Narrow Results

To compare the consequences of different types of major organizational innovation and to identify the characteristics of more beneficial innovations, a telephone interview survey of senior managers from 513 UK organizations was conducted. Although 90% of major innovations were reported to have an overall beneficial impact, statistical analyses showed that specific effects on finances, employee relations, customers, and quality of life depended on the type of innovation and its characteristics. The effects of different types of innovation were related but not reducible to their characteristics. The findings suggest that a more differentiated view of the outcomes of innovation is both possible and useful.

This paper explores orchestration capability as a concept defining the firm's ability to purposefully build and manage innovation networks. Due to the lack of empirical research on the subject as well as the focus on the organizational level in earlier studies, we approach the issue from a multi-level perspective. By utilizing expert panel discussions and an in-depth case study in an innovation network, we show that orchestration capability consists of both organizational and individual level determinants. Distinct capabilities and skills are identified and illustrated. Furthermore, we identify mechanisms suggesting that the two levels are interconnected in several ways.