Prezis

The following links contain all my Prezis in English:

Regional and local impact of innovation intermediary organizations (Saxion conference presentation):

http://prezi.com/7r1muifraxfx/saxion-international-week-eg1/?kw=view-7r1muifraxfx&rc=ref-3754374


Changing tasks of innovation intermediary organizations (ERSA Congress presentation):
http://prezi.com/ew6xsxp2pi2i/ersa-congress-2012-eva-gajzago/?kw=view-ew6xsxp2pi2i&rc=ref-3754374

Innovation strategies (Saxion teaching material):
http://prezi.com/mks3ddlu6qtn/saxion-international-week-eg3/?kw=view-mks3ddlu6qtn&rc=ref-3754374

Innovation process and systems (Saxion teaching material):
http://prezi.com/roolnd3qui93/saxion-international-week-eg2/?kw=view-roolnd3qui93&rc=ref-3754374


Presentation techniques (College of Dunaujvaros - CoD -teaching material):
http://prezi.com/wf2kamki1vwu/presentation-techniques/?kw=view-wf2kamki1vwu&rc=ref-3754374


PCM (CoD teaching material):
http://prezi.com/qs-8yyou5hfx/pcm/?kw=view-qs-8yyou5hfx&rc=ref-3754374

Innovation Cycle Management (ICM)

We need to reconsider the basic principles and the tasks of intermediaries.

Nagaoka et al.[1] describes some principles which are essential for an intermediary to establish connections with the consumers of the innovative product. The principles are the following:

·         The relations of intermediaries need to be built on cooperation which is not a zero sum game. The interests of both parties need to be satisfied and every project that violates this principle will be unsuccessful.

·         Cooperation has to be fulfilled in a long term and every methods and resources need to be adjusted to this aim.

·         Both researchers and entrepreneurs have to make allowance for their mutual benefits.

·         Higher educational institutes – therefore intermediaries – have social responsibilities. Hence, education and knowledge have to be elemental in their work and their independence has to be assured.

Tasks and working methods of intermediaries also have to be reconsidered. Nagaoka et al.[2] mentions principles of processes in the intermediary organizations which increase the effectiveness:

·         small, flexible and flat organization structure

·         autonomy and independence, breaking down bureaucratic gaps

·         employing well-trained and qualified experts

·         forming groups to implement tasks and sharing the knowledge between groups

·         balance in fluctuation of human resources to assure the share of knowledge and skills

·         working in projects, using feedbacks

·         employing well-trained project management

·         accepting failures

·         concentrating to revolutionary inventions

·         promoting relationships and cooperation

We can also complete this list with one more factor – according to Deem et al.^[3] – that is to concentrate to the value of inventions and to the value production. The definition of value contains many risks as the value in an innovation process can be subjective. Participant can have different definition of this value; the invention can be precious for one participant and worthless for an other. Despite value always exists. Therefore intermediaries have to reveal and understand this value to make the innovation process more effective.

Considering the above mentioned principles I elaborated a new working method for intermediary organizations. The method was also based on the Project Cycle Management (PCM) Model of the European Commission. Combining the process of PCM with innovation management methods, I developed the model of Innovation Cycle Management (ICM).

ICM have to be based on the following tasks:

·         collecting and managing ideas and inventions

·         collecting and managing information about resources – human resources, technology, financing possibilities, etc.

·         establishing relations with researchers and research institutes

·         establishing relations with entrepreneurs and marketing organizations

·         fulfilling horizontal tasks like cooperation, amplifying trust, communication and knowledge transfer

Working process of innovation intermediaries can be illustrated as a cycle, a concentric process. Knowledge transfer and learning process are the main elements of this model as cycle means to learn from the experiences of a finished project and build it into the next process.

2. figure: Innovation Cycle Management Model

Resource: own compilation

ICM contains three main sections:

·         tasks of the innovation intermediary organizations

·         tasks of researchers

·         tasks of entrepreneurs

The last two parts contains two projects; the research projects and the marketing project. Research projects concentrate to the production of invention and innovative product, and marketing aims to transfer this product to the consumers.

To describe the tasks of intermediaries we need to focus on the first part of the model, however intermediary organizations have to participate in all the three sections. The above mentioned figure cannot clearly demonstrate the functions and role of intermediaries – e.g. they have an important role in cooperation and communication with the other two parties in all parts of the model so they cannot fulfil their tasks independently. (The dark blue cycle on the figure tries to show this role.) The above model also represents that innovation process is not linear and continual feedback is a main task in the process.

The first section – intermediary section – contains tasks like collecting and managing information and data, managing resources or identifying and selecting prosperous ideas and launching the innovation process. The section of researchers contains a special research or R&D project which can be implemented by the method of project cycle management (PCM). The last section – but not the least due to the cycle – is the part of entrepreneurs who implement product development than introduce the new product into the market. Both part can follow the phases of PCM and marketing can be fulfilled using special marketing methods and assets – like positioning, PR, marketing communication, etc.

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[1] Nagaoka, Kondo, Flamm, Wessner, 2009

[2] Nagaoka, Kondo, Flamm, Wessner, 2009

[3] Deem – Hillyard – Reed, 2007

New definition of innovation intermediary organizations

 Definition of innovation intermediary organization can be based on national and sub national innovation systems and on technology transfer of institutions constituting the spreading of innovation. On the other hand, marketing behaviour and innovation strategy of companies also can be connected with this definition[1].

In my point of view, innovation intermediaries need to be defined through the “human side” of innovation – by the knowledge, motivation and actions of the participants in the innovation process. Definition of innovation intermediaries thus need to be based not on a superior system or organization but on the people participating in this process.

Innovation intermediary organizations are funded because of a special market and communication niche, or because of a knowledge gap or information shortage. These organizations and their employees complement the activity of participants in the innovation process with their knowledge and skills.

Innovation is closely connected with the inventor or researcher and marketing the invention also needs experts who have knowledge and information about the market. Intermediary organizations employ people with specific skills and attributes and with these they can influence the effectiveness of the innovation process.[2]

The innovation process can be illustrated as a special market in which researchers stand on one side – as producers of inventions – and companies on the other side – as consumers of innovation. Between them intermediaries are seated with task like vendors on a fair or like marriage brokers. They try to put the two participants in touch with each other but as they speak different languages the job is really difficult. This market is special because of this “language barrier” and that two parties have variant motivations and interests. Therefore intermediaries need to know them – like marriage broker knows the man and woman –, have to speak their languages and discover and understand their motivations. So intermediaries have to work on the field of human relations and human resources.

1. figure: simple model of innovation process

 

 

Resource: own compilation

The above figure shows a simple model. The model is simple because it does not contain all component of the process - laboratories, high educational institutes, marketing companies e.g. are missing. Besides I wish to emphasize the human side of innovation mentioning researchers and entrepreneurs in spite of indicating high educational institutes and companies. As the knowledge and relationship is very important in the process and it is bound closely to persons and skills, I keep to use the above designations.

I use this simple model to elaborate a new definition to innovation intermediary organizations. Unlike previously mentioned definitions I start off from the human side of innovation and the distinctive knowledge of people in the innovation process. Therefore I define innovation intermediary organizations as organized groups of people which are connected or impregnated into the innovation process and supplement the missing knowledge, information, skills, attributes or relations of researchers and entrepreneurs with their specific knowledge, information, skills, attributes or relations to help in the market based production and the marketing of the innovative product.

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[1] Buzás N., 2007

[2] Nagaoka, Kondo, Flamm, Wessner, 2009