IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wsi/ijimxx/v24y2019i03ns1363919620500723.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Pairs In Innovation: How Working In Pairs Helps Organisations To Move Into A New Shared Direction

Author

Listed:
  • PAOLA BELLIS

    (Politecnico di Milano, School of Management, Italy)

  • ROBERTO VERGANTI

    (Politecnico di Milano, School of Management, Italy2Stockholm School of Economics, House of Innovation, Sweden)

Abstract

Innovation is a collaborative act. Thus, a lot of attention has been paid to teamwork as the prevalent approach for innovation in companies. However, teams also present limits, due to conflicts and compromises when converging. This study, which focuses on the development of innovative directions, explores the nature of collaboration by looking at the purest unit of collaboration: the pair. We isolate the case of pair collaboration and investigate, through empirical investigations, the sensemaking process people accomplish and how it is affected by those tensions that affect teams when innovating. We observe how innovation unfolds when people move from creating individually, in pair and finally in team. Findings suggest that the pair creates an intimate environment where innovative thinking, alignment and engagement flourish and that it is a good intermediate step towards teamwork. This paper acknowledges an underestimated dynamic of innovation, pair collaboration, which has real potential to address one of organisations’ most problematic challenges: people engagement and convergence towards an innovative direction.

Suggested Citation

  • Paola Bellis & Roberto Verganti, 2019. "Pairs In Innovation: How Working In Pairs Helps Organisations To Move Into A New Shared Direction," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 24(03), pages 1-27, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:wsi:ijimxx:v:24:y:2019:i:03:n:s1363919620500723
    DOI: 10.1142/S1363919620500723
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/S1363919620500723
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1142/S1363919620500723?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Clegg, Ben & Little, Paul & Govette, Steve & Logue, Joel, 2017. "Transformation of a small-to-medium-sized enterprise to a multi-organisation product-service solution provider," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 192(C), pages 81-91.
    2. Alvin Roth, 2008. "Deferred acceptance algorithms: history, theory, practice, and open questions," International Journal of Game Theory, Springer;Game Theory Society, vol. 36(3), pages 537-569, March.
    3. Ryan Krause & Richard Priem & Leonard Love, 2015. "Who's in charge here? Co-CEOs, power gaps, and firm performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(13), pages 2099-2110, December.
    4. Shantanu Bhattacharya & V. Krishnan & Vijay Mahajan, 1998. "Managing New Product Definition in Highly Dynamic Environments," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 44(11-Part-2), pages 50-64, November.
    5. Roberto A. Weber, 2006. "Managing Growth to Achieve Efficient Coordination in Large Groups," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 96(1), pages 114-126, March.
    6. Hunter, Samuel T. & Cushenbery, Lily & Fairchild, Joshua & Boatman, Jazmine, 2012. "Partnerships in Leading for Innovation: A Dyadic Model of Collective Leadership," Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Cambridge University Press, vol. 5(4), pages 424-428, December.
    7. Ikujiro Nonaka, 1994. "A Dynamic Theory of Organizational Knowledge Creation," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 5(1), pages 14-37, February.
    8. Staats, Bradley R. & Milkman, Katherine L. & Fox, Craig R., 2012. "The team scaling fallacy: Underestimating the declining efficiency of larger teams," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 118(2), pages 132-142.
    9. Ravasi, Davide & Turati, Carlo, 2005. "Exploring entrepreneurial learning: a comparative study of technology development projects," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 137-164, January.
    10. Charness, Gary & Yang, Chun-Lei, 2014. "Starting small toward voluntary formation of efficient large groups in public goods provision," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 119-132.
    11. Schulze, Anja & Hoegl, Martin, 2008. "Organizational knowledge creation and the generation of new product ideas: A behavioral approach," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(10), pages 1742-1750, December.
    12. David Coghlan & Paul Coughlan, 2010. "Notes toward a philosophy of action learning research," Action Learning: Research and Practice, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 7(2), pages 193-203, April.
