Calls for papers

 

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business

 

Special Issue on: "Management Innovation"

Guest Editors:
Prof. Frédéric Le Roy, University of Montpellier and Montpellier Business School, France
Associate Prof. Annabelle Jaouen and Associate Prof. Marc Robert, Montpellier Business School, France

Scholars of innovation typically focus on its technical dimension only. Being innovative is reduced to the introduction of new products on the market or to the introduction of new processes in production. The restrictive conception is dominant today and focuses the attention of directors, policy makers and academic researchers.

Innovation is not only technological but can also be organizational. Authors like Birkinshaw, Hamel and Mol have begun to question whether it is possible for firms to create a long-term competitive advantage based on product or process innovations. In a world of accelerated exchange of ideas, technologies and capital, Hamel says, only “management innovation” can result in long-term competitive advantages. Management innovation is defined as “the invention and implementation of a management practice, process, structure, or technique that is new to the state of the art and is intended to further organizational goals”.

Management innovation can be approached in different ways. The goal of this special issue is to encourage scholars of every area of management to study the particular type of innovation that is management innovation. Specifically, it is meant as an opportunity to reflect on the idea put forward by Hamel that this innovation should be considered as the main innovation and to determine the impact that a management innovation can have for the various divisions of the firm bringing to bear the perspectives of multiple management disciplines (Strategy, Organizational Behavior, Finance, Accounting, Logistics, Information Systems, Human Resources, Entrepreneurship).

Subject Coverage
Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
Drivers of management innovation

1. What are the main drivers of management innovation?
2. What is the role of different types of managers, ranging from terrain manager to owner manager, in the process of development and implementation of management innovation?
3. Is collaboration with actors outside the firm a driver for management innovation?
4. What is the role of consultants in the spread of management innovation?
5. What is the role of governments and academia in the spread of management innovation?

The process of management innovation

1. Does management innovation emerge spontaneously or is it the result of a deliberate process?
2. Is management innovation fundamentally a participatory phenomenon or is it possible to carry out management innovations by means of a top-down process?
3. What are the links between management innovation and other forms of innovation?
4. Are there dynamics of resistance against management innovation?

The impact of management innovation

1. What is the impact of management innovation on the economic and financial performance? Is it better than performance obtained through other types of innovation?
2. Does a management innovation have less impact the wider it spreads? Is there a first mover advantage in management innovation?
3. Is management innovation really a source of long-term competitive advantage?

Notes for Prospective Authors

Submitted papers should not have been previously published nor be currently under consideration for publication elsewhere. (N.B. Conference papers may only be submitted if the paper has been completely re-written and if appropriate written permissions have been obtained from any copyright holders of the original paper).

All papers are refereed through a peer review process.

All papers must be submitted online. To submit a paper, please read our Submitting articles page.

Important Dates

Submission of Manuscripts: 31 December, 2015

Notification to Authors: 1 March, 2016

Final Versions Due: 31 May, 2016