevelse kan agera sommedlare för att underlätta kommunikation mellan exempelvis designer och kund.

Viktiga slutsatser från studiens resultat är att VR som ett integrerat verktyg harpotential att effektivisera befintliga, eller skapa nya, arbetsprocesser förproduktutvecklingsföretag samt ge designers nya synvinklar på produkter ochdjupare insikt om användarbehov. Dagens avancerade utrustning kan skapaverklighetstrogna miljöer vilket möjliggör virtuella utrymmen för nyanserade testeroch valideringar av virtuella prototyper i samband med användare. Testmiljöer ochscenarion som inte kan sättas upp i verkligheten på grund av kostnad, risker ellerandra begränsningar kan byggas upp virtuellt vilket kan spara tid och pengar förföretag. För att fler företag ska vilja investera i VR behöver användarvänlighet och användarbarhet förbättras genom att bland annat integrera programvara för VR med befintliga design- och modelleringsprogram för att underlätta implementering av VR. För att skapa möjlighet till globalt kollaborativt arbete genom virtuella teamarbetande inne i VR-simulationer måste dagens hårdvara och utrustning förbättras.

Företag som vill integrera VR som ett verktyg i interna arbetsprocesser bör hålla ett öppet förhållningssätt till hur tekniken kan förändra, förbättra eller omforma befintliga processer och utforska vilken nytta VR kan ha för de unika arbetssätt som definierar företaget idag.

För fortsatt forskning inom området föreslås fokus på ledande biltillverkare som idag använder VR som ett integrerat verktyg inom produktutveckling och den praktiska erfarenhet som kommit av detta arbete kan vara en källa till data.

A professionalization within the area of innovation management is taking place, and this paper presents a study on the phenomenon of personal certification as an innovation management professional. The study has investigated motivations for taking a personal certification as an innovation management professional, and impacts from it, addressing certified individuals, their organizations, and potential contributions to professionalization. The study was conducted in Sweden related to the personal certification of innovation management professionals launched in 2017 by the Swedish Association for Innovation Management Professionals (Innovationsledarna) and RISE Research Institutes of Sweden as a third-party certification body. Identified motivational factors covered desired knowledge enhancement, measuring of competence level, a strive for legitimacy, and curiosity. Impact from taking the certifications were for example increased knowledge, enhanced professional communication about innovation management, boosted self[1]confidence, expanded network, and more opportunities to influence. The current situation was also analyzed from a professionalization perspective as well as discussed in terms of innovation maturity and innovation diffusion.

This article introduces the distinction between thin and thick contracts to the investigation of licensing-in as a mechanism for technological learning. Thick contracts include a clause specifying that the licensors are obligated to assist the licensees in assimilating and integrating the technology. Drawing on a sample of 133 licensees and an equal number of matched nonlicensees, we present empirical evidence that thick contracts propel the licensees' likelihood of introducing new inventions. It is also found that thick contracts act as a substitute for licensees' absorptive capacity. Licensees that are more familiar with the licensed technology are in less need of assistance from the licensors to assimilate and integrate the knowledge. However, this substitution effect is neutralized once the hurdle of invention has been overcome, meaning that the licensees have succeeded to ignite the invention process, suggesting the exploitation of the learning curve, triggered by their mutual understanding.

Purpose – New opportunities to nurture good ideas for innovation arise as firms use web-based ideation platforms for collective idea generation and development. What influences creative performance in firm-internal collective idea development is however not as well researched as idea generation and thus an important area of research is the feedback and commenting on ideas. More specifically, the aim of this paper is to explore the role of feedback timeliness and knowledge overlap between feedback providers and ideas in collective firm-internal online idea development.Design/methodology/approach – An empirical study has been performed, drawing on data collected from a Swedish multi-national company using a web-based system for collective firm-internal ideation. The investigation explicitly captures the effects on ideation performance played by idea development contributions, in terms of: 1) feedback timeliness and 2) knowledge overlap between feedback providers and ideas.Findings – The empirical results show that idea development is significantly influenced by feedback timeliness as well as by the knowledge overlap between feedback providers and ideas. Specifically, it is found that longer time interval for feedback and an increased knowledge overlap result in an increased likelihood of idea acceptance. However, beyond a certain point, the positive effect of a longer feedback time interval decreases, resulting in a curvilinear relationship. Research limitations/implications – The results do not only shed new light on theory about collective idea development, but also provides management implications for collective firm-internal ideation. As the data used in the study has been collected in one single firm, care should be taken in generalizing the results to other domains.Practical implications – The results inform managers that it is not always better to involve more individuals in these emergent and distributed ideation systems, but that it might be beneficial to take measures to exercise some control in terms of when distributed and diverse employees can freely join in and out, especially considering the diversity of ideas, comments and creators. Originality/value – The results from the empirical study reveal the effects of of feedback timeliness and knowledge overlap on idea development. This provides us with new insights on the complex dynamics at place in collective firm-internal idea development, and offers implications for how we can fruitfully manage this process.

This paper aims to explore what different contribution behaviors there are in online ideation. Based on a data collected from a Swedish multi-national company using an idea management system, two main factors for ideation, namely: 1) motivational proactivity and 2) cognitive specificity, were used for clustering contribution behaviors through Latent Class Analysis. The results revealed four main behavioral categories and individuals belonging to different behavioral categories contributed differently to idea generation and idea development. A logistic regression model was used to test the different behavioral categories’ impacts on ideation performance. The results showed that contribution behaviors displayed in idea development impact ideation performance more than the ones in idea generation. These results contribute to existing theory through shedding new light on innovation behaviors in different ideation processes and how these behaviors impact ideation performance. Moreover, it provides management implications for online ideation at both the individual- and the firm level.

Design Thinking (DT) is a customer centric approach for managing innovation. Since its inception, design thinking has evolved from a straight forward approach to solve engineering design problems into a complex umbrella construct for innovation and has over the years been widely accepted as a goal-oriented approach for effective product development.

Several of the practical use cases available in the existing design thinking discourse refer to oneoff case for solving specific problems or its application in a business-to-customer set-up. Thepurpose of this master thesis was to critically examine how design thinking could be implementedin a business to business (B2B) company with well-developed product development processes(PDP) to balance customer centricity with product strategy. To understand the impact of design thinking in such companies, barriers preventing design thinking's implementation and the opportunities enabling its implementation were explored using a single case study approach at Mycronic AB office at Täby, Sweden. The material for the case study was gathered through internal and external qualitative interviews. The results from these interviews were used to propose a framework and pilot programs that would facilitate Mycronic to introduce design thinking principles to its existing product development process. The goal of the framework is to empowera business-to-business company with well-developed product development processes to adapt design thinking principles so as to increase their understanding of end customers' spoken and unspoken needs, recognize the needs of internal stakeholders, and improve their ability to secure the right initiatives in the early phase of a project.

Servitization is today a common theme among manufacturing companies, with the goal of better addressing the needs of their customers. Digitalization is one key enabler of servitization. One aspect of this concept can be provided through digital product-service platforms, which may facilitate the enrichment of a market offer, as well as keeping costs under control. Platforms are in general a well-established concept for manufacturing companies, as enablers of rich product offerings based on a few components. Less is known, however, about how the ambition to create digital product-service platforms interplays with the business model innovation needed as a result of the servitization efforts, along with processes and organization. This paper identifies a number of challenges that manufacturing companies may face when undertaking platform development for services, based on an empirical study made in the Swedish company Husqvarna Group.