Systematic Review - Network for Business Sustainability

INNOVATION AREA OF FOCUS
Area of focus refers to innovation type. Product
innovations change what the organization offers to the
outside world; process innovations change the way
the organization produces and delivers those offerings
(Bessant et al., 2005). Innovations may also occur in
some other part of the organizational domain (e.g.
management or business model).
Studies of product and process innovation dominate
our selection, and a much smaller number of studies
consider organizational innovation.
Figure 14
STUDIES ADDRESSING TYPE OF INNOVATION
Product innovation
Process innovation
Mix
Not the focus of the study
Organisational innovation
6
12
26
27
29
Dimension of sustainability
It is often not possible to be definitive about studies’
focus of attention between social innovation,
environmental innovation and a more inclusive
triple-bottom-line approach. Numerous studies
refer in general terms to sustainability and do not
distinguish between innovations with a social focus
and those with an environmental focus. Other studies
discuss, for example, innovation at the bottom of the
pyramid, where a social dimension is implied but the
environmental dimension is not clear. However, from
our selected studies, clearly the great proportion of
attention has focused on environmental considerations.
The social dimension of sustainability-oriented
Innovation is massively under-represented. Figure 15
represents our best characterization.
Figure 15
STUDIES ADDRESSING DIMENSIONS OF
SUSTAINABILITY
Environmental
Triple bottom line
Innovating for Sustainability 84
Social
12
10
78