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1 – 10 of over 171000Lauri Vuorinen, Jere Lehtinen and Matias Ståhle
Citizen engagement can promote value creation in urban development projects. This potential stems from the granting of decision-making authority to citizens, labeled citizen…
Abstract
Purpose
Citizen engagement can promote value creation in urban development projects. This potential stems from the granting of decision-making authority to citizens, labeled citizen enfranchisement in this study. Citizens are focal stakeholders of urban development projects and enfranchisement grants them an explicit say on such projects. Despite this potential for enhanced value creation, there remains limited understanding about how project organizations enfranchise stakeholders in the front end of urban development projects.
Design/methodology/approach
In this research, we designed a multiple-case study to analyze two novel citizen engagement processes in Northern-European cities. In these processes, citizens were enfranchised in ideating, designing, and making selections on urban development projects. We followed a multimethod approach to data collection. The collected datasets include document data, interview data and observation data.
Findings
Our findings demonstrated a distribution and redistribution of decision-making authority throughout the phases of the citizen engagement processes. Citizens’ voices were amplified throughout the project front end, although episodes of decision-making authority held by the cities took place periodically as well. By granting explicit decision-making authority to citizens, citizen enfranchisement facilitated a more democratic urban development process, promoting value creation.
Originality/value
In contrast to the earlier research, the findings of our study illustrate citizen engagement taking place at so-called higher levels of stakeholder engagement. In particular, our study reveals a granting of de facto decision-making authority to citizens, also known as citizen enfranchisement. These findings contribute to the earlier research on stakeholder engagement in projects, where the influence of stakeholder engagement has often been considered symbolic or limited.
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Among the many different methods used to generate new product ideas, group brainstorming has been one of the most popular. However, brainstorming has fallen into disfavor with…
Abstract
Among the many different methods used to generate new product ideas, group brainstorming has been one of the most popular. However, brainstorming has fallen into disfavor with many practitioners and researchers on the basis of such factors as the necessity for a skilled group leader, the potential for conflicts among members which can disrupt the process, and the possibility of one or more members dominating the discussion. Brainwriting, which is the silent, written generation of ideas by a group, is proposed as an alternative to brainstorming. Six different group brainiwriting techniques are described and suggestions given for the most appropriate use of each. It is concluded that both brainwriting and brainstorming will be useful in different situations and should be viewed as supplemental rather than primary sources of new product ideas. Furthermore, it is noted that idea generation is only part of the process. The best ideas in the world will be of little value if they are not implemented successfully.
This paper aims to offer a personal reflection on the 2012 joint conference of the American Society for Cybernetics and the Bateson Idea Group, “An Ecology of Ideas”. The intent…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to offer a personal reflection on the 2012 joint conference of the American Society for Cybernetics and the Bateson Idea Group, “An Ecology of Ideas”. The intent is to raise awareness, through examples, of ideas – and their associated ways of thinking – that the author tends to take for granted in the work as systems theorists as well as in everyday life, yet ideas that confound the very social issues the conferees were trying to address.
Design/methodology/approach
The thoughts expressed arose after five days of listening to presentations and discussions, both formal and informal. The approach is conversational, with a desire to stimulate further conversation.
Findings
Certain versions of systems theory – whole systems, purposeful systems, systems theory as ideology – rely on ideas that although written about extensively in philosophical and socio-political works go unchallenged in everyday life. Three of these ideas – hierarchy, purpose, belief – are embedded in the way of talking about, and the language used to formulate, solutions to social problems. The suggestion is to avoid or suspend these ideas so that alternatives can be considered.
Originality/value
Idea avoidance offers those who study social change and/or those who participate in making it happen a way to escape the stuckness of ideas so ingrained in the everyday ways of thinking that they go unnoticed.
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Pradeep Kumar Ponnamma Divakaran
The purpose of this paper is to explore when, why and to what extent firms should intervene in firm-hosted idea-generation communities, and to develop a framework for…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore when, why and to what extent firms should intervene in firm-hosted idea-generation communities, and to develop a framework for firm-intervention.
