[article] Factoryt / Factories

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Bridging physical and social space: Practices and behavior in co-creation platforms
(Aalto University, 2017) Tuulos, Tiina; Hämäläinen, Matti; Design Factory; Aalto University Design Factory; Factoryt; Factories
Small wins as footholds for co-creation
(Aalto University, 2017) Björklund, Tua; Design Factory; Design Factory; Factoryt; Factories
Pedagogically aware academics’ conceptions of change agency in the fields of science and technology
(Informa UK Limited, 2015) Clavert, Maria; Löfström, Erika; Nevgi, Anne; Design Factory; Design Factory; Factoryt; Factories
Pedagogical transformations in universities are typically explored as ‘top down’ attempts or in the context of training programs targeted towards educating more pedagogically aware individuals. In this study, promoting pedagogical development is explored on a community level as change agency: acting as a broker between the discipline-specific and pedagogical communities of practice in order to establish mutually shared new concepts and practices of teaching and learning. Thirteen pedagogically aware academics from the fields of science and technology participated in thematic interviews in which they were asked to describe change agency. The descriptions were explored utilizing a social theory of learning and categorized with content analysis. The findings reveal practical means of promoting pedagogical development between academic communities and point out various identities related to acting as a change agent. The study provides a theoretical model and further advances the understanding of pedagogical change agency in the fields of science and technology.
Generating resources through co-evolution of entrepreneurs and ecosystems
(Emerald, 2016) Björklund, Tua A.; Krueger, Norris F.; Design Factory; Design Factory; Aalto University Design Factory; Aalto-yliopiston Design Factory; Factoryt; Factories
Purpose – The emerging perspectives of entrepreneurial ecosystems, bricolage and effectuationhighlight the interaction between the entrepreneur and the surrounding community, and its potentialfor creative resource acquisition and utilization. However, empirical work on how this process actuallyunfolds remains scarce. This paper aims to study the interaction between the opportunity constructionprocess and the development of resources in the surrounding ecosystem. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is a qualitative analysis of the extreme case of AaltoEntrepreneurship Society (Aaltoes), a newly founded organization successfully promotingentrepreneurship within a university merger with virtually no resources, based on interviews of six keycontributors and four stakeholder organisations. Findings – The opportunity construction process both supported and was supported by two keyresource generating mechanisms. Formulating and opportunistically reformulating the agenda forincreasing potential synergy laid the groundwork for mutual benefit. Proactive concretization enhancedboth initial resource allocation and sustaining input to the process through offering tangible instancesof specific opportunities and feedback. Research limitations/implications – Although based on a single case study in a university setting,proactive concretization emerges as a promising direction for further investigations of the benefits anddynamics of entrepreneur– ecosystem interaction in the opportunity construction process. Practical implications – Intentionally creating beneficial entrepreneur– ecosystem interaction andteaching proactive concretization becomes a key goal for educators of entrepreneurship. Originality/value – The paper extends an understanding of creative resource generation and utilizationin the opportunity construction process. The role of proactive concretization was emphasized in theinteraction of the entrepreneur and the ecosystem, creating virtuous spirals of entrepreneurial activity.
Developing as a teacher in the fields of science and technology
(Informa UK Limited, 2014) Clavert, Maria; Björklund, Tua; Nevgi, Anne; Design Factory; Design Factory; Factoryt; Factories
In universities, development as a teacher may be contradicted with developing as a researcher. Most previous studies have investigated pedagogical development merely as a result of pedagogical training and ignored the dual teacher-researcher identity. This study examines what kind of meaningful experiences are perceived to have triggered and influenced the process of developing as a teacher in the fields of science and technology. The data were gathered by interviewing 10 academics who had participated in a pedagogical training offered by a Finnish technical university between 1999 and 2009. Based on a narrative analysis utilizing dimensions of transformative learning, the results highlight the influence of the working environment and experiences, and imply that teacher development process in the fields of science and technology can be better understood in terms of becoming a teacher, rather than as a continual, conscious development process. The resulting teacher-researcher identity provides a basis for pedagogical development.
The impact of leadership, management and power in an international knowledge-intensive organization
(FGV EBAPE, 2010) Kirjavainen, Senni; Björklund, Tua A.; Eloranta, Meri-Maaria; Laakso, Miko; Design Factory; Design Factory; Factoryt; Factories
The shift to knowledge economies and the boom of knowledge-intensive organizations with their expert employees pose new challenges for leadership and management of development work. What is the appropriate amount and form of managerial control that is needed in knowledge-intensive development work? This paper focuses on illuminating the kind of leadership and management efforts that either support or hinder advancing development projects. The results highlight the paradoxical role of power and control, and reveal that employees need freedom and yet strong guidance and managerial commitment to develop work in order to stay motivated. Implications for leading knowledge-intensive development are discussed.
