ReportTitle:Innovation from the Past
Reporter(Institution):Professor Elden Wiebe（Dean, LEDER School of Business，King University）
Time:02:30.pm,13th May, 2016
Location:B-201, Building of Economics & Management, JiulonghuCampus
Abstract:Innovation is a key driver of the economy, and often pursued as the wellspring of an enterprise’s survival and competitive advantage. Our analysis of interviews of archivists and/or historians from 12 American Fortune 500 companies shows that innovation is aided by the past in several ways, some of which are well known while others are new. We discern two roles that archivists/historians play in this work: facilitation and translation. In the work of facilitation the archivist assists users of the archives to interact with appropriate archival material which users themselves translate for present use in pursuing innovation. In the work of translation, the archivist utilizes the archives to foster a context in the organization and a mindset for organization members, which enables innovation. In both the work of facilitation and translation, we discern three key activities for a total of six ways to bring about innovation in organizations from the past. Broadly, these include personally identifying with the organizational story, collectively recovering the structure and culture of innovation, recontextualizing old practices, and recognizing the temporal mismatches of older innovations.
