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Welcome to EBEN Annual Conference: Searching for Sustainability in Future Working Life, 14-16 June 2017, University of Jyväskylä School of Business and Economics, Finland

Registration and abstract/paper submission are now open – deadline is 1.3.2017.

Conference website: https://www.jyu.fi/jsbe/ebenac2017

All special tracks: https://www.jyu.fi/jsbe/ebenac2017/paper-submissions-1/special-tracks

Organizational Culture and Ethical (Responsible) Innovation Governance

Organizational culture, which is a crucial characteristic of various types of organizations, not only impacts working life and wellbeing of employees but also plays a significant role in innovativeness of organizations. Prior research has noted that organizational culture can either foster or hinder an innovative working environment and atmosphere in an organization (e.g. Anderson, Potocnik & Zhou, 2014). Although many organizations underscore the value of innovativeness, it can be seen as a threat in organizations due to its risks to various stakeholders, including employees. Hence, in an organization there can be proponents as well as opponents in fostering organizational culture for innovativeness. And, it raises many ethical issues and concerns related to organizational culture, creativity and leadership. Furthermore, ethical implications of technological innovations, especially with emerging and converging technologies, are important to be addressed that can potentially harm the society and the environment (Nathan, 2014 & 2015). In this regard, responsible innovation (see Owen et al. 2013) has been gaining importance among scholars and policy makers and responsible organizations need to ensure that a suitable ethical (responsible) innovation governance model is embedded in their organizational culture in order to minimize and/or mitigate risks to various stakeholders in society (including their employees) and the environment.

Against the above brief background, in this special track, we are interested in the conditions for ethical culture, innovativeness, and governance especially in their content, structure and characteristics. What are the crucial elements of ethical innovation, and how should they be created and fostered? What is the role of leadership in ethical (responsible) innovation and organizational culture?

We invite paper presentations offering new and critical perspectives on the relationship of organizational culture and ethical innovation. We welcome both theoretical and empirical paper presentations and a variety of methodological choices. The topics of interest for this track include, but are not limited to:

Creativity and ethics

Ethical culture and innovativeness

Ethics of organizational culture

Leadership and 'employeeship' for innovation

Responsible (ethical) innovation and culture

Responsible innovation governance models

Technological innovation and ethics

Track organizers:

Dr. Elina Riivari, University of Jyvaskyla, School of Business and Economics, elina.riivari@jyu.fi

Professor Dr. Ganesh Nathan, Business School Lausanne (BSL) and University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW), gnathan@gmx.net

References

Anderson, N., Potočnik, K., & Zhou, J. (2014). Innovation and creativity in organizations a state-of-the-science review, prospective commentary, and guiding framework. Journal of Management, Vol. 40(5): 1297-1333.

Nathan, G. (2014). Technological Innovation and Ethics, in: Innovation Ethics: African and Global Perspectives, J-C. Bastos de Morais and C. Stückelberger (eds.), Geneva: Globethics.net, Global No. 7.

Nathan, G. (2015). Innovation Process and Ethics in Technology: An approach to ethical (responsible) innovation governance, SPECIAL ISSUE: Responsible innovation in the private sector, Journal on Chain and Network Sciences, Wageningen Academic Publishers, Vol. 15(2): 119-134.

Owen, R., J. Bessant and M. Heintz (2013). (Eds.) Responsible innovation. John Wiley and Sons Ltd., London, UK, pp. 27-50.

All submissions: https://www.jyu.fi/jsbe/ebenac2017/paper-submissions-1