The Multiple Facets of Innovation Project Management [Hardcover]

For firms and other organizations, innovation has become a means of anticipating and managing major changes in their external context and overcoming societal challenges such as sustainable development. As a result, they must innovate repeatedly and continuously.

This book explores the multiple facets of innovation project management, defined as the set of activities implemented to bring into being and successfully complete one or several innovation projects. It combines research experience, in cooperation with practitioners, and a theoretical, transversal and global overview inspired from different research streams. The author develops methodologies and frameworks that might be put into practice, provides a case study of research conducted with an air systems manufacturing firm, and outlines avenues for further reflection on innovation project management practice improvement.

 

Introduction ix

Chapter 1. Innovation Project Management in Theory 1

1.1. Defining the word “innovation” 1

1.1.1. A polysemous word 2

1.1.2. The different types of innovation 3

1.1.3. The different perceptions of newness 5

1.1.4. The different dimensions of newness 7

1.1.5. The intensity of newness 8

1.2. Innovation management research 9

1.2.1 Adopting a managerial rather than economic perspective 9

1.2.2. Focusing on new product development practices 12

1.2.3. An established research stream in management science 14

1.3. Entrepreneurship research 16

1.3.1. Theoretical economic foundations: from Cantillon to Schumpeter 16

1.3.2. Entrepreneurship as an alternative mode of managing exploratory activities 17