This paper presents four research projects on organizational innovation in the Netherlands. These projects are still in a design and theoretical investigation stage, but the authors find it useful to share their findings and insights with the research community in order to inspire them with their ideas and research agenda. In the paper four constructs are explored that focus on the human factor in organizations and that may have a positive influence on organizational innovation. Shared leadership: It is often thought that, for innovation, only one brilliant mind with a break-through idea in a single flash of enlightenment is needed. Recent research, however, shows that most innovations are the result of team-flow and sharing and alternating leadership tasks. Social Capital: through leadership and decision making, by influencing trust, respect and commitment, the organizations social capital and thus its innovative power is increased. External consultancy: deployment of external consultants will add to knowledge and skills necessary for innovation. IT and workflow management: if handled correctly, the human factor can add substantial quality to the design and use of IT in organizations. The paper shows that the way these constructs are managed is crucial in influencing and motivating members of an organization to attribute to innovation and make use of the facilities that are offered to them.
Change has become continuous, and innovation is a primary approach for hospitality, i.e., hotel companies, to become or remain economically viable and sustainable. An increasing number of management researchers are paying more attention to workplace rather than technological innovation. This study investigates workplace innovation in the Dutch hotel industry, in three- and four-star hotels in the Netherlands, by comparing them to other industries. Two samples were questioned using the Workplace Innovation survey created by the Dutch Network of Social Innovation (NSI). The first was conducted in the hospitality industry, and these data were compared with data collected in a sample of other industries. Results suggest that greater strategic orientation on workplace innovation and talent development has a positive influence on four factors of organizational performance. Greater internal rates of change, the ability to self-organize, and investment in knowledge also had positive influences on three of the factors—growth in revenue, sustainability, and absenteeism. Results also suggest that the hospitality industry has lower workplace innovation than other industries. However, no recent research has assessed to what degree the hospitality industry fosters workplace innovation, especially in the Netherlands. Next to that, only few studies have examined management in the Dutch hotel industry, how workplace innovation is used there, and whether it improves practices.
The SPRONG group, originating from the CoE KennisDC Logistiek, focuses on 'Low Impact in Lastmile Logistics' (LILS). The LILS group conducts practical research with local living labs and learning communities. There is potential for more collaboration and synergy for nationwide scaling of innovations, which is currently underutilized. LILS aims to make urban logistics more sustainable and facilitate necessary societal transitions. This involves expanding the monodisciplinary and regional scope of CoE KennisDC Logistiek to a multidisciplinary and supra-regional approach, incorporating expertise in spatial planning, mobility, data, circularity, AI, behavior, and energy. The research themes are:- Solutions in scarce space aiming for zero impact;- Influencing behavior of purchasers, recipients, and consumers;- Opportunities through digitalization.LILS seeks to increase its impact through research and education beyond its regions. Collaboration between BUas, HAN, HR, and HvA creates more critical mass. LILS activities are structured around four pillars:- Developing a joint research and innovation program in a roadmap;- Further integrating various knowledge domains on the research themes;- Deepening methodological approaches, enhancing collaboration between universities and partners in projects, and innovating education (LILS knowledge hub);- Establishing an organizational excellence program to improve research professionalism and quality.These pillars form the basis for initiating and executing challenging, externally funded multidisciplinary research projects. LILS is well-positioned in regions where innovations are implemented and has a strong national and international network and proven research experience.Societal issue:Last-mile logistics is crucial due to its visibility, small deliveries, high costs, and significant impact on emissions, traffic safety, and labor hours. Lastmile activities are predicted to grow a 20% growth in the next decade. Key drivers for change include climate agreements and energy transitions, urban planning focusing on livability, and evolving retail landscapes and consumer behavior. Solutions involve integrating logistics with spatial planning, influencing purchasing behavior, and leveraging digitalization for better data integration and communication. Digital twins and the Physical Internet concept can enhance efficiency through open systems, data sharing, asset sharing, standardization, collaboration protocols, and modular load units.Key partners: Buas, HR, HAN, HvAPartners: TNO, TU Delft, Gemeente Rotterdam, Hoger Onderwijs Drechtsteden, Significance, Metropolitan Hub System, evofenedex, Provincie Gelderland, Duurzaam Bereikbaar Heijendaal, Gemeente Alphen aan den Rijn, Radboud Universiteit, I&W - DMI, DHL, TLN, Noorderpoort, Fabrications, VUB, Smartwayz, RUG, Groene Metropoolregio.
This research is dedicated to the study of marketing opportunities and consumer behavior, as well as the impact of technology on marketing relationships (eg, interorganizational, company-consumer). It is also in its interest to explore the form and nature of the entrepreneurial phenomenon beyond the contexts in which it can occur. A sub-area of specialization that has been deserving special interest is that of entrepreneurial skills. Another area of commitment is related to information systems and information technology with decision support in organizations.Partners: CAPES Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (Brazil), Federal University of Pernambuco (Brazil)
Performance feedback is an important mechanism of adaptation in learning theories, as it provides one of the motivations for organizations to learn (Pettit, Crossan, and Vera 2017). Embedded in the behavioral theory of the firm, organizational learning from performance feedback predicts the probability for organizations to change with an emphasis on organizational aspirations, which serve as a threshold against which absolute performance is evaluated (Cyert and March 1963; Greve 2003). It postulates that performance becomes a ‘problem’, or the trigger to search for alternative procedures, strategies, products and behaviors, when performance is below that threshold. This search is known as problemistic search. Missing from this body of research, is empirically grounded understanding if the characteristics of performance feedback over time matter for the triggering function of the feedback. I explore this gap. This investigation adds temporality as a dimension of the performance feedback concept guided by a worldview of ongoing change and flux where conditions and choices are not given, but made relevant by actors and enacted upon (Tsoukas and Chia 2002). The general aim of the study is to complement the current knowledge of performance feedback as a trigger for problemistic search with an explicit process temporal approach. The main question guiding this project is how temporal patterns of performance feedback influence organizational change, which I answer in four chapters, each zooming into one sub-question.First, I focus on the temporal order of performance feedback by examining performance feedback and change sequences organizations go through. In this section time is under study and the goal is to explore how feedback patterns have evolved over time, just as the change states organizations pass through. Second, I focus on the plurality of performance feedback by investigating performance feedback from multiple aspiration levels (i.e. multiple qualitatively different metrics and multiple reference points) and how over time clusters of performance feedback sequences have evolved. Next, I look into the rate and scope of change relative to performance feedback sequences and add an element of signal strength to the feedback. In the last chapter, time is a predictor (in the sequences), and, it is under study (in the timing of responses). I focus on the timing of organizational responses in relation to performance feedback sequences of multiple metrics and reference points.In sum, all chapters are guided by the timing problem of performance feedback, meaning that performance feedback does not come ‘available’ at a single point in time. Similarly to stones with unequal weight dropped in the river, performance feedback with different strength comes available at multiple points in time and it is plausible that sometimes it is considered by decision-makers as problematic and sometimes it is not, because of the sequence it is part of. Overall, the investigation is grounded in the general principles of organizational learning from performance feedback, and the concept of time as duration, sequences and timing, with a focus on specification of when things happen. The context of the study is universities of applied sciences and hotels in The Netherlands. Project partner: Tilburg University, School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Organization Studies
