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.

About the author

Dr. Angelika C. Bullinger promovierte bei Prof. Dr. Prof. h.c. Dr. h.c. Ralf Reichwald am Institut für Information, Organisation und Management der Technischen Universität München. Sie ist wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin bei Prof. Dr. Kathrin Möslein am Lehrstuhl für Information der Universität Nürnberg-Erlangen.

Bibliographic Information

Book Title: Innovation and Ontologies
Book Subtitle: Structuring the Early Stages of Innovation Management
Authors: Angelika C. Bullinger
Series Title: Markt- und Unternehmensentwicklung Markets and Organisations
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-8349-9920-7
Publisher: Gabler Verlag Wiesbaden
eBook Packages: Business and Economics, Business and Management (R0)
Copyright Information: Gabler Verlag | Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH, Wiesbaden 2009
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-8349-1249-7Published: 13 November 2008
eBook ISBN: 978-3-8349-9920-7Published: 11 December 2008
Series ISSN: 2945-879X
Series E-ISSN: 2945-8803
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XXX, 409
Topics: Innovation/Technology Management

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Innovation and Ontologies

Overview

Access this book

Other ways to access

Table of contents (13 chapters)

Front Matter

Roadmap for the Fuzzy Front End

Front Matter

Ontology

Front Matter

Design Science Ontology Lifecycle

Front Matter

Results: The OntoGate

Front Matter

Back Matter

Keywords

About this book

About the author

Bibliographic Information

Publish with us

Search

Navigation