The Hidden Faces of Innovation

Innovation is omnipresent, but its complexity is rarely examined in depth. Far from euphoric or strict technical approaches, this book offers a fresh perspective on innovation by exploring its underlying tensions, paradoxes and dynamics. Adopting a dual approach, The Hidden Faces of Innovation combines a detailed analysis of the managerial dynamics at the heart of innovation processes with an in-depth reflection on the structural, technological and cultural dimensions that underpin them. The first part of this book focuses on the concrete practices of innovation management: skills management, the specificities of creative industries, and the evolution of working methods in the age of remote working. The second part broadens the perspective by examining the effects of digital technologies, the role of work environments in stimulating creativity and the tensions generated by organizational agility initiatives. Drawing on both empirical and theoretical work, the book highlights the often-invisible drivers of innovation and invites us to rethink the conditions for innovation, in line with the realities experienced in contemporary organizations.

Foreword xi Roberto RENIERO Introduction xiii Patrick GILBERT and Martine LE BOULAIRE Part 1. Managerial Dimensions of Creation and Innovation 1 Chapter 1. Creation's Unique Managerial Paradigm 3 Thomas PARIS 1.1. Creation as an organized social activity 4 1.2. The organization... against creation 11 1.3. Organizing and managing creation 18 1.4. Epilogue 26 1.5. References 27 Chapter 2. Manager Roles and Skills amid Transformation Dynamics 31 Anne BASTIEN, Christian DEFÉLIX, Martine LE BOULAIRE, Camille LEDOUX and Thierry PICQ 2.1. Prism for analyzing organizational transformations 32 2.2. Manager roles and practices 41 2.3. Manager support provided by companies: various schemes 47 2.4. Conclusion: the return of the manager 53 2.5. References 56 Chapter 3. Reconciling the Productivity and Well-being of Qualified Employees: The Managerial Challenge of Teleworking 59 Clotilde CORON, Patrick GILBERT and Simon PORCHER 3.1. The relationship between teleworking and productivity: a blind spot in research 61 3.2. A questionnaire survey to gain further insight 66 3.3. Two major lessons 72 3.4. Guidance elements 74 3.5. Conclusion 77 3.6. References 78 Chapter 4. The Socio-organizational Conditions for Innovation: The Israeli Experience 81 Christian DEFÉLIX, Martine LE BOULAIRE and Thierry PICQ 4.1. Israel, the unique case of a country managing innovation and talent 82 4.2. Tips and inspiration for businesses 92 4.3. Working on conditions propitiating innovation 96 4.4. References 100 Part 2. Organizational and Socio-material Dimensions of Innovation 101 Chapter 5. Digital Technologies and Work Transformations 103 Lise GASTALDI and Amandine PASCAL 5.1. Digital technologies: reference points 106 5.2. Analyzing changes in work in context through the prism of digital technologies 109 5.3. Supporting work transformations: a collective responsibility 119 5.4. Conclusion: towards countless empirical and theoretical projects 123 5.5. References 125 Chapter 6. The Influence of Atmospheres on R&D Creativity 129 Natalia BOBADILLA 6.1. The links between space, atmosphere and creativity 130 6.2. The impact of atmospheres on creativity 135 6.3. Recommendations for practice 144 6.4. Conclusion 146 6.5. References 147 Chapter 7. The Expertise Factory: Shedding Light on a Blind Spot in Innovation Management 151 Lise GASTALDI, Patrick GILBERT, Martine LE BOULAIRE and Olivier MUSSEAU 7.1. The production of expertise and its mysteries 152 7.2. A field survey to explore the question in depth 164 7.3. Diving into the heart of expertise production 168 7.4. Conclusion 174 7.5. References 177 Chapter 8. Managing Agility in an R&D Context: Practices and Challenges 181 Natalia BOBADILLA, Patrick GILBERT and Martine LE BOULAIRE 8.1. A wealth of literature, but still unanswered questions 182 8.2. Four case studies 188 8.3. Cross-disciplinary lessons 199 8.4. Exploring avenues for agility in R&D: lessons learned and benchmarks for action 201 8.5. Conclusion 203 8.6. References 204 List of Authors 207 Index 209