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Creative Tension in the Innovation Process:: How to Support the Right Capabilities

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  • Perez-freije, Javier
  • Enkel, Ellen

Abstract

The degree to which a firm needs creativity and discipline - the elements of creative tension to which this paper refers - depends on the speed with which the industry changes. While some degree of freedom and flexibility is essential for productive innovation teams, management is faced with the challenge of instituting control mechanisms that lead projects in the right strategic direction, and monitor firms' progress towards their organizational and project goals. However, the wrong type of control system may constrain firms' capabilities. Determinants of innovative behavior, such as leadership and autonomy, can explain the relationship between innovation strategy, managerial control and organizational behavior but have not yet been applied to examine the differences in various innovation control systems' design. We analyzed 12 successful practice companies' innovation control systems by means of these determinants in order to define how supportive or counterproductive they are in respect of increasing R&D effectiveness and efficiency. We identified three archetypes of innovation control system design, each of which depends on the dynamics of the industry in which companies act. Strategic assumptions were derived from these archetypical designs to provide useful guidelines for management who confront multi-faceted and complicated control situations.

Suggested Citation

  • Perez-freije, Javier & Enkel, Ellen, 2007. "Creative Tension in the Innovation Process:: How to Support the Right Capabilities," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 25(1), pages 11-24, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:eurman:v:25:y:2007:i:1:p:11-24
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    Cited by:

    1. Wohlgemuth, Veit & Wenzel, Matthias & Berger, Elisabeth S.C. & Eisend, Martin, 2019. "Dynamic capabilities and employee participation: The role of trust and informal control," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 37(6), pages 760-771.
    2. Marcelo Seido Nagano & Juliano Pavanelli Stefanovitz & Tor Guimaraes, 2019. "Assessing Some Important Factors to Reduce Obstacles in Product Innovation," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Alexander Brem & Joe Tidd & Tugrul Daim (ed.), Managing Innovation What Do We Know About Innovation Success Factors?, chapter 12, pages 303-331, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    3. Steffen Roth & Augusto Sales & Jari Kaivo-oja, 2017. "Multiplying the Division of Labour: Functional Differentiation of the Next Key Variables in Management Research," Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(2), pages 195-207, March.
    4. Eva Lövstål & Anne-Marie Jontoft, 2017. "Tensions at the intersection of management control and innovation: a literature review," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 28(1), pages 41-79, February.
    5. Spillecke, Susanne B. & Brettel, Malte, 2013. "The impact of sales management controls on the entrepreneurial orientation of the sales department," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 31(4), pages 410-422.
    6. Kuratko, Donald F. & Covin, Jeffrey G. & Hornsby, Jeffrey S., 2014. "Why implementing corporate innovation is so difficult," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 57(5), pages 647-655.
    7. Nur Afifah, 2019. "Configuration of Organizational Capability to Enhancing Service Performance and Impact on Sustainable Local Enterprise Water Services," GATR Journals jber167, Global Academy of Training and Research (GATR) Enterprise.
    8. Baharudin Othman & Sharifudin Md. Shaarani & Arsiah Bahron, 2016. "The Effect of Halal Requirement Practices on Organization Performance among Food Manufactures in Malaysia," Proceedings of International Academic Conferences 3605504, International Institute of Social and Economic Sciences.

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