Innovation implementation as a dynamic process with multiple outcomes : A single case study at Saab

Sammanfattning

Background - Multiple studies within different industries have shown that the majority of innovations adopted by organizations partly or completely fail, in the critical stage between the decision to use the innovation and its routinization. In the pursuit of understanding what makes innovation implementation fail or succeed, previous research has examined innovation implementation as a rather static process within single dimensions. We therefore still know little about what is beyond the implementation other than routine use, meaning that other outcomes have been overlooked. Purpose - Expanding on the dynamic view within innovation implementation literature beyond routine use by exploring how and why unintended outcomes form. Methodology - Inductive, qualitative methodology based on a single case study at Saab AB. Data were collected through a total of 13 unstructured and semistructured in-depth interviews to map the implementation process of Model Based Definition (MBD). Findings - By understanding innovation implementation as a dynamic process of mutual adaptation we found that when an organization implements an innovation, unintended outcomes may arise from Unreasonable expectations, Obstructed adaptation, Underestimated need for adaptation, One-way adaptation and Over adaptation. Our research has thereby highlighted the importance to not only consider if but also how an innovation is implemented.