A Sino-Finnish initiative for experimental teaching practices using the Design Factory pedagogical platform
(Informa UK Limited, 2013) Björklund, Tua A.; Nordström, Katrina M.; Clavert, Maria; Design Factory; Biotekniikan ja kemian tekniikan laitos; Department of Biotechnology and Chemical Technology; Factoryt; Factories; Kemian tekniikan korkeakoulu; School of Chemical Technology
The paper presents a Sino-Finnish teaching initiative, including the design and experiences of a series of pedagogical workshops implemented at the Aalto-Tongji Design Factory (DF), Shanghai, China, and the experimentation plans collected from the 54 attending professors and teachers. The workshops aimed to encourage trying out interdisciplinary hands-on teaching, and enable teachers to implement their ideas for teaching development utilising the DF pedagogical platform. The majority of the participants planned teaching experimentations aiming at enhancing student understanding of curricula through various group exercises utilising concrete artefacts, but found their implementation within established practices quite challenging, highlighting the challenges of transforming strategic collaboration into grass-root activity. However, the workshops ignited widespread interest in a continuum of collaboration in teaching development, and the DF has since acted as a hub for the implementation of subsequent internationalisation efforts of the two universities, including establishing a dual-degree programme.
Understanding idea advancement efforts in innovation through proactive behavior
(Emerald, 2013) Bjorklund, Tua; Bhatli, Dhruv; Laakso, Miko; Design Factory; Factoryt; Factories
Purpose– Innovations lie at the heart of both entrepreneurship and marketing. While research has long focused on the idea generation phase at the beginning of the innovation process, ideas need to subsequently be realized through efforts in idea development and implementation. This paper aims to study the antecedents and practices of idea advancement behavior. Design/methodology/approach– Seven product developers of an international company were interviewed in-depth based on a critical incident technique. Findings– Idea advancement behavior was found to be distributed in time and between people, pervasive in the development process. Antecedents for efforts were identified at personal, interpersonal and work organization levels. Although personal antecedents were most numerous, interpersonal and work organization antecedents distinguished successful and unsuccessful efforts. Key idea advancement behaviors were centered on the inclusion of others and communication channel choices. Research limitations/implications– The current study offers a complementary micro-level point-of-view to championship literature, illustrating the situated and dispersed nature of everyday advancement efforts as opposed to the dominant depictions of heroic relentless championing individuals. However, as the study was conducted in a single company, the findings still need to be validated in more varied settings. Practical implications– The results highlight the need for supporting idea advancement behavior across organizational levels and function, instead of focusing on identifying individual champions. Time management, supporting switches in the driving force, and communicating value are necessary for sustaining advancement efforts. Originality/value– Idea advancement practices have been largely ignored in previous innovation literature, with the exception of systematic processes and championing. This paper explores idea advancement as a commonplace proactive behavior, revealing several levels of key antecedents for successfully advancing ideas into innovations.
Enhancing creative knowledge-work: challenges and points of leverage
(Emerald, 2010) Björklund, Tua A.; Design Factory; Factoryt; Factories
Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to explore critical success factors in knowledge‐intensive creative project work, using product development as an example field. Design/methodology/approach– Critical‐incident based in‐depth interviews of 11 product development experts (chosen based on their recommendations and length of experience) were carried out. The results were categorized into thematic classes of critical factors. Findings– Most challenges are embedded in the context of the product development projects. Collaboration and cognitive‐motivational factors such as trust, attitude, and intrinsic motivation‐related issues formed the most common classes of discovered critical factors behind product development project success, along with the mediating categories of goal and autonomy‐related factors. Furthermore, product development specific skills or knowledge accounted only for a small minority of the identified factors. Practical implications– The most pressing learning objective becomes not updating product development knowledge, but that of increasing motivation, initiative, trust, and collaboration. As the discovered challenges are embedded in the context of work, addressing them ultimately requires project managers to master some of the personnel development aspects traditionally left for human resources management. Training efforts need to be tailored to the project context if they are to have a lasting impact on behavior. Originality/value– In addition to providing further support for the importance of climate factors, this paper suggests that special attention should be directed towards goal setting and autonomy, as they play a significant role in many of the climate and cognitive‐motivational constructs increasing creativity.
Initial mental representations of design problems: Differences between experts and novices
(Elsevier BV, 2013) Björklund, Tua A.; Design Factory; Factoryt; Factories
Defining and structuring wicked design problems has a major influence on subsequent problem solving, and demands a considerable level of skill. Previous research on mental representations in design is scarce, and has been largely based on students or individual experts. This study explored the differences in the initial mental representations of real-life product development problems between advanced product development engineering students and recommended, professional experts. Expert mental representations were found to demonstrate superior extent, depth and level of detail, accommodating more interconnections and being more geared toward action. The results indicate that targeting relevancy perceptions to locate interconnections and promote proactivity can be a key factor in developing product development education to better match the requirements faced by professionals.

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