Browsing by Author "Karlsson, Markus"

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Innovation in Swedish and Norwegian Manufacturing Business Units - A qualitative cross-sectional study on barriers to innovation in business units
(2021-07-07) Bark, Milton; Karlsson, Markus; University of Gothenburg/Graduate School; Göteborgs universitet/Graduate School
Practitioners have highlighted an untapped potential for innovations within business units of organizations. However, despite the large potential for innovation with business units, one central issue is that only a few ideas outside of R&D and innovation departments tend to be selected and implemented within organizations. Therefore, there is a gap between the innovation potential and realized innovations within these business units. Moreover, why these barriers to innovation exist is a question that still puzzles practitioners. There is also lacking knowledge with regards to how innovation processes are characterized internally at the business unit level. There has been substantial research on the topic of innovation, but with regards to innovation practices within the business unit level, the academic body is sparser. Therefore, the central question this thesis aims to answer is how the innovation process is characterized at the manufacturing business unit level. To do so, the components of the innovation process at manufacturing business units are mapped out and explored, as well as the enablers and barriers to innovation within business units. The researchers use a qualitative approach with a cross-sectional research design to examine 15 large Swedish and Norwegian manufacturing firms using thematic analysis. A framework of analysis was developed based on the literature on the topic, showcasing five major themes of barriers and enablers of business unit innovation. These themes are: 1) Culture, 2) People, 3) KPIs, 4) Knowledge Sharing, and finally 5) Organizational Structure. Based on these prior themes, interviews were conducted which resulted in 21 identified barriers to innovation, and 15 enablers of innovation at the business unit level. Lastly, a mapping of how the innovation process at the manufacturing business unit level was conducted to showcase the characteristics of the innovation process. The findings from this paper indicate that the innovation process within manufacturing business units is often conducted on an arbitrary basis, leaving much of the idea selection power to one single manager. Furthermore, time management is the largest bottleneck which explains the lack of established innovation processes, as managers are often occupied with daily operations and maintenance management, which reduces the possibility of an innovation focus.
Privata och offentliga bostadsbolag i Göteborg Stad – en jämförelse
(2019-06-20) Bark, Milton; Karlsson, Markus; University of Gothenburg/Department of Business Administration; Göteborgs universitet/Företagsekonomiska institutionen
Förhållningsättet mellan privata och offentliga aktörer på marknader har länge varit föremål för diskussion i Sverige. En sektor som innefattar både offentlig och privat verksamhet är bostadssektorn, där undersökningsobjektet för denna studien specificeras till bostadssektorn i Göteborg. Med studien syftar vi att bidra med ekonomiskt underlag som i sin tur kan användas för att förklara hur balansen av verksamheterna bör se ut i staden. Flera studier har gjorts inom området där privat och offentlig sektor har jämförts. Det som särskiljer vår uppsats är ett starkt fokus på kvantitativ analys varav tidigare studier har haft ett kvalitativt fokus. Genom en kvantitativ undersökning av ekonomiska nyckeltal som kompletteras med kvalitativa intervjuer har bolagen undersökts. Slutsatserna av studien indikerar att det inte föreligger väsentliga skillnader mellan offentliga och privata bolag som undersökts, där de främsta skillnaderna ligger inom risktagande, förbyggande arbete mot korruption samt tillväxt.
Understanding the Complexity of Reusing Knowledge across Contexts - A situated learning perspective
(2007-07-19T15:50:23Z) Karlsson, Markus; Streicher, Björn; Göteborgs universitet/Graduate Business School
There is a prevailing belief today that knowledge is one of the most important sources of an organization’s competitive advantage. Through attempting to transfer and reuse knowledge organizations try to prevent the reinvention of the wheel. However, these attempts have proven to be problematic in the past. The purpose of our study is to contribute to the understanding of what makes the transfer and reuse of knowledge a difficult and complex task. We aim to do so through looking at an initiative to replicate Six Sigma results at a large Scandinavian manufacturing company. Taking a situated learning perspective, we analyze how people work and interact in communities of practice when carrying out improvement work. Results show that in such an environment, knowledge is contextual and has to go through a process of transformation to be understood and valued by another community. To enable such a process to take place it is important to shift emphasis from transferring knowledge through hierarchies and formal descriptions to activities that connect and expand communities of practice. Suggestions for such activities are given to management.