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Call for papers: 10th International Critical Management Studies (CMS) Conference – CMS 2017

July 3 – 5, Liverpool, UK

Stream: "Inclusive Innovation: Practices, Processes, and Partnerships in Building economies and communities"

Convenors: Banu Ozkazanc-Pan, University of Massachusetts, Email: banu.ozkazanc- pan@umb.edu; Lara Pecis, Lancaster University, Email: l.pecis@lancaster.ac.uk; Cinzia Priola, Open University, Email: Cinzia.Priola@open.ac.uk

Innovation is regarded as a key driver for the creation of future growth, productivity, new income and employment. However, costs and benefits deriving from innovation processes are distributed unequally amongst organizations, regions and people (Guth, 2005). The majority of research in innovation studies is informed by evolutionary perspectives (e.g. Dosi, 1982), social construction of Technological Systems (e.g. Bijker et al., 1987), and actor-network theory (e.g. Callon, 1986; Latour, 1987). These approaches emphasise the uncertainty and fluidity of innovation processes (Van de Ven et al., 2008), and the existence of an infrastructure for innovation (Van de Ven & Garud, 1993), whereby interactions among employees of an organization, various firms involved, industries, and institutions in the public and private sectors shape the innovation outcome (Van de Ven et al., 2000). However, most innovation scholars have neglected the study of the darker sides of these network structures; specifically, further scrutiny is desirable on how "winners" and "losers" of innovation processes are defined, who and how is marginalized in the access to these networks, financial assets, collaborative spaces and the outcomes of the innovation process itself.

This stream focuses on Inclusive Innovation in its wider and more general sense, and wishes to explore innovation as a process as well as outcome that benefit and/or disadvantage the disenfranchised (see George et al. 2012), as well as the means by which innovations are developed for/by advantaged/disadvantaged social groups (see Foster and Heeks, 2013). To fit with the reference to the theme of 'Crisis' of the conference we want to investigate the space and place of inclusion within innovation, in particular, in times of crisis and change. We are, thus, interested in works that explore and question the inclusiveness of innovation processes, and investigate how multi-party networks that are constituted by different firms and institutional stakeholders cooperate and compete to develop innovations (Garud et al, 2013; Garud & Munir, 2008; Garud & Karnoe, 2003), and what are their social consequences.

We welcome critical papers within a wide range of theoretical and methodological frameworks, including feminist, postcolonial, poststructuralist, transnational, STS, etc. that explore issues of power, social inclusion, social policy, organisational processes and practices and, among others, address the following questions:

1. What are the possible meanings and conceptualisations of inclusive innovation and what shapes does inclusive innovation take?

2. Which practices can foster an inclusive innovation process?

3. How are spaces appropriated and distributed in an inclusive innovation process?

4. What policies would encourage/ facilitate inclusive innovation processes?

5. How do multi-party networks (government, organizations, communities) dis/encourage

   inclusive innovation processes?

6. How does an inclusive innovation look like? How do large multinationals, small

   entrepreneurial firms or social firms do inclusive innovation? What is the interplay between

   different types of players/organisations in driving inclusive innovation forward?

7. Embodied theories of innovation: how is innovation done in different geographical areas?

8. How is access to innovation (including funding and space) negotiated among stakeholders

   (e.g. governments, organisations, communities)? Who are the beneficiaries of innovation and how are the benefits of innovation distributed?

Submission process

The deadline for submitting the paper abstract is: 10 February, 2017. Decision for acceptance to the stream will be communicated to the authors by mid-February 2017. Abstracts should be between 500-700 words (excluding references) and should be submitted to the stream convenors: banu.ozkazanc-pan@umb.edu; l.pecis@lancaster.ac.uk; Cinzia.Priola@open.ac.uk.

References

Foster, C. & Heeks, R. (2013) Conceptualising Inclusive Innovation: Modifying Systems of Innovation Frameworks to Understand Diffusion of New Technology to Low-Income Consumers. The European Journal of Development Research, 25(3), 333-355.

Garud, R., & Munir, K. (2008) From transaction to transformation costs: The case of Polaroid's SX- 70 camera. Research Policy, 37(4), 690-705.

Garud, R., Tuertscher, P., & Van de Ven, A. H. (2013) Perspectives on innovation processes. The Academy of Management Annals, 7(1), 775-819.

George, G., McGahan, A.M. & Prabhu, J. (2012) Innovation for Inclusive Growth: Towards a Theoretical Framework and a Research Agenda. Journal of Management Studies, 49, 661-683.

Bijker W.E., Hughes, T.P., Pinch, T. (Eds) (1987) The social construction of technological systems: new directions in the sociology and history of technology. Cambridge, Mass.; London: MIT Press

Callon, M. (1986) Some elements of a sociology of translation: domestication of the scallops and the fishermen of St Brieuc Bay. In Law, J. (Ed), Power, action and belief: A new sociology of knowledge, 32, 196-233.

Dosi, G. (1982) Technological paradigms and technological trajectories: a suggested interpretation of the determinants and directions of technical change. Research policy, 11(3), 147-162.

Garud, R., & Karnøe, P. (2003) Bricolage versus breakthrough: distributed and embedded agency in technology entrepreneurship. Research policy, 32(2), 277-300.

Guth, M. (2005). Innovation, social inclusion and coherent regional development: a new diamond for a socially inclusive innovation policy in regions. European Planning Studies, 13(2), 333-349.

Latour, B. (1987) Science in action: How to follow scientists and engineers through society. Harvard University Press.

Van de Ven, A. H., & Garud, R. (1993) Innovation and industry development: The case of cochlear implants. Research on technological innovation, management and policy, 5, 1-46.

Van de Ven, A. H., Angle, H.L., Poole, M.S., (Eds), 2000. Research on the management of 

innovation: The Minnesota studies. New York: Oxford University Press.

Van de Ven, A.H., Polley, D.E., Garud, R., Venkataraman, S. (1999/2008) The innovation journey. Oxford: Oxford University Press.