Innovation and Ontologies

Foreword VII
Foreword
Innovation equally requires rational problem solving and interpretive space (Lester & Piore,
2004). It is a key challenge for innovation management to overcome this obvious dilemma,
especially in the early stages of the innovation process. Ontologies as logical representations of
knowledge bear the potential to enable the required balance between structure and flexibility.
They provide a promising, yet largely unexplored approach for significantly improving corporate
innovation processes.
During the early stages of the innovation process, the so-called Fuzzy Front End of innovation
management, decision-making in corporate practice is often “uncertain fumbling at minimal
sight” (Hauschildt & Salomo, 2007), i.e. the existing idea selection processes tend to be ad hoc and
somewhat intuitive. Due to this unsatisfying situation, in which new ideas are difficult to compare,
inadequate risks are taken and projects are stopped too late, a generic framework for the early
stages of innovation management is necessary.
Ontologies, used to represent knowledge, provide powerful modeling potential. Developed by
researchers from the field of Artificial Intelligence, ontologically based applications recently been
widely applied in online business to business solutions. The so-called semantic web is also based
on ontologies.
Its high flexibility and easy adaptability recommend ontological modeling for broader use and
application in a business context. The few existing examples in the field of HR management as
well as in the field of knowledge management indicate the potential of corporate ontologies.
The present work invites the reader to explore at first a roadmap to the Fuzzy Front End of
innovation management which focuses in particular on the moment of idea assessment and
selection. Subsequently, potential and power of ontologies are explained to both, technologically
interested and lay readers. The author proceeds to develop ontologies for idea assessment and
selection on a company-specific level as well as on an industry-typic level and elaborates a
generically valid ontology of idea assessment and selection. The rich empirical insights are
accompanied by a generic action-oriented methodology to develop ontologies.
The work appeals by its broad scope of theory, multimethodological background and the
argumentative brilliance by which literature review and empirical findings are presented. It has
been accepted as doctoral dissertation in 2008 by the TUM Business School at the Technische
Universitaet Muenchen. The book deserves broad dissemination both in the research community
and in management practice. It is especially recommended to those dealing with innovation
management and information systems from lay ontologists to expert innovation managers and
students of business administration to researchers in information systems.
I truly recommend this book as a valuable reading and resource. It promises new insights and
exploration of new territory for all readers ready to think out of the box.�
Prof. Dr. Prof. h.c. Dr. h.c. Ralf Reichwald