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Abstract

This thesis looks at the knowledge and cross-disciplinary collaboration dynamics in innovation, within a professional service firm. Innovation activities and projects were examined in a top UK law firm, over the period of 12 months. Selecting a longitudinal case study approach, multiple data sources provided the basis for the empirical research – including observations of 110 meetings, documents and archival data, and 73 interviews. The aim was to gain understanding of two areas that are currently, and increasingly, pertinent both theoretically and for industry: (i) how knowledge is created, transferred, and re-used in continuous innovation; and (ii) how cross-disciplinary barriers are managed by professionals from distinct specialist domains in cross-disciplinary innovation.

In order to examine the processual knowledge dynamics in continuous innovation, the innovation process literature was drawn upon. To counter the lack of an existing theoretical framework to study continuous innovation processes, continuous innovation was conceptualised as the iterative re-enactment of innovation processes, and a knowledge lens was used to provide a conceptual framework to study the knowledge dynamics across multiple innovation projects. A bi-processual knowledge creation mechanism was identified, that allowed new knowledge created to be transferred and re-used across projects. However, knowledge transfer for continuous innovation was found to be hindered by significant instances of knowledge loss. Following, knowledge transposition mechanisms that reduce the potential for knowledge loss within the iterative innovation processes were identified and examined.

To explore how professionals from multiple disciplines collaborate for cross-disciplinary innovation, the cross-disciplinary innovation literature was taken as a foundation. Currently, extant insights are limited to a static view of occupational thought worlds, isolated considerations of specific cross-disciplinary barriers, and little is known about the processual consequences of the inability to surmount cross-disciplinary barriers. Schema theory was utilised as an analytical lens, to enable a fine-grained and processual consideration of cross-disciplinary interactions and barriers. The notion of “occupational schema” was developed, to represent the thought worlds, knowledge bases, and working practices of each professional community, and cross-disciplinary barriers reconceptualised as “occupational schematic tension”. Four nested cases were analysed and compared to produce a processual understanding of how occupational schematic tension emerge and manifest, how they can be resolved (and in the process, also modify the occupational schemas), and how, if continually unresolved, they can lead to tangible cross-disciplinary barriers, relational conflict, and even collaboration breakdowns.

Together, the findings from this thesis’ two research areas generate theoretical contributions in three areas: (i) cross-disciplinary innovation; (ii) knowledge dynamics in continuous innovation; and (iii) professional service firms and innovation in professional service firms.

Publication Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management K Law > K Law (General)
Departments:	Bayes Business School > Bayes Business School Doctoral Theses Bayes Business School > Management Doctoral Theses

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