Innovation Contest

This paper addresses the educational hackthon as innovation pedagogy method for teaching fuzzy front end of innovation (FFEI) in higher education institutions (HEIs). Specifically it focuses on the process design and execution. This study is based on the idea that educational hackathons are a specific type of innovation contest aimed at teaching and learning, thus incorporating a set of design variables. Therefore, the paper reports a case study according to those variables in HEI teaching in university-industrycollaboration. This paper presents both the process description along with students’ learning and feedback, i.e. the development suggestions for the method. Presenting conclusions for both academic use and practical design of hackathons in teaching, the paper clarifies the literature of educational hackathons as a type of innovation pedagogy method, for teaching FFEI in HEIs beyond IT-industry.

This paper addresses the educational hackthon as innovation pedagogy method for teaching fuzzy front end of innovation (FFEI) in higher education institutions (HEIs). Specifically it focuses on the process design and execution. This study is based on the idea that educational hackathons are a specific type of innovation contest aimed at teaching and learning, thus incorporating a set of design variables. Therefore, the paper reports a case study according to those variables in HEI teaching in university-industrycollaboration. This paper presents both the process description along with students’ learning and feedback, i.e. the development suggestions for the method. Presenting conclusions for both academic use and practical design of hackathons in teaching, the paper clarifies the literature of educational hackathons as a type of innovation pedagogy method, for teaching FFEI in HEIs beyond IT-industry.

Today, hackathons are one of the most popular for open innovation. Although accepted in literature as an introductory platform for coders, students and nascent entrepreneurs to take the advantage of a business case simulation, simultaneously stakeholders and investors are taking advantage of the innovative solutions created by exploiting the entrepreneurial orientation in these events. This quantitative research explains the impact of hackathons on organizational performance of the sponsors and investors through the mediating effect of innovation distinctive competences, based on a structural model. Data is conducted in 2019 through self-reports of 200 Spanish firms that engaged in hackathons the previous year. The findings support the relationship between investing in these events and taking the advantage of intellectual property as a means of innovative capability to foster firm benefits. The research advances the literature in two ways: It provides an inclusive perspective on the broadening and deepening coverage of hackathons that supersede being mere software competitions but rather a means of crowdsourcing that embrace intellectual property to foster firm performance. It also sheds novel light on probable benefits gained by use of the hackathons through mediation effects of innovation competences, in comparison to those firms which do not apply this technique.

As local authorities and providers of services and infrastructures, cities can advance sustainability transformations through instruments like public procurement. However, a disconnect exists between broad (supra)national sustainability challenges and public procurers' local needs. We examine innovation contests as a tool for articulating societal challenges as local demands for innovation. We study Helsinki Energy Challenge, where the city of Helsinki, Finland, sought solutions for decarbonizing its heating system, offering a million-euro reward. We explore how innovation contest-related activities contribute to articulating demand for system innovation locally and their influence on participants' problem-solving approaches. The case demonstrates how innovation contests could localise demand for sustainable solutions and direct innovation processes toward a societal challenge, while supporting solutions' broader scalability. We identify six demand articulation activities: expressing strategic intent, scoping, boundary-setting, userproducer interaction, evaluation, and embedding. We enhance understanding of demand articulation processes for system innovation and the potential of innovation contests for transformative innovation missions.

As firms increasingly adopt online contests to improve their innovation projects, research is needed to determine which design factors make a contest successful. We examine the effects of the innovation contest brief, the description of the problem and the requirements for the potential solutions on contest performance. We focus on the length and readability of the brief and test both their effects on contest performance with a dataset containing almost 4000 online contests. Both brief readability and brief length are found to have direct and indirect effects on contest performance, and their indirect effects are determined by the effects on the number of highskilled and low-skilled solvers that a contest attracts. Furthermore, the combined effects of both brief characteristics are positive, and these effects increase as the brief becomes more readable and longer. Finally, we find that both high-skilled and low-skilled solvers can submit high-quality solutions, but the likelihood of this is significantly higher for high-skilled solvers. This study provides clear evidence that briefs affect contest performance, making them an important element in the design of innovation contests.

Public procurement has gained a heightened role in responding to grand societal challenges. Additional goals besides the more traditional objectives for public procurement have produced conflicts and raised the question of how to assess public procurement comprehensively. In this article, we explore the impact model created for the National Public Procurement Strategy of Finland. We investigate the main positions from where to value and assess public procurement and the key conflicts between the different positions. The national strategy of Finland emphasizes that public organizations should put more weight on secondary policy goals. However, this seems to produce "paradoxes, " as partly contradicting goals are pursued simultaneously. The article shows that it is possible to highlight both the strategic and operational roles of public procurement. However, the existence of the paradoxes is important to take into account in governing public procurement.

In the era of digital communication, collective problem solving is increasingly important. Large groups can now resolve issues together in completely different ways, which has transformed the arts, sciences, business, education, technology, and medicine. Collective intelligence is something we share with animals and is different from machine learning and artificial intelligence. To design and utilize human collective intelligence, we must understand how its problem-solving mechanisms work. From democracy in ancient Athens, through the invention of the printing press, to COVID-19, this book analyzes how humans developed the ability to find solutions together. This wide-ranging, thought-provoking book is a game-changer for those working strategically with collective problem solving within organizations and using a variety of innovative methods. It sheds light on how humans work effectively alongside machines to confront challenges that are more urgent than what humanity has faced before

This paper addresses the hackathon as an innovation contest method in the IT industry, beyond the coding context. Specifically, it focuses on hackathon task-setting strategies, i.e. drawing boundaries to specify the problem to be solved. Although task setting plays an integral part in hackathon goal achievement, i.e. whether the hackathon is perceived as successful or not, task setting has not yet been the focus of hackathon research. Therefore, this paper presents a case study of an IT company with four subsidiaries operating in four countries in the Baltic region, carrying out 17 intra- or intra-inter-organizational hackathons in six iterations. As a result, the paper reveals hackathon task-setting strategies in terms of the employee maturity level regarding the corporate context of the subsidiaries. Presenting conclusions for both academics and industry, the paper contributes to the literature on hackathon task-setting strategies particularly in organizations in the IT sector, wi...

This paper addresses the educational hackthon as innovation pedagogy method for teaching fuzzy front end of innovation (FFEI) in higher education institutions (HEIs). Specifically it focuses on the process design and execution. This study is based on the idea that educational hackathons are a specific type of innovation contest aimed at teaching and learning, thus incorporating a set of design variables. Therefore, the paper reports a case study according to those variables in HEI teaching in university-industrycollaboration. This paper presents both the process description along with students’ learning and feedback, i.e. the development suggestions for the method. Presenting conclusions for both academic use and practical design of hackathons in teaching, the paper clarifies the literature of educational hackathons as a type of innovation pedagogy method, for teaching FFEI in HEIs beyond IT-industry.

Public procurement of innovation is a key policy instrument for improving the quality of public services and achieving wider benefits for society. Recently, innovation contests have re-emerged as a means to procure innovative new solutions. There is, however, limited understanding of how innovation contests should be organized in the public sector. In this study, we investigate the organization of two smart city hackathon-style innovation contests in Tampere, Finland. We examine the contests’ structure and goals, the definition of a problem statement, the motivation of potential participants, and their outcomes. We find that innovation contests may be used for, not only sourcing novel technologies, but also for engaging in conversations with companies, and developing an understanding of local problems and potential solutions. We further discuss the issues that arise from the integration of multiple goals in a single contest. We provide practical guidance for organizing innovation contests and evaluate their role for public procurement of innovation and local development.