The understanding of innovation processes is shifting toward a systems approach, moving away from a focus on isolated components. This change is not a single trend but an aggregation of contributions from multiple academic disciplines and empirical observations. A paper synthesizes these diverse concepts to provide an overview for policymakers and business managers, with the goal of designing more effective innovation processes.
Academic and business fields are re-evaluating innovation, moving towards a systems approach rather than focusing on isolated components. This trend emerges from various disciplines and observations. One paper consolidates these ideas, referencing Edquist (1997), to provide an overview for policymakers and managers designing more effective innovation processes.
Further research developments include:
- The creation of a 'deficit-discourse' shift construct.
- The introduction of a 'Framework for Student Engagement and Mastery' and a 'Model for Student Success at University'.
- The Framework re-conceptualizes university culture and student transition processes.
- The Model outlines a three-step strategy for student engagement.
Sources
- The Systems Approach to Innovation Studies
The academic literature, and business practice, reveals a shift in the way analysts understand innovation processes. This shift is not revealed as a cohesive trend, rather it comprises contributions from a wide range of academic disciplines and empirical evidence. Building on Edquist (1997) this paper ties together the diverse new ideas which stress a systems approach to successful innovation. The paper presents an up-to-date overview of this fast moving field, with a view to assisting public policy makers and business managers in designing more effective innovation processes.
Also this week
Full transcript
What does it mean to re-evaluate innovation using systems thinking? That is the core question explored on ComplexityPod, where we look at research into complex adaptive systems. The shift away from isolated components begins by consolidating ideas from multiple disciplines.
A recent paper tracks a change in how innovation is studied. It's titled 'The Systems Approach to Innovation Studies'.
What's the core change? Are we moving away from a previous model?
Yes, away from analyzing innovation through its isolated components. Both academic work and business practice are apparently shifting toward a systems perspective.
So instead of just looking at a new technology, for instance, this approach would consider the organization that created it, the market it enters, and how all those parts interact.
Exactly. And the paper points out this isn't one single, neat trend. It's described as a convergence of ideas from different disciplines and real-world observations.
It's a synthesis, then. Not creating a new theory from scratch, but pulling together existing threads that were all pointing in the same direction.
Right. It explicitly builds on prior research, like work from Edquist in 1997, to give an updated overview of this convergence.
And what's the purpose of this updated overview? Who is it for?
The stated goal is to help public policy makers and business managers. The idea is to provide a current map of the field so they can design more effective innovation processes.
This idea of shifting a whole framework is present in other research too. We also saw the development of the 'deficit-discourse' shift construct.
And in education, with the Framework for Student Engagement and Mastery. That's about re-conceptualizing university culture—another system-level change.
There was also the Model for Student Success at University, which offers a three-step strategy for student engagement. All of these seem to move away from isolated fixes and toward understanding the entire context.
We will be back next week with more research on complex systems. Until then, thanks for listening to ComplexityPod.
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