Green innovation games - value creation, managerial roles and managerial capabilities in resource intensive businesses
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School of Business |
Doctoral thesis (article-based)
| Defence date: 2015-06-26
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Authors
Date
2015
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Mcode
Degree programme
Language
en
Pages
242
Series
Aalto University publication series DOCTORAL DISSERTATIONS, 78/2015
Abstract
Along with increasing environmental concerns and customers' growing knowledge of environmental and societal issues, corporate sustainability has gained increasing interest among management scholars and business practitioners alike. Mounting public interest in environmental questions, triggered by numerous ecological crises and stricter environmental regulations, is forcing companies to view corporate sustainability as a strategic issue. Previous literature on corporate sustainability offer taxonomies for general environmental strategies, and offer general ideas for developing and managing corporate sustainability programs. However, previous research has not paid sufficient attention to the specific characteristics of different types of green innovations. Also, existing research fails to specifically address the specific managerial roles within the different innovation approaches. To fill in these gaps in the current knowledge, this doctoral research investigates the management of value creation for green innovations in resource intensive businesses from the perspectives of radical innovation management and corporate sustainability. In so doing, this study adopts an explorative multiple case study approach, including a primary case and a number of supporting cases, based on interviews with 49 senior managers in the United States. Through a qualitative empirical inquiry, the present study identifies and organizes green innovation into four different value creation strategies-referred to "green innovation games", and recognizes key managerial capabilities required in mastering these games. In addition, the research uncovers and elaborates three managerial roles in managing for green innovations, specifically associated with managing for radical green innovations in resource intensive businesses. Finally, the findings show that establishing and nurturing the identified managerial capabilities, roles and the ways to master the diverse innovation games can support the longevity and survival of strategic green programs in organizations. The study makes several contributions to the research on corporate sustainability. Overall, by analyzing the innovation activity through which organizations have pursued corporate sustainability, the study structures the management issues of green innovation to assist in maintaining a systemic flow of incremental as well as radical green innovations. For managers, the results contribute to advancing the activities that aim to grow businesses to conform to increased environmental concerns. Moreover, by improving the understanding of value-creation strategies that foster corporate sustainability, the findings help capitalize on the opportunities offered by green innovations.Description
Supervising professor
Möller, Kristian, Prof., Aalto University, Department of Marketing, FinlandThesis advisor
Rajala, Risto, Assistant Prof., Aalto University, Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, FinlandWesterlund, Mika, Assistant Prof., Aalto University, Department of Marketing, Finland
Keywords
corporate sustainability, green innovation, resource-intensive business, value creation, Interface Inc., innovation management, radical innovation
Other note
Parts
- Tommi Lampikoski. (2012). Green, Innovative, and Profitable: A Case Study of Managerial Capabilities at Interface Inc. Technology Innovation Management Review, 2(11): 4-12.
- Tommi Lampikoski and Kristian Möller. (2013). Collaborative networks in green innovation: strategic games, value creation logics and managerial capabilities. XXIV ISPIM conference, Conference proceedings, Innovating in Global Markets; challenges for global growth, Helsinki, Finland, June 16th-19th.
- Tommi Lampikoski , Risto Rajala and Mika Westerlund. (2014). Corporate sustainability in industrial manufacturing: Revisiting the change in Interface’s business model. Submitted to an international research journal in August 2014.
- Tommi Lampikoski, Mika Westerlund, Risto Rajala and Kristian Möller. (2014). Green Innovation Games: Value-Creation Strategies and Corporate Sustainability. California Management Review, 57 (1): 88-116.