Design/methodology/approach
A single case-study is conducted in a highly successful firm-hosted idea-generation community called Dell IdeaStorm, whereby the netnographic approach is applied.
Findings
The findings indicate that, overall, firm-participation is minimal and passive, and varies according to the three stages of the idea lifecycle in the community, such as ideation stage – here firm-participation is limited to acknowledgement of new ideas, checking for redundancy, managing search tool and profanity filtering; discussion and development stage – here firm-participation is more active by providing feedback and clarification when needed, troubleshooting, asking for additional input on an idea, etc.; and completion stage – here a firm intervenes to screen and select the most promising ideas for implementation and also provides status updates on ideas.
Originality/value
This study contributes by developing a new framework for firm-participation, which is useful for the early diagnosis of community issues in idea generation. The framework is also a tactical tool which can be used to guide community managers in selecting the correct moderation approach, depending on the specific stage in the idea lifecycle.
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Decision making is an inherently simple process, but soon becomes complicated when a number of people are involved in the decision‐making process. How can a group move from a…
Abstract
Decision making is an inherently simple process, but soon becomes complicated when a number of people are involved in the decision‐making process. How can a group move from a situation of disagreement or conflict to compromise or consensus, yet have confidence that the ultimate decision reflects the best solution to a problem? Describes the “traditional” methodology for managing the resolution of issues within groups and goes on to point out the limitations of this approach and ways in which it can be improved. The resulting methodology is a time‐efficient issue resolution process, which ensures that all team members are given the opportunity to contribute their ideas and opinions of the selected solution. This results in full commitment.
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Pradeep Kumar Ponnamma Divakaran
The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for identifying the most promising user-generated ideas in user communities.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for identifying the most promising user-generated ideas in user communities.
Design/methodology/approach
To develop the framework, each user-generated idea is first classified into a specific category depending on its source, such as market trend-, need-, solution- or mental ideation-based ideas. The degree of shared identity (shared agreement minus shared disagreement) based on user votes for each idea within the user community is then evaluated.
Findings
This study argues that unlike need-based user-generated ideas, trend-based ideas will not succeed in the marketplace even if they receive the highest ratings or the most votes from community members, and that hence such trend-based ideas should not be implemented. Moreover, solution- and mental ideation-based user ideas, even though they receive the lowest ratings or fewest votes from community members, are more likely to succeed in the marketplace, and thus, such ideas should not be discarded.
Originality/value
Community- and idea-level variables are combined to identify the most promising user-generated ideas for firms. This prevents overlooking the most promising ideas simply because their popularity is low within the user community. Moreover, this method prevents selecting the least promising ideas even though their popularity is high with the user community.
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The purpose of this paper is to explore consequences of the use of social media for idea generation.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore consequences of the use of social media for idea generation.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper analyzes over 600 ideas submitted to a Slate‐Twitter contest to find the best short characterization of the American Declaration of Independence. These findings are then compared with those of Kornish and Ulrich, who analyzed idea‐contests in classroom settings.
Findings
In the Slate‐Twitter contest, repetition of ideas was rare while recombination was frequent. The evolution in the total number of unique ideas suggests that the contest became more focused over time. It also appears that ideas that are recognized as valuable attract similar ideas in turn.
Research limitations/implications
Further checks will be needed with regard to the robustness of the findings. Furthermore, while the current analysis relies on peer review by participants to the contest to value submissions, results might be different if it were done on the basis of independent external reviews. Conceptually, the findings suggest that idea generation via social media has a more iterative character than previously analyzed forms of broadcast search. Future research could investigate what triggers more exploration and exploitation of ideas in this process.
Practical implications
For businesses, which are more and more encouraged to engage in open innovation, the analysis can serve as guide on the use of social media for information collection.
Originality/value
The paper provides a simple and effective method to monitor social media, which firms can use to their advantage.
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The purpose of this paper is to present a new metric that aims to quantitatively support the selection phase of a new e‐business idea by performing an evaluation of its…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present a new metric that aims to quantitatively support the selection phase of a new e‐business idea by performing an evaluation of its distinctness. The paper seeks to explain the reasons for the creation of a new parameter, called “E‐distinctivity”, the identification of the metrics to assess it and aims to present the results of its evaluation.
