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Paper info: Facilitating Innovation Scalability through Network Management

Title


Facilitating Innovation Scalability through Network Management

Authors


Katri Nykänen
Helsinki School of Economics
Finland
Katri Nykänen , Annukka Jyrämä, Astrid Mangs and
Arto Rajala
Helsinki School of Economics
Finland
Arto Rajala

Place of Publication


The paper was published at the 28th IMP-conference in Rome, Italy in 2012.

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Abstract


This is a single case study of a self-emerging network that from the beginning has strived to develop a scalable urban innovation in the fields of housing and living. Scalability in this context is transferring the innovation to another urban area after piloting, including the minor adjustments needed to fit the new area. We are interested in the networking process and the roles of network manager that enable both the networking process itself and the scalability of the innovation. We report the process through positive and negative critical incidents induced internally by the network manager or externally from outside the network. We emphasize the roles that facilitate networking although the case illustrates some negative roles as well. Furthermore, we state that the network manager’s role can be positive in a certain phase of the networking phase and have a negative effect in another. A good example of this is the role of activist, which enables networking at the beginning of the process but can have a hindering effect during the actual networking.The different roles a network manager can adopt and their differing influence on the networking process can be explained by the fact that networks are dynamic. Therefore, the systematic networking process and the network manager, though different roles should ensure that the network is both aware of its dynamic nature and able to respond to changes without losing the ability to concentrate on its core goal. The end result of this study is a conceptualization of a network management process with the suggestions of the network management roles that during the process enable and ensure networking and scalability of innovation created.