Unit for the Study of Innovation, Knowledge & Organisational Networks
Research centresThe Innovation, Knowledge and Organisational Networks research unit (IKON) was established in 1997 to advance understanding of the interactions between innovation, knowledge and networks - primarily from an organisational theory perspective. Research in the group emphasises a critical understanding of the social aspects of innovation, change, knowledge management and interfirm relations thereby complementing the often technologically focused research that dominates these fields.
IKON members help to develop the social science of innovation by applying theoretical perspectives from social and organization theory to team-based empirical studies of the creation, translation and adoption of technological and organizational innovations.
IKON's key research themes are:
- Knowledge exploitation, integration and interactive innovation processes
- Networking and innovation
- Knowledge and learning in project work
- Managing knowledge and organisational learning in project-based settings
- Knowledge Management and innovation
- Managing knowledge work.
Within these areas, IKON's current research portfolio is focused on the following key projects:
- Evidence in Management Decisions: Advancing Knowledge Utilization in Healthcare Management
- Networked Innovation in the Health Sector (NIHS): Comparative Evaluation of the Role of Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC)
- The Organisational Practices of Knowledge Mobilisation at Top Manager Level in the NHS