Working Paper Series, Department of Management, Politics & Philosophy, Copenhagen Business School
No 7/2002:
Creative Knowledge Environments in the Innovation System
Sven Hemlin
Abstract: 4 Background This paper summarises a grant proposal to the
Swedish Agency for Innovation Systems (VINNOVA). The aim of this research
project is to increase our understanding for factors that are crucial for
creative working processes and innovative results in knowledge
organisations. Its objective is to make a contribution to the construction
of a model, which describes how to increase creativity with work teams in
knowledge organisations. The reason to pursue this project is first that
knowledge workers are key-persons in the innovation system, and second that
we know surprisingly little about what is important for knowledge workers
to develop creative processes. This research is based on two assumptions.
One is that innovations are based on creative processes. Another is that
social scientists argue that we now have a society, which can be seen as a
knowledge and network society. Research about innovations deal to a great
extent with conditions and mechanisms conducive to innovations. In this
research we include the question of how to organise and manage innovative
activities. A related problem is how creative research and knowledge
environments should be organised and managed. These two problem areas are
linked in several ways. First, R&D and knowledge are needed for
innovations, since universities, research institutes and industry labs
belong to the innovation system. Second, a commercial environment,
entrepreneurs and companies are needed for knowledge to be transformed into
and contribute to innovations. Third, we are now in a state where knowledge
production and use of knowledge is increasing, but where knowledge about
leadership, organising, management and work processes in ´the new knowledge
production´ is scarce. In the recent and highly debated literature about
the new knowledge production (Gibbons et al., 1994; Etzkowitz &
Leydesdorff, 1997), it is argued that we now face a changed and
contextualised knowledge production, where various producers join into new
coalitions, networks and organisations between universities, industry and
government. Mode 2 and Triple Helix are the concepts used for this new
phase in the changed institutionalisation of knowledge development. In
research and technology policy literature a new contract between the
academy and society is discussed (Martin et al., 1996; Bragesjö, 2001). The
previous contract meant that society left researchers free to do research
in line with their own ideas and objectives. This was regarded by
politicians to lead to progress, development and prosperity for citizens
and society as a whole. The new re-negotiated contract means that society
and its actors (e.g, companies, public organisations and NGO: s)
participate in knowledge production in a more active, direct and leading
capacity. In the private sector changes in knowledge production towards
´learning organisations´ are taking place. But also in the mediating fields
between societies´ public and private spheres an increasing development of
knowledge production and knowledge use in networks is taking place. And the
development of regions described in the literature is typical for what we
call a ´network society´ (Sörlin & Törnqvist, 2000). Studies on new
knowledge producers are so far few and empirical studies of knowledge
workers and their working environments are even scarcer.
Keywords: Innovation; working processes; knowledge organizations; creativity; knowledge workers; network; (follow links to similar papers)
14 pages, February 1, 2002
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