Innovation Management – as a part of the strategic orientation of a company – deals with the holistic research of the innovation process. The process starts with an initial idea and encompasses the systematic planning, control and implementation of R&D projects until the controlled realization of successful innovations on the market. Innovation Management plays in many techonology driven industries an essential role, such as the automotive industry, the chemical industry, at internet service providers or in the computer and handheld industry, to obtain and secure sustainable competitive advantages. In the field of Innovation Management, companies distinguish between product innovation (e.g. wearables) and process innovation (e.g. streaming services). All in all, Innovation Management was subject to change over the last years, away from rigid internal processes in a closed R&D powerhouse to an open innovation culture. Thereby, numerous methods, such as crowdsourcing, crowdfunding, the lead user method, mass customization, additive manufacturing, open labs, open office workspace and the Industry 4.0 play an important role for the development of a sustainable and successful innovation culture.

Students may analyze an existing quantitative or qualitative dataset or conduct their own inquiry – e.g., survey, experiments, interviews.

Your own ideas are very welcome and will be discussed during an initial meeting.

• Basic literature

  West, J. et al. 2014. Open Innovation, the next decade. Research Policy, 43(5), S. 805-811.

  Afuah, A. & Tucci, C. L. 2012. Crowdsourcing as a Solution to Distant Search. Academy of Management Review, 37(3), S. 355-375.

  Levitt, B. & March, J. G. 1988. Organizational Learning. Annual Review of Sociology, 14, S. 319-340.

  Teece, D. J. 1986. Profiting from technological innovation: Implications for integration, collaboration, licensing and public policy. Research Policy, 15(6), S. 285-305.

• Completed master's theses in the field of Innovation Management

  Topic	Year
  Understanding Consumer Acceptance of Mobile Payment Services: A Quantitative Study in China and Germany	2019
  Open Innovation: Die Relevanz wissenschaftlicher und marktorientierter Kooperationspartner für die Innovationsleistung und der Schutz geistigen Eigentums	2019
  Innovation through Cooperation: Who to partner with?	2019
  Strengthening Sectoral Innovation Systems - A Public Policy Perspective	2019
  Einflussfaktoren auf die Akzeptanz von Künstlicher Intelligenz - Eine quantitative Analyse	2019
  Digitale Technologien im Einkauf: Eine qualitative emprirische Analyse der Akzeptanzfaktoren	2019
  Barriers to Innovation: Unmasking their Potential for Innovation Performance	2019
  Disrupting the Retail Industry: Consumer Acceptance of Virtual Reality in Online and Offline Shops	2019
  The Effect of Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation on Idea Sharing in Crowdsourcing: Examining the Moderating Role of Altruism and Psychological Ownership	2019
  Looking behind the Scene: New Evidence on How Corporate Sustainability Contributes to the Interplay Between Innovation and Firm Performance	2019
  On the Search for Innovation: The Effect of Open Search Strategies on Innovative Performance and the Impact of Environmental Turbulences	2019
  Antezedenzien von innovativem Arbeitsverhalten: Der Einfluss von kontextuellen Faktoren und Tätigkeitsmerkmalen und die mediierende Rolle von Wissensteilung	2019
  Beyond the Hype: Unpacking the Role of Digital Technolgies as Drivers of Innovation Performance	2019
  Ideengenerierung durch Open Innovation –  Eine empirische Analyse der Einflussfaktoren auf die Teilung von Wissen anhand von Kunden der Automobilindustrie	2018
  Management von Innovationen und der Einfluss auf den Innovationserfolg - Eine quantitative Analyse	2018
  Greenovation: An empirical analysis of the impact of R&D collaboration on environmental innovations	2018
  Digital Business Model Innovation: A Qualitative Empirical Analysis of Key Success Factors in the Sports Industry	2017
  Der Einfluss der Charakteristika des Gründerteams auf den Gründungserfolg. Eine empirische Analyse	2016
  Innovationsmanagement von Applikationen im Gesundheitswesen und Einflussfaktoren ihrer Akzeptanz	2016
  Geschäftsmodelle in der additiven Fertigung - Herausforderungen bei der Implementierung von Geschäftsmodellinnovationen	2015