13th International CINet Conference

Continuous Innovation Across Boundaries

Rome, Italy | 16-18 September 2012 Rome, Italy | 16-18 September 2012

Special Track

Tensions and Paradoxes in Continuous Innovation Management: The Role of ICT and HR
Track Chairs
Mariano Corso | Polytechnic of Milan | Mariano.Corso@polimi.it Antonella Martini | University of Pisa | A.Martini@ing.unipi.it

Organizers
Mariano Corso | Polytechnic of Milan | Mariano.Corso@polimi.it Luca Gastaldi | Polytechnic of Milan | Luca.Gastaldi@polimi.it Antonella Martini | University of Pisa | A.Martini@ing.unipi.it

Description
The growth of competitive pressure over markets forces organisations to be excellent not only in the accomplishment of the needs of todays customers but also in the anticipation of tomorrows requests (Corso et al., 2009). Moreover, evidence (Eisenhardt et al., 2010) indicates that many firms inhabit increasingly dynamic environments, where destabilising forcessuch as technical innovation, globalised competition, and entrepreneurial actionoperate with amplified frequency (Schreyog and Sydow, 2010). As a result, organisations in all industries have to continuously reconfigure their structures and processes, sustain stability through replication and optimisation, ensure steady performances, and, at the same time, generate innovations in order to meet or create future demands (Levinthal and March, 1993; Floys and Lane, 2000). With these premises as a starting point, Boer (2001) defines Continuous Innovation (CI) as the ongoing interaction between operations, incremental improvement, learning and radical innovation aimed at effectively combining operational effectiveness and strategic flexibility, exploitation and exploration. All these gestalts of organisational performance represent overarching demands, spurring nested tensions throughout the organisation (Andriopoulos and Lewis, 2009). If both practitioners and academics have historically managed these tensions following a trade-off approach, recently, an increasing focus is put on the adoption of both/and approachestrying to deal with opposite tensions simultaneously (Lewis, 2000). In order to cope with this new perspective it is necessary to: Embrace a paradoxical thinking (Lewis, 2000; Magnusson and Martini, 2008; Andriopoulos and Lewis, 2009; Smith and Lewis, 2011) Adopt a comprehensive perspective in analysing a CI propensity of an organisation (Gibson and Birkinshaw, 2004; Smith and Tushman, 2005; Gilbert, 2006; Corso and Gastaldi, 2010).

The track welcomes papers (work in progress or finished researchboth empirical as well as theoretical works) exploring innovative levers to capture the enlightening potential of the paradoxes among the different tensions related to CI management, in order to find a means of meeting the competing demands simultaneously. Among the others levers, a special interest is given to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and Human Resources (HRs). We therefore welcome papers investigating the following aspects (the list is not exhaustive): Organisational and managerial antecedents of CI tensions and paradoxes CI tensions and paradoxes in product and service industries CI tensions and paradoxes in Public Administrations Methodologies to study tensions and paradoxes in CI management Paradoxical management of CI and organisational performance Tensions and paradoxes in CI management within and across boundaries Approaches to ambidextrously balance contradictory tensions in CI management Role of social software in managing tensions and paradoxes www.continuous-innovation.net


Potential Journal Publication
All the papers submitted for the conference track will undergo a double blind review process. The best papers presented at the track will be invited for a special issue in an International Journal.

References
Andriopoulos C., Lewis M.W. (2009) Exploration-Exploitation Tensions and Organizational Ambidexterity: Managing Paradoxes of Innovation, Organization Science, 20(4): 696717. Boer, H. (2001) And Jethro ] said Oas Learning: the link between strategy, innovation and Production, Center for Industrial Production, Aalborg University, 4 May. Corso M., Gastaldi L. (2010) A Collaborative Research Methodology to Study Continuous Innovation Driven by ICT in the Health Care Industry, 11th International CINet Conference, Zrich (CH), 57 September: 290308. Corso M., Martini A., Pellegrini L. (2009) Innovation at the Intersection Between Exploration, Exploitation and Discontinuity, International Journal of Learning and Intellectual Capital, 6(4): 324340. Floys S.W., Lane P.J. (2000) Strategizing Throughout the Organization: Managing Role Conflict in Strategic Renewal, Academy of Management Review, 25(1): 154177. Eisenhardt K.M., Furr N.R., Bingham C.B. (2010) Micro-foundations of Performance: Balancing Efficiency and Flexibility in Dynamic Environments, Organization Science, 21(6): 12631273. Levinthal D.A., March J.G. (1993) The Myopia of Learning, Strategic Management J., 14(1): 95112. Lewis M.W. (2000) Exploring Paradox: Toward a More Comprehensive Guide, Academy of Management Review, 25(4): 760776. Magnusson M, Martini A. (2008) Dual Organisational Capabilities: From Theory to PracticeThe Next Challenge for Continuous Innovation, Int. J. of Technology Management, 42(1/2): 119. Schreyogg G., Sydow J. (2010) Organizing for Fluidity? Dilemmas of New Organizational Forms, Organizational Science, 21(6): 12511262. Smith W.K., Lewis M.W. (2011) Toward a Theory of Paradox: A Dynamic Equilibrium Model of Organizing, Academy of Management Review, 36(2): 381403.

Keywords
Continuous Innovation Paradox and Tensions Information and Communication Technologies Human Resource Management

Guidelines
Researchers wishing to contribute are invited to submit an extended abstract (in Word format) of 10001500 words by March 15, 2012. The abstract should address theoretical background, research objective, methodology, and results in terms of expected contribution to CI theory and practice. Authors are encouraged to follow the guidelines for both extended abstracts as well as full papers.

Deadlines
Abstract submission: 15 March 2012 Review decisions sent to authors: 27 April 2012 Full paper submission: 1 June 2012 Feedback to authors: 22 June 2012 Final full paper submission: 1 July 2012 Registration to the conference (for at least one author of the paper): 1 July 2012

Further Information
For further information, please contact: Luca.Gastaldi@polimi.it

www.continuous-innovation.net