Practicing the unknown: organizational practices to cope with uncertainty and develop competences for innovation

• Autor(a) principal: Victor Nikolaus Bistritzki
• Data de Publicação: 2021
• Tipo de documento: Tese
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UFMG
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/1843/39115
• topic: Innovation process; Practice theory; Competence; Performativity; Complexity; Duality; Processo de inovação; Teoria da prática; Competência; Performatividade; Complexidade; Dualidade; Inovações tecnológicas; Incerteza; Desempenho; Inteligência prática; Desenvolvimento organizacional; Células à combustível; Administração de projetos

Due to the lack of knowledge, organizations are constantly faced with uncertainty while pursuing innovation. Several tools and frameworks attempt to control, limit, or foresee uncertainties, however, the notion of predicting something uncertain remains an oxymoron. To predict the exact timing or configuration of a solution within the uncertain environment that surrounds the emergence of novelty is merely impossible. This research approaches the problem by analyzing practices that were identified by dealing with uncertainty within the innovation process and how they turned into competences. A descriptive and explanatory case study method was chosen to investigate a research group, which was involved in two fuel cell R&D projects in a Brazilian federal university laboratory. To describe the innovation process, uncertainties, and practices along with the development of the fuel cell projects, project documentation and interviews were used. This thesis investigates the dynamics among uncertainty, dualities, complexities, practices, and competence development within the context of a complex innovation process. This study identifies practices that emerged and developed by being confronted with uncertainty throughout the innovation process and analyzes how they synergize dualities, deal with complexities, and cope with unforeseen events. Furthermore, by analyzing the practices, their emergence and development throughout the innovation process, relational competences, and their development are identified, which in turn approach uncertainty and contributed to deal with unforeseen events, resulting in a circular model of practicing the unknown. The results suggest that when we centralize practices within the performative innovation process, organizations have the opportunity to cope through them with unforeseen events and simultaneously support the development of competence at work.