Transformative Business Studies: Technology Transfer in the Social Sciences
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Technology and Innovation, Vol. 19, pp. 537-552, 2017 ISSN 1949-8241 • E-ISSN 1949-825X Printed in the USA. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.21300/19.2.2017.537 Copyright © 2017 National Academy of Inventors. www.technologyandinnovation.org TRANSFORMATIVE BUSINESS STUDIES: TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES Magnus Gustafsson and Anastasia Tsvetkova Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland In order to successfully transfer research results of business studies to practical application, there is a need to produce knowledge that has practical relevance and is transferrable to new contexts. This, naturally, creates requirements for the research process and methodology. In this paper, the methodology for conducting transformative business studies is presented, which is based on a combination of the design science research paradigm, participative research, and controversy mapping inspired by actor-network theory. The combination of these research methodologies and paradigms forms a methodological basis for producing transferrable research results that concern larger organizational and social change. It allows approaching ill-defined research problems through design thinking and systematically validating and verifying research results with practitioners in order to ensure the applicability of results in practice. To illustrate the methodology, we utilize an example of a method for designing business ecosystems that was developed in a collaboration between Åbo Akademi University and the research-based con- sultancy PBI Research Institute. This method was created during a series of projects devoted to the biogas-for-traffic business and concerned the development of enabling business ecosystems for innovations. Due to the way the knowledge was recorded, it was possible to transfer this knowledge to new contexts, such as logistics and energy business. Key words: Actionable knowledge; Controversy mapping; Design science research; Transfor- mative business studies; Technology transfer INTRODUCTION such as those concerning organizational and social University technology transfer can be described change, face challenges in undergoing the same process. Simply put, not all research results can be as an organizational activity that transfers research patented and easily replicated in different industrial results, in the form of innovations or other knowl- applications. Nevertheless, the significance of the dif- edge, for the benefit of society. Most commonly, it is fusion of academic thought grows as society addresses accomplished through licensing intellectual prop- complex industrial and social challenges. This is the erty to commercial actors that are able to utilize the case for research results and solutions developed results in practical applications (1). This is a rather in academia that tackle a number of sustainability well-established process for the transfer of concrete challenges, for example, within energy and logistics technologies, but research results that are broader, domains. The main question we ask in this paper _____________________ Accepted: July 3, 2017. Address correspondence to Magnus Gustafsson, Åbo Akademi University, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Laboratory of Industrial Management, Piispankatu 8, 20500, Turku, Finland. E-mail: [email protected] 537 538 GUSTAFSSON & TSVETKOVA is how business research should be organized and utilize an example of a method for designing business conducted so that it leads to a meaningful change ecosystems that was developed in a series of projects. of behaviors. This is a crucial question since not The biogas-for-traffic business was the context for any research will suffice. We thereby stipulate that these projects, and the main practical aim was to the success of technology (and knowledge) transfer design a business ecosystem that would enable the directly depends on the quality of the research results utilization of biogas as fuel in public and commercial produced and the research process used. transportation in a focal country. The theoretical aim Research, in general, is about producing new of this study was, in turn, to develop a method for knowledge. New knowledge means knowledge that designing enabling business ecosystems that could be did not exist before. But, for research results to lead applied in other similar problematic contexts, such to technology transfer, the results also need to have as introducing cleaner technologies in the some- a practical utility, and they must in some way benefit what rigid and institutionalized energy and logistics society (or a member of society). If the result lacks industries. practical meaning, then it cannot be transferred, and In the next sections, we describe the methodology it has limited practical benefit. Thus, for a successful for performing transformative business studies, which technology transfer, there is a need to ensure that is based on design science research, participative research results are relevant and valid and, at the research, and actor-network theory, followed by the same time, replicable in new contexts. example of how it was applied in the biogas-for-traffic We argue that the research results that are trans- case and which concrete research tools were used. ferrable need to be produced within a pragmatic or We further discuss the transferability of research actionable research paradigm, which we refer to as results produced in the exemplary research case and transformative business studies. In this paper, we conclude by outlining implications for researchers define transformative business studies as research and practitioners. within business and social studies that is induced by real-life challenges and leads to changes in business METHODOLOGY FOR TRANSFORMATIVE practices and larger social change besides producing BUSINESS STUDIES general theoretical knowledge on the phenomena in Design Science Research question. We further stipulate that certain research modes are more conducive for performing such Producing transferrable research results requires studies. In particular, design-oriented research, such a research process with transferability as its objective. as design science research in organizational studies Research, in general, can be classified in two different (2–5), intentionally produces results that can solve modes, reductionist analysis and purely descriptive. real-life problems rather than generate only explana- The former is found primarily in the natural sciences, tory or descriptive knowledge. Participative research which take “nature apart to discern and understand methods (6–11), on the other hand, facilitate ensuring its fundamental units” (25), while the latter is com- the relevance and validity of produced knowledge. mon for sciences describing social and cultural Finally, stabilizing the actors supporting or opposing phenomena, such as humanities. There is, however, a solution, inspired by actor-network theory (12–16), the third mode of research, which is not always is a crucial part of successful technology transfer. perceived as ‘pure science’ due to its applied nature— The combination of these research methodologies design science research (2,20,25,26). Design science and paradigms, we believe, forms a strong method- research (DSR) is the underlying paradigm in such ological basis for producing transferrable research disciplines as engineering, medicine, and computer results that concern larger organizational and social science because its aim is to create knowledge that is change, and, therefore, are particularly suitable for prescriptive and that leads to action with improved performing transformative business studies. results. While DSR is a natural research mode for the To illustrate the research process that we propose aforementioned sciences, the research results that for successful transformative business studies, we can foster greater sustainability improvements often TRANSFORMATIVE BUSINESS STUDIES 539 Table 1: Comparison of the ree Modes of Research Science Humanities Design Purpose Understand phenomena by Describe, understand, and Produce the systems that do uncovering causalities, critically reflect on the not exist yet, i.e., change the patterns, and forces that human experience of existing situations into desired underlie these phenomena phenomena ones View of Representational: Constructivist and Pragmatic: knowledge • our knowledge represents narrative: • knowledge is in service the world as it is • all the knowledge arises of action • nature of thinking is from what actors think and • nature of thinking is descriptive and analytic say about the world normative and synthetic • nature of thinking is critical and reflexive Character of Reductive analysis Descriptive Prescriptive (actionable) knowledge Examples of Natural science Humanities Design and engineering based scientific (physics, mathematics, biology) (history, hermeneutics, upon diagnosis domains literature) (engineering, medicine, architecture, computer science) Focus of theory Discovery of general causal Key question is whether a Does an integrated set of development relationships among variables certain (category of) design propositions work in a (expressed in hypothetical human experience(s) in an certain ill-defined situation? statements): Is the hypothesis organizational setting is The design and development of valid? Conclusions stay within “good,” “fair,” etc. new artifact tends to move the boundaries of the analysis outside boundaries of initial definition of the situation Metaphor Life