    13. Karl E. Weick & Kathleen M. Sutcliffe & David Obstfeld, 2005. "Organizing and the Process of Sensemaking," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 16(4), pages 409-421, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Wei-Shong Lin & Jui-Ling Huang & Margaret L. Sheng, 2014. "How the Organizational Goals Affect Knowledge Management," International Journal of Management, Knowledge and Learning, International School for Social and Business Studies, Celje, Slovenia, vol. 3(1), pages 3-22.
    2. Santoro, Gabriele & Bresciani, Stefano & Papa, Armando, 2020. "Collaborative modes with Cultural and Creative Industries and innovation performance: The moderating role of heterogeneous sources of knowledge and absorptive capacity," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 92.
    3. Wagner, Stefan & Goossen, Martin C., 2018. "Knowing me, knowing you: inventor mobility and the formation of technology-oriented alliances," IRTG 1792 Discussion Papers 2018-007, Humboldt University of Berlin, International Research Training Group 1792 "High Dimensional Nonstationary Time Series".
    4. Jan Schmitz, 2019. "When Two Become One: How Group Mergers Affect Solidarity," Games, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-42, July.
    5. Mohajan, Haradhan, 2017. "The Impact of Knowledge Management Models for the Development of Organizations," MPRA Paper 83089, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 02 Feb 2017.
    6. Kopányi-Peuker, Anita & Offerman, Theo & Sloof, Randolph, 2018. "Team production benefits from a permanent fear of exclusion," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 125-149.
    7. Loon, Mark, 2019. "Knowledge management practice system: Theorising from an international meta-standard," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 432-441.
    8. Sreedhar Madhavaram & Andrew C. Gross & Radha Appan, 2014. "Knowledge needs of firms: the know-x framework for marketing strategy," AMS Review, Springer;Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 4(3), pages 63-77, December.
    9. Shepherd, Dean A. & Haynie, J. Michael & McMullen, Jeffery S., 2012. "Confirmatory search as a useful heuristic? testing the veracity of entrepreneurial conjectures," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 27(6), pages 637-651.
    10. James Andreoni & Michael A. Kuhn & Larry Samuelson, 2016. "Starting Small: Endogenous Stakes and Rational Cooperation," NBER Working Papers 21934, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    11. Fauchart, Emmanuelle & Bacache-Beauvallet, Maya & Bourreau, Marc & Moreau, François, 2022. "Do-It-Yourself or Do-It-Together: How digital technologies affect creating alone or with others?," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    12. Julian Dobson & Nicola Dempsey, 2019. "Working out What Works: The Role of Tacit Knowledge Where Urban Greenspace Research, Policy and Practice Intersect," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-19, September.
    13. Patrick M. Kreiser, 2011. "Entrepreneurial Orientation and Organizational Learning: The Impact of Network Range and Network Closure," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 35(5), pages 1025-1050, September.
    14. Raghu Garud & Roger L. M. Dunbar & Caroline A. Bartel, 2011. "Dealing with Unusual Experiences: A Narrative Perspective on Organizational Learning," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 22(3), pages 587-601, June.
    15. Violetta Bacon-Gerasymenko & Russell Coff & Rodolphe Durand, 2016. "Taking a Second Look in a Warped Crystal Ball: Explaining the Accuracy of Revised Forecasts," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(8), pages 1292-1319, December.
    16. Nay Chi Khin Khin Oo & Sirisuhk Rakthin, 2022. "Integrative Review of Absorptive Capacity’s Role in Fostering Organizational Resilience and Research Agenda," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-27, October.
    17. Paul E. Bierly III & Paula S. Daly, 2007. "Alternative Knowledge Strategies, Competitive Environment, and Organizational Performance in Small Manufacturing Firms," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 31(4), pages 493-516, July.
    18. Fehr, Dietmar, 2017. "Costly communication and learning from failure in organizational coordination," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 106-122.
    19. Dean A. Shepherd & Marc Gruber, 2021. "The Lean Startup Framework: Closing the Academic–Practitioner Divide," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 45(5), pages 967-998, September.
    20. Gary OSTER, 2009. "Listening to Luddites: Innovation Antibodies and Corporate Success," REVISTA DE MANAGEMENT COMPARAT INTERNATIONAL/REVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL COMPARATIVE MANAGEMENT, Faculty of Management, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania, vol. 10(4), pages 647-667, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wsi:ijimxx:v:24:y:2019:i:03:n:s1363919620500723. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Tai Tone Lim (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.worldscinet.com/ijim/ijim.shtml .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.