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When Jim Collins and Jerry Porras were researching the early history of some of America's greatest corporations for their book Built to Last, they kept coming across a common denominator: Peter Drucker.

This study investigates the application of collaborative inquiry within innovation management, employing platform thinking to address challenges of generalizability and relevance. The aim is to integrate Collaborative Inquiry methods, characterized by participatory, diffuse, and reflective practices, to transform research into a tool for impactful change in organizations in the field of innovation management.

A longitudinal participatory case study approach focuses on the IDeaLs case—a research platform that collaborated with multiple companies over several years. The data gathered and analyzed comes from the research project within the research platforms over the first two editions and from the research platform management and coordination activities.

The study introduces the Collaborative Research Platform Approach (CRPA), demonstrating its effectiveness in addressing typical constraints of traditional research methodologies through a real-world application within the IDeaLs case. The findings highlight the CRPA's potential in fostering a dynamic, co-creative research environment that bridges theoretical knowledge with practical applications, thus enhancing both scholarly and organizational outcomes while pursuing a future change within the organizations.

There are two main research implications. First, it proposes platform thinking as a theoretical lens to read a multi-stakeholder phenomenon in the research domain, confirming its nature of value-creation mechanisms, using it outside the business model and strategic space. Second, it offers a methodological contribution by presenting the CRPA framework.

The CRPA framework offers organizations a structured approach to managing collaborative research projects that align with both academic rigor and practical relevance. Companies engaged in the study reported enhanced ability to implement actionable insights from research, influencing real-time decision-making processes.

By fostering collaborative engagements across multiple stakeholders, the CRPA promotes a research culture that values inclusivity and practical impact, potentially leading to broader societal benefits through improved innovation management practices.

This paper contributes to the innovation management field by proposing the CRPA, which integrates principles of Platform Thinking with Collaborative Inquiry. This novel approach is designed to improve the applicability and scope of innovation research, offering a robust framework that enhances engagement and utility across academic and business domains. It uses platforms as a theoretical lens to read a multi-stakeholder environment in the research domain.

The purpose of this paper is to offer an integrated framework for understanding agility. Agility has become an increasingly important capability in today’s changing business world. In this paper, the authors suggest “3, 4’s” to better define agility. Agility can be defined through four dimensions (create the future, anticipate opportunity, adapt quickly and learn always); agility occurs with four stakeholders (strategy, organization, leader and individual); and agility is sustained through four Human Resource (HR) tools (people, performance, information and work).

Using this integrated framework, executives can better define, assess and invest in creating agility as a capability.

The authors studied leading Chinese and US high-tech organizations to discover how they respond to changing market conditions.

The research for this agility framework is described in their book, Reinventing the Organization: How Companies Can Deliver Radically Greater Value in Fast-Changing Markets.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an interview with Rita Gunther McGrath, Columbia Business School Professor, and author of The End of Competitive Advantage: How to Keep Your Strategy Moving as Fast as Your Business.

The paper takes the form of an interview.

In the following interview, Rita Gunther McGrath discusses the demise of traditional strategy practices, proposing a more flexible approach in response to the volatile environment in which we live.

McGrath signals the end of sustainable competitive advantage, suggesting that businesses must organize for the “waves of transient advantage” that are now commonplace.

This study investigates the sustainability models of non-profit and hybrid organizations, which aim to balance economic, social and environmental objectives. The research introduces the Sustainability Model Canvas to analyze these organizations and identify common patterns, unique characteristics and managerial insights to balance the triple bottom line.

The research utilizes the Sustainability Model Canvas to examine the sustainability models of 200 non-profit and hybrid organizations. Data were collected from secondary sources, including articles, reports and websites. The analysis was conducted using the activity system theoretical framework, which helped to identify design elements and themes within the business models of the studied organizations.

The study reveals four primary sustainability model patterns: donated income, earned income, public income and auto-generated income. An additional mixed approach pattern is identified, combining elements from the four primary patterns. The research highlights the parallels between these sustainability models and multi-sided platform business models, offering managerial suggestions for leveraging these patterns to achieve sustainability.

The study is based on secondary data, which may limit the depth of insights compared to primary data collection. At the same time, the chance to consider hybrid organization through multi-sided platform lenses provides relevant contributions to both the literature streams.

The identified sustainability model patterns and managerial suggestions can serve as blueprints for non-profit and hybrid organizations aiming to design or innovate their sustainability models. The Sustainability Model Canvas offers a practical tool for organizations to visualize and balance their triple bottom line objectives.

The research underscores the importance of integrating social and environmental considerations into business models, promoting a holistic approach to sustainability that can lead to broader social and environmental benefits.

This research contributes to the business model literature by extending the focus beyond traditional profit-oriented organizations to include non-profit and hybrid organizations. The introduction of the Sustainability Model Canvas provides a new tool for designing and analyzing sustainability-oriented business models. The study also suggests considering sustainability models as multi-sided platforms, offering new insights for both academic and practical applications.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether corporate social responsibility (CSR) really adds value to corporate financial performance (CFP) in the pharmaceutical industry. Most pharmaceutical companies currently practice CSR by taking a “triple bottom line” approach of environmental, social, and economic strategies to manage their businesses and produce an overall positive impact.

A survey was developed based on professional experience, Carroll’s construct, the study’s hypotheses, and industry studies. The survey, composed of 45 questions using a seven-point Likert scale, was conducted among pharmaceutical professionals to evaluate whether CSR affects performance. Responses totaling 140, including 20 companies, were coded, taking into account the respondent’s corporate position and firm size.

Survey respondents strongly agreed that CSR adds value to CFP and should be viewed as a long-term investment. CSR programs should be implemented regardless of company size. CSR is effective because it invests in stakeholder management, such as with customers, government, investors, and activists, creating positive relationships which improve reputation and profitability.

This perception study shows the need for further quantitative analysis of CSR and CFP metrics specific to the pharmaceutical industry.

CSR programs should be implemented regardless of company size, and sheer size does not dictate whether CSR programs can be successful. This paper also sheds light on potential managerial implications that originate from these findings that may help pharmaceutical companies manage their scarce resources more effectively.

In today’s competitive economic environment, where increasingly stakeholders including investors scrutinize pharmaceutical firms’ environmental and social performance, CSR is a crucial strategy. The findings can help corporate managers make strategic CSR decisions to optimize benefits for their organization.

While numerous studies have addressed the link between CSR and corporate performance across industries, definitive studies have not examined the pharmaceutical industry.