November 2012 Download this article as a PDF

Welcome to the November 2012 issue of the Technology Innovation Management Review. In this issue, our authors present insights about green innovation, supply-chain simulation, and process adaptability and alignment, along with lessons learned from globalization and entrepreneurship.

Tommi Lampikoski, a visiting scholar at the Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley, identifies the managerial capabilities that companies require to gain competitive advantage through green innovations. The case of Interface Inc., a globally operating carpet manufacturer, illustrates how a strategy for environmental responsibility is compatible with radical innovation. This approach requires companies to invest in the three "R's" of managerial capability to continously Research innovations, Recognize opportunities, and Revolutionize the industry. 

Giacomo Liotta, Assistant Professor in the Institute of Technology and Innovation at the University of Southern Denmark, argues that supply-chain simulation is not just for large companies. Although small and medium-sized companies rarely use simulation tools to improve their decision-making, this article shows how simulation can help smaller companies cope with uncertainty, increase their innovation capability, and gain competitive advantage.

Paul Renaud, Chief Executive of The Lanigan Group, and Sonia Bot, business and technology innovation leader, contribute two articles that build upon previous work on process ambidexterity for entrepreneurial firms. Companies that are process ambidexterous find a balance between the exploitation of existing opportunities for the firm and the exploration of new, entrepreneurial opportunities. Process ambidexterity utilizes both process alignment and process adaptability. Renaud and Bot's first article presents a framework for process alignment in IT; their second article examines process adaptability in the IT supply chain

Sara Rauchwerger, Founder and Director of the Chamber of Commerce International Consortium for Entrepreneurs, answers the question: "What does a global startup need to know to enter China?" The author draws upon her experience helping American, Canadian, and European startups develop and implement their internationalization strategies. A seven-part internationalization strategy for startups is presented, including discussion and insights aimed at the Chinese market in particular.

This issue also includes a report on a recent TIM Lecture by Wes Biggs, President and CEO of Triacta Power Technologies, who shared the 29 key lessons he has learned through his experiences with entrepreneurship both within large technology companies and as part of the senior management and founding teams of technology startups. The event was held at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, on October 11th, 2012.

As always, we welcome your feedback, articles, and suggestions for future themes. We hope you enjoy this issue of the TIM Review and will share your comments online. Please also feel free to contact us directly with feedback or article submissions.

Chris McPhee
Editor-in-Chief

Share this article:

Cite this article:

Rate This Content: 
No votes have been cast yet. Have your say!

Keywords: competitive advantage, global entrepreneurship, green innovation, innovation, process adaptability, process alignment, process ambidexterity, simulation, startups, supply chains