Short answer

When designing or evaluating innovation support, focus on how the intervention will change the firm's established ways of working and decision-making processes.

Field: Innovation & Design
Source: Research Portal (King's College London) (2010)
Method: Case Study
Evidence: Moderate effect

Innovation policy evaluation can be improved by understanding how government interventions influence the evolution of a firm's organizational routines. This innovation & design research insight is drawn from a 2010 study published in Research Portal (King's College London). Using Case study, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: When designing or evaluating innovation support, focus on how the intervention will change the firm's established ways of working and decision-making processes.

Study

Innovation & DesignHigh ImpactModerate effect

Government support can foster innovation by shaping organizational routines

Innovation policy evaluation can be improved by understanding how government interventions influence the evolution of a firm's organizational routines.

Research Portal (King's College London) · 2010

Key Findings

01The concept of behavioural additionality lacks a clear definition and theoretical background, often failing to identify a specific unit of analysis.
02Organizational routines, encompassing ostensive, performative, and artefact aspects, can serve as a robust unit of analysis for understanding behavioural additionality.
03An evolutionary approach, focusing on the government-influenced evolution of these routines, provides a suitable framework for analysing behavioural additionality.

Application

Design takeaway

When designing or evaluating innovation support, focus on how the intervention will change the firm's established ways of working and decision-making processes.

How to apply

When developing a new product or service that requires adoption by other organizations, consider how to integrate it into their existing routines or how to facilitate the evolution of those routines to accommodate the new offering.

Project actions

01When designing a product that needs to be adopted by a business, consider how it fits into their current workflow and what changes might be needed.
02When evaluating the success of a design intervention, look beyond immediate results to see if it has changed long-term behaviours or processes.

Method & Evidence

AimHow can the concept of behavioural additionality in innovation policy be redefined and evaluated using organizational routines as the unit of analysis and an evolutionary approach as the framework?

MethodCase Study

ProcedureThe research developed a theoretical framework for behavioural additionality based on organizational routines and evolutionary theory, then applied this framework to two case studies of innovation support programmes (Turkish TIDEB and British Collaborative R&D) to illustrate its micro-level application.

ContextInnovation Policy Evaluation

Variables

IVGovernment innovation policy interventions

DVEvolution of organizational routines (behavioural additionality)

CVSpecific organizational characteristics, industry sector, existing routines

Strengths & Limitations

Strengths

+Provides a novel theoretical framework for understanding innovation policy effectiveness.
+Integrates behavioural additionality with established concepts of organizational routines and evolutionary theory.

Limitations

Case studies may not be generalizable to all types of organizations or innovation support programmes.

Reliability & validity

The validity of the findings relies on the accurate identification and interpretation of organizational routines within the case studies. Reliability would depend on consistent application of the analytical framework across different contexts.

Think critically

To what extent can 'organizational routines' be universally defined and measured across diverse industries and company cultures?

Design Principles

"Innovation support should aim for the evolutionary enhancement of organizational routines."

This research suggests that simply funding innovation is insufficient; effective policy must consider how it alters the ingrained processes and behaviours within an organization. By focusing on the 'how' of innovation adoption, designers and policymakers can create more impactful strategies.

What This Means for Your Design

Think about how new ideas or policies change the way people in a company actually do their jobs, not just what they produce.

How to use in your project

1.Reference this research when discussing how your design solution integrates with or changes user behaviours and organizational processes.

Add to My Project

Quick Cite

Paragraph starter

This research highlights the importance of considering organizational routines when evaluating the impact of interventions. By viewing behavioural additionality through an evolutionary lens, it suggests that successful innovation support fosters the development and adaptation of a firm's ingrained processes and behaviours, rather than merely providing resources.

Source

Research Portal (King's College London)

An Evolutionary Approach to Innovation Policy Evaluation: Behavioural Additionality and Organisational Routines

journal · 2010

View source

Questions About This Research

What does the research say about government support can foster innovation by shaping organizational routines?: When designing or evaluating innovation support, focus on how the intervention will change the firm's established ways of working and decision-making processes. Evidence: Research Portal (King's College London) (2010).
Why does "Government support can foster innovation by shaping organizational routines" matter for design?: This research suggests that simply funding innovation is insufficient; effective policy must consider how it alters the ingrained processes and behaviours within an organization. By focusing on the 'how' of innovation adoption, designers and policymakers can create more impactful strategies.
How can designers apply this research?: When designing or evaluating innovation support, focus on how the intervention will change the firm's established ways of working and decision-making processes.
What were the main findings?: The concept of behavioural additionality lacks a clear definition and theoretical background, often failing to identify a specific unit of analysis.. Organizational routines, encompassing ostensive, performative, and artefact aspects, can serve as a robust unit of analysis for understanding behavioural additionality.. An evolutionary approach, focusing on the government-influenced evolution of these routines, provides a suitable framework for analysing behavioural additionality.
What research method was used?: Case Study.
How strong is the evidence?: Evidence strength is rated Moderate effect, based on a 2010 journal from Research Portal (King's College London).
What should I do differently in my next project?: When developing a new product or service that requires adoption by other organizations, consider how to integrate it into their existing routines or how to facilitate the evolution of those routines to accommodate the new offering.
What are the limitations?: The study's empirical application was a 'plausibility probe' using case studies, suggesting further empirical validation is needed. The focus is primarily on the micro-level of firms.