Innovation and Evolution in the Multinational Enterprise

Sammanfattning: For multinational enterprises (MNEs) that are active in dynamic industries with global scope, the ability to quickly leverage innovations across the whole organization is imperative. This thesis is concerned with how subsidiaries innovate, how these innovations are spread in the MNE and what the consequences are, for the MNE as a whole and for the innovating subsidiary. The analytical framework that is developed in the thesis focuses on the role of interaction and problem solving activities that drive a shared practice......... An in-depth case study of the development of an innovation and the subsequent transfer efforts show that "innovation " can be as much about an evolving business logic as it is about technology. But logics do not always evolve in the same way as in the rest of the MNE, which may frustrate transfer efforts........ The quantitative study investigates 66 major innovations and 139 innovation transfer projects.......... The findings indicate that technology flows easier in smaller, emergent networks than they do in designes networks - top management involvement in transfer projects is detrimental to both their efficiency and their effectiveness..........