Complexity and Innovation in Organizations (Complexity and Emergence in Organizations) - Hardcover

Fonseca, Jose

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0415250293 ISBN 13: 9780415250290

Publisher: Routledge, 2001

Synopsis

Taking a critical look at major perspectives on innovation, this book suggests that innovation is not a designed functional activity of a firm or an intentional process through which firms anticipate changes in conditions.  Jose Fonseca proposes that the concepts behind the innovation experiences cannot be traced to any particular time, space or individual, even if one person has figured prominently. The innovative ideas in the examples considered did not occur as a direct product of a purposeful search triggered by the perception of some problem to solve, nor did they result from a sequential process that was laid out in advance. Instead, innovative ideas were a product of streams of conversations that extended over long periods of time and were characterized by critical degrees of misunderstanding and redundancy. Fonseca's book presents innovation as new meaning potentially emerging in ongoing, every-day conversations.

Drawing on the theory of complex responsive process, developed in the first two volumes of this series, Fonseca presents a particular way of understanding innovation. The experiences of innovation studied in this book suggest that innovations do not start with a match between a need to be satisfied and a set of competencies and tools purposefully brought together to meet the need. On the contrary, identification of need is a consequence of success, rather than a pre-condition. The innovations studied in this book (a selection of innovation experiences from Portugal are considered) were subject to constant and never ending redefinition.

About this title

Synopsis:

People in organizations often speak of innovation as if it were the ultimate new idea, one that would finally deliver them from the pressures of competition if they could only make the right choice. Since they believe that innovation is the realization of a rationally chosen goal, it is difficult to explain, even to themselves, why they never reach this promised land, and must keep innovating. From the perspective of rational choice, one can only conclude that failure to identify an innovation in advance is due to incompetence, and this inevitably leads to frustration and anxiety. Complexity and Innovation in Organizations takes a different approach. Innovation is shown to be simply a new patterning of our experiences of being together, as new meaning emerging from ordinary, every-day work conversations. Viewed from a complex responsice processes perspective, innovation feels less menacing and becomes a challenging, exciting process of participating with others in the evolution of work.

About the Author:

Jose Fonseca is Associate Professor of Management at the Universidade Lusiada in Lisbon, invited Professor at the MBA programme of the Universidade Nova and fellow of the Complexity and Management Centre at the University of Hertfordshire.

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0415250293
• ISBN 13: 9780415250290
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 144