Research project S2/001/06 (Research action S2)
Development, deepening and validation of indicators for organisational innovation through case studies and a pilot-survey. The research process will produce a survey instrument completed with a manual framing and clarifying the concepts and classifications and containing illustrations from the case studies.
More substantively, the objectives are as follows:
- use of the socio-technical framework in order to conduct a critical evaluation and enhancement of indicators available within organisational surveys;
- more accurate specification of these indicators using targeted case studies covering a broad spectrum of technological innovation types;
- research into the validity and reliability of the developed survey instrument in accordance with the innovation capacity of companies using a pilot-survey involving a wide-ranging company sample;
- further development of the instrument complete with its own manual specifying practical uses for organisational innovations, illustrated using material from the case studies;
- distribution of research results through the staging of workshops for potential users of a module containing key indicators for organisational innovation, for the purpose of possible insertion in existing - international - innovation surveys.
The project’s specific tasks are as follows:
A. Coordination (KULeuven)
A.1 Coordination between the research teams at ULB and KULeuven
A.2 Communication and information exchange with the OSTC contractor and other contractually involved government authorities
B. Research activities (KULeuven and ULB)
B.1 Literature research
B.2 Selection of 10 cases
B.3 Execution of 10 case studies
B.4 Development of a survey instrument
B.5 Testing of a survey instrument using a pilot-survey
B.6 Fine-tuning of the survey instrument and accompanying manual
C. Valorisation (KULeuven, in collaboration with ULB)
C.1 The final report on the developed survey instrument and development of the accompanying manual, including production of a digital version of the instrument/manual complete with possible website integration
C.2 Production of a module containing key indicators for organisational innovation, for the purpose of possible insertion in existing - international – innovation surveys
C.3 Staging of working meetings and workshops, for the benefit of both the contractor as well as potential users
Given the nature and finality of the research project, the research teams at KULeuven and ULB will need to work together on an intensive, coordinated basis during each project phase. At each stage of the research process, close contact will be maintained through working meetings and the communication and exchange of results between the teams. This applies as much to the literature study, case selection and execution of the case studies as it does to the production and validation of the survey instrument and accompanying manual. During execution of the case studies, the ULB research team shall, of course, handle cases in the French-speaking part of Belgium, while the KULeuven research team will do likewise in the Dutch-speaking part of the country. During case selection, allowance will be made for cases spread over both sides of the linguistic border. The survey instrument will be produced in both Dutch and French, and both versions of the instrument will be validated. Coordination of the activities of both research teams will form part of the task package assigned to the team at KULeuven, which will also be responsible for operational execution of the pilot survey.
