Towards a new perspective of managing ideas in front-end innovation as actor networks

DS 75-3: Proceedings of the 19th International Conference on Engineering Design (ICED13) Design For Harmonies, Vol. 3: Design Organisation and Management, Seoul, Korea 19-22.08.2013

Year: 2013
Editor: Udo Lindemann, Srinivasan V, Yong Se Kim, Sang Won Lee, John Clarkson, Gaetano Cascini
Author: Vagn, Anna Rose; Clausen, Christian; Gish, Liv
Series: ICED
Institution: 1: Aalborg University Copenhagen, Denmark; 2: Aalborg University Copenhagen, Denmark; 3: Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
Page(s): 181-190
ISBN: 978-1-904670-46-9
ISSN: 2220-4334

Abstract

For decades the innovation process in R&D organisations has been discussed. Product development processes is well-established in R&D organisations and improvements has been implemented through theories as Lean product development and agile methods. In recent decades, more diffuse processes have been identified as front-end innovation processes. The front-end innovation is distinguished from linear product development and characterised as more informal, unstructured, and unpredictable. This paper presents the preliminary results of a PhD project concerning idea management in front-end innovation of R&D organisations. Through theoretical and empirical investigations of managing activities of idea processes an indicative analysis in the perspective of actor network theory is performed. The analysis show how managers and employees navigate in a complex environment of organisational structures, technical features and design, creativity and social interaction. The analysis inputs an initial conceptualisation of a new theoretical framework of idea management. The theoretical framework suggests a dynamic network structure comprised of the dimensions of space, content, and process.

Keywords: Front-end innovation, actor network theory

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