Design/methodology/approach
In order to visualize the new parameter and to execute all the needed evaluations a two‐dimensional radar chart has been created “ad hoc”. The radar chart is built on eight crucial characteristics divided into four principal zones representing the strategic aspects of the E‐distinctivity. In order to assess the soundness of the identified parameter its evaluation on a reference group of well‐known e‐business ventures has been performed.
Findings
The E‐distinctivity parameter permits easy comparison among many different alternative ideas during a feasibility phase and provides quantitative data to evaluate these ideas without requiring huge investments.
Research limitations/implications
This parameter is not intended to be sufficient for an exhaustive feasibility assessment of an e‐business idea. Additional investigation is necessary to determine other parameters and evaluation tasks to improve the accuracy of the model. The aim is to support the selection phase of a new e‐business idea with the aid of new parameters that integrate traditional methods of business analysis.
Originality/value
The study identified an original parameter to be evaluated on a given e‐business idea in order to provide a quantitative measure of its distinctness.
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Betty Vandenbosch and Argun Saatcioglu
The purpose of the paper is to describe a study of the styles and patterns people use to recognize the need for ideas, and generate and evaluate them to determine if understanding…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the paper is to describe a study of the styles and patterns people use to recognize the need for ideas, and generate and evaluate them to determine if understanding those patterns can help executives improve creativity and innovation in their organizations. People generally assume that good ideas are the result of good management and bad management leads to a dearth of them. But it might not be that simple.
Design/methodology/approach
We talked with 49 senior executives about their process for generating and implementing ideas. Their approaches to information, problem solving, and interacting with people both inside and outside their organizations determined the kinds of ideas they generate and consider.
Findings
We identified five distinct strategies or idea management types among the executives with whom we spoke: Incrementalists who take small steps and whose ideas are usually modest changes; Consensus builders who focus on agreement among stakeholders rather than ideas, per se; Searchers who combine information from diverse places and whose ideas result from unusual associations; Debaters who argue with themselves to develop ideas; and Assessors who are constantly revisiting their approaches and choices.
Research limitations/implications
While our research is limited by the small number of executives with which we interacted, it points to the implication that to develop organizations that foster creativity, it is important to understand the ways that people engage in idea generation and evaluation. It may be fruitful to focus on how people inquire about the world around them and to select people with behaviour patterns that fit with the requirements of the task at hand.
Originality/value
Shows that understanding idea management inclinations may improve organizational creativity and innovation, and performance of management in general.
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Nilesh Kumar, Changfeng Wang and Zhiqiang Liu
Based on theory Z of leadership, this research aims to investigate the direct relationship between participative leadership (PL) and creative idea validation (CIV) fostering both…
Abstract
Purpose
Based on theory Z of leadership, this research aims to investigate the direct relationship between participative leadership (PL) and creative idea validation (CIV) fostering both radical (RC) and incremental creativity (IC). Additionally, by utilizing attribution theory, it explores the moderating effect of coworkers’ knowledge-sharing behavior (KSB) on both the direct and indirect relationships.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected through a descriptive approach and convenient sampling from three sources – leaders, subordinates and coworkers – in R&D departments at multi-levels within 97 high-tech firms in China. Data comprised 446 employees (subordinates and coworkers) and 94 leaders, and multilevel path analysis was conducted using Mplus software.
Findings
The results indicate that PL exhibits both a direct and indirect positive association with RC and IC through the CIV. Moreover, the relationship is enhanced by coworkers’ high-KSB.
Practical implications
Our study offers implications that managers can leverage to foster employee creativity. Leaders are encouraged to embrace a PL style for collective idea validation. However, to overcome coworkers’ reciprocal behavior, they may facilitate trust and team-building exercises, enabling employees to strengthen relationships and share critical information and knowledge resources for the development and validation.
Originality/value
This study is the first to empirically extend the relationship between PL and CIV, utilizing a multilevel approach to assess its impact on distinctive types of creativity – namely, radical and incremental. Further, it testifies the significance of coworkers’ knowledge as an attribution effect influencing the relationships.
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