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Innovation engines for knowledge cities: an innovation ecology perspective (Dvir and Pasher, 2004)

Concept: The city -

“a concentration of population and activity, a social and functional mixture, capable of self-government and an area of symbolic identification and civic participation – the city as a place of encounter, exchange, where city equals culture and trade – a city place and not a mere nexus of flux.” (Borja, 1998, cited)

Concept: Knowledge innovation -

“the creation, evolution, exhange and application of new ideas into marketable goods and services for the excellence of an enterprise, the vitality of a nation’s economy and the advancement of society as a whole.” (Amidon, 1993, cited)

Concept: Knowledge city -

“a city that was purposefully designed to encourage the nurturing of knowledge” (Edvinsson) – here, city refers to geographical areas, including regions, parks, zones, corridors etc (Davis, 2004, cited).

Suggestion: Innovation principles from business can be applied to non-business areas like cities. It is necessary to create the conditions to facilitate the creativity of individuals, groups, teams, organizations.
Call this ‘Innovation Ecology’

14 Elements of Innovation Ecology (see also work environment literature – Amabile,
Ekvall, Isaksen etc)

1. Time – time for exploration, without permission.
2. Organizational structure – flat; weak boundaries; low hierarchy; loose structure. Integrated project teams; multi-functional teams, virtual teams, future centers, incubators.
3. Physical space – “in an economy based on innovation, what better use can there be for space than to inspire creativity?” (p19)
4. Tolerance of risk – invite and reward risk taking, do not punish mistakes unnecessarily.
5. Strategy – Clear vision and intent. Communication.
6. Recognition and incentives – Intrinsic motivation is key to creativity, but rewards can help innovation. How this should be done is, however, open to debate – financial incentives, prizes, public recognition etc.
7. Virtual space – collaboration facilitating technology.
8. Structured and spontaneous processes – Serendipity is important, but there need to be processes for capturing and developing ideas. Tension between structure and creativity is useful and should not be completely resolved.
9. Knowledge management – KM enhances the possibilities for creative use and transformation of the current knowledge base.
10. Financial capital – You need money to engage seriously in innovation (understanding needs, researching the environment, development, testing etc).
11. Diversity – Diversity of experience, culture, profession, academic backgrounds, ages, personality is important in fostering an environment in which multiple voices can be heard.
12. Attention to the future.
13. Challenge – Challenging tasks with wide scope provide people with challenges that build their motivation.
14. The unifying principle – conversations – References Nonaka’s SECI (socialization, externalization, combination, internalization) model of knowledge creation. “Conversations inside and outside the company are the chief mechanism for making change and renewal an ongoing part of the company’s culture” (quoted in Stewart, 200, cited).

Urban Innovation Engines:
“An “urban innovation engine” is a system which can trigger, generate, foster, and catalyze innovation in the city. Typically, it is a complex system that includes people, relationships, values, processes, tools and technological, physical and financial infrastructure.” (page 21).

Concept: ‘Ba’ – (Nonaka etc) – a context which harbors meaning

11 Generic Innovation Engines

1. The café and other “third places”
2. The big urban event.
3. The library.
4. The gate – physical (e.g. Airport) or virtual.
5. The museum.
6. Future outlook tower (future center).
7. The university.
8. The capital market place.
9. Knowledge intensive industrial district and science parks.
10. Brownfield sites – underused urban areas.
11. The digital infrastructure

How to Build a Knowledge City?

1. Address intangible assets and knowledge creation (different dynamics to a tangible good based economy).
2. Enable the “innovation ecology principles” noted above.
3. Make things open to citizens.
4. Connect innovation engines to each other and the wider community – no ivory towers.
5. Customize cities according to their specific cultural/geographic/social etc history and background.
6. Collaboration is needed over a wide range of academic and professional fields.

Original Text:

Dvir, R. and Pasher, E. (2004). Innovation engines for knowledge cities: an innovation ecology perspective. Journal of Knowledge Management, 8(5), 16-27.