CBI - CBI Academic Seminar Series

Seminars » Academic Seminar Series

Every other week, most often Friday lunch (12.00 - 13.00), Henrik Berglund hosts the CBI Seminar Series. During the seminars, we discuss classic texts as well as new contributions that have a bearing on the general topic of business innovation. At times, we also host presentations of original work by CBI faculty or external guests.

Please contact Henrik Berglund to sign up for the seminar series newsletter.

For a list of previous seminars, please go here.

16 August - 10.00-11.00

Linus Dahlander, Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University.

Contextualizing Collaboration

ABSTRACT

Collaborations in academia have been promoted as potential solutions to societal problems and to spur scientific advancements, but many of the assumptions surrounding scientific collaboration are untested. Our study offers three contributions to sociologists of scientists and organization theorists. One, our comparison of different types of activities of academic life reveals big differences in the degree of reliance on teamwork. Two, by including individuals that do and do not collaborate, we show that some trends towards teamwork are pervasive: while collaborations are on the increase for publications, it is not true for grants. Three, our multivariate analysis elucidate how deviations from disciplinary norms emerge from career trajectories in disciplines. These findings have broad implications by showing how trends are closely tied to the character of disciplines as well as specifying differences between different forms of scientific activities.

3 September - 12.00-13.00

Anna Rylander, Business & Design Lab, University of Gothenburg .

Unpacking the Magic of Design: Design-driven Innovation as Aesthetic Experience

ABSTRACT

This paper aims to contribute to the emerging field of design-driven innovation, defined as radical innovation of meanings, by outlining a theoretical framework underpinned by an empirical study of designers engaged in innovation projects. It is argued that pragmatist philosopher John Dewey’s ideas about the process of inquiry and aesthetic experience provides a fruitful platform for theoretically understanding and empirically exploring design driven innovation. A study of a design consultancy is used to empirically illustrate Dewey’s ideas and how they are played out in design practice. After a brief introduction to the case study a number of key themes from Dewey’s philosophy of particular relevance for understanding design-driven innovation are outlined and illustrated with empirical data. Finally some implications for management studies from viewing design-driven innovation as aesthetic experience are discussed along with suggestions for possibly fruitful routes for further investigation.

17 September - 12.00-13.00

Lena Ramfelt, KTH och Stanford.

Circles of Influence and the Paradoxes of Silicon Valley.

No material will be distributed before this seminar, but see this presentation by Lena and Tom Kosnik for background.

1 October - 12.00-13.00

No seminar.

13 October - 12.00-13.00

Niklas L. Hallberg, The Institute of Economic Research, Lund University.

Symmetry and Theoretical Isolation in the Resource-Based View: Treating Products Markets like Factor Markets

ABSTRACT

Theorizing simplifies reality by means of "isolation" whereby some phenomena or aspects thereof are excluded from consideration. Using the case of the resource-based view, we discuss how theorists isolate. We develop a case for symmetrical isolations, show that the RBV violates a symmetry requirement, argue that a more symmetrical RBV implies novel insights in value creation and appropriation, and outline research heuristics based on the notion of symmetry.

29 October - 12.00-13.00

Tomas Hellström, CIRCLE, Lund University.

Homing in on Excellence: Dimensions of appraisal in Center of Excellence program evaluations

ABSTRACT

Excellence has become a guideword for goal setting and assessment in science and technology policy. While the concept has been around for many years in its common sense meaning, it is now explicitly put to use for science governance, however so far little work has been done to detail, operationalize and systematize the dimensions of value present in academic evaluators’ use of the concept. This paper is based on a close reading of a mid-term evaluation of several centers of excellence in Sweden, the goal of which is to achieve such a detailed understanding of the evaluative components of the concept. By applying template analysis to evaluation documents, seven main components, largely referring to the organizational/institutional aspects of excellence were identified. These are analyzed and used to provide insights for evaluation scholars and practitioners into the tensions and possibilities present in the excellence concept.