We begin this paper by examining the process of innovation using Usher’s model of cumulative synthesis which comprises four steps: perception of an incomplete pattern, setting of the stage, the act of insight, and critical revision and full mastery. Going beyond a synoptic view on the process...

What do the feathers on a bird have in common with the glass in fiber optics? The answer lies in exaptation, a concept that has been creatively repurposed (i.e., exapted) from evolutionary biology to the field of technological innovation. Inspired by this movement, we examine different kinds of...

We articulate several options for conducting qualitatively research on innovation as process. First, we explicate the meanings associated with the terms innovation, process, and qualitative. Then, we offer examples of studies that embrace variance and process onto-epistemologies. The objective...

Examines the internal corporate venturing process by comparing trial-and-error learning with action persistence. The model developed focuses on two key concepts – uncertainty and ambiguity. To examine numerous hypotheses that result from this model, data were gathered from a venture within a...

We review literatures that inform entrepreneurial innovation, paying particular attention to different conceptualizations of contexts. Early research explored micro and macro approaches with some scholars taking an actor-centric perspective and others a context-centric perspective. Bridging...

Journeys to a sustainable future have become important to industry, government and research. In this paper, we examine evolutionary, relational and durational perspectives on sustainability journeys. Each perspective emphasizes different facets of sustainability – shifts in selection...

Innovation processes are complex. It is through local interactions among people and technologies that diverse and novel outcomes emerge. Even when governed by simple rules, such interactions can generate nonlinear temporal dynamics. Given such complexities, how might an organization sustain...