Background
Business Model Innovation (BMI) is a widely practiced but little understood form of innovation. In spite of widespread practitioner interest, rigorous academic research on BMI is lagging behind. The BMI domain remains theoretically and empirically fragmented, and there is little research-based guidance on: (a) when BMI is likely to enhance organisational efficiency and (b) what are the best ways to implement BMI in organisations.
Cisco and Imperial College Business School (ICBS) have initiated a joint project to model and map public sector business model innovation (BMI) and provide active research on this issue. The objective of the project is to explore and model BMI processes and outcomes in the digital city contexts.
Business model innovation (BMI) is key to ensuring productivity improvements and remodeling the public sector. Massive transformation is underway in health, education, policing and local government. ICT is an enabler of new business models but organisational dynamics, change management and innovation cannot be seen as secondary in this change. In order to effectively manage BMI in digital city contexts, a comprehensive understanding of ICT-driven business model innovation in service delivery is required.
Research Questions
This 2-year project will be carried out in collaboration between Cisco and ICBS. The Research
Associate (RA) would work closely with Cisco researchers and spend approximately 50% of his or her time working in Cisco offices. The e RA will be embedded as part of a programme Cisco are leading to look at public sector innovation with regard to roll-out of next generation networks (superfast) and public services in local authorities. They have identified four local authorities within each of which
Cisco will be running a four-month engagement process to develop a vision and plan for that local authority to make the case for superfast broadband. While the project itself will be delivered by Cisco, the RA will shadow the project in an effort to understand the dynamic of ICT-led BMI in public-sector organisations across the UK.
At this stage, the specific research questions remain open, although the research context is given.
The direction for UK public sector innovation is being influenced by the arrival of pervasive video, cloud technologies, next generation networks and Long term Evolution (LTE) mobile technologies.
Examples of research questions that could be explored in this context include:
- The capacity of Public Sector for BMI in service delivery
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The process of ICT-driven BMI in new models of public private partnership
Investigating the impact of “unified Regional Planning” on economic growth and development
The Research Associate will become part of an extended team in Innovation & Strategy within Cisco.
The team is not sales; nevertheless, they work close to market. The work is aligned to the “active research” model in academia.
Opportunities will be provide to participate and attend events across CISCO Public Sector CISCO will also participate in the TSB Digital Demonstrator for Cities.
Skills Required
This research is carried out close to practice, in active interaction with private- and public-sector practitioners. The RA needs to be comfortable in working in such context and be able to identify and

pursue research questions and issues that combine academic and theoretical rigour and value with relevance for practice.
The research will be case based and incorporate a longitudinal aspect. The purpose of the research is to produce models and theoretical frameworks that illustrate the process of ICT-driven BMI in publicsector organisations. The RA therefore needs to possess solid skills in:
process case research
action research
longitudinal case analysis
interviewing and content analysis
inductive theory building
event history analysis
The outcomes of this research will be submitted for publication in both academic and practitioner outlets. Our objective is also to produce materials for practitioner and executive training consumption
(e.g., teaching cases; BMI design and implementation models; and so on).
Additional Requirement
Please note that to secure this post it will be necessary for the RA to successfully pass a background investigation that must include a 7 year criminal history and a US Prohibited Parties Search. This is a requirement from CISCO in order for the RA to be given access to their site and systems. The check will be commissioned by Imperial College after the interview stage but we request applicants to note this requirement before applying.