Industrial Marketing Management
Call For Papers
Special Issue on: The Barriers and Consequences of Radical Innovations
Deadline: November 15, 2012
Industrial Marketing Management announces the call for papers for a special issue on the barriers and consequences of radical
innovation. This special issue will include invited contributions from leading scholars in the field of radical innovations, as well
as selected competitive papers from this call. The deadline for submission is November 15, 2012.
Purpose of the Special Issue
It is well recognised that there are risks and opportunities in the exploitation of radical innovation (RI) and the ability of
organisations to respond to or address these risks and opportunities may have a significant impact on their ability to exploit
the benefits of RI. Given the centrality of Radical Innovation to contemporary discourse around issues like growth,
sustainability, and competitive advantage, there is a surprising lack of robust theory in this arena. It is also clear that whilst
there is important research being done in a variety of disciplines, there is very little synthesis of this cross-disciplinary research.
There is a real need for the research community across the different disciplines to pool its collective knowledge and open
discourse around the issue of radical innovation to generate a deeper understanding of current knowledge and develop a
multidisciplinary research agenda. This special issue offers a forum for articles exploring leading-edge issues of significant
academic and managerial interest around the barriers and consequences (particularly unintended consequences, such as
changes in practice, people issues etc.) of radical innovation products, services or business processes. These areas are
particularly important for both academics and practitioners in understanding how to support/foster radical innovation success
and what the ultimate consequences can be when business models change as a result of radical innovations.
More specifically, it is well recognised that there are risks and opportunities in the exploitation of radical innovation, which can
vary from one type of radical innovation to another and from one context to another. Addressing these risks and opportunities
often requires organisations to overcome barriers and how well they do this may have a significant impact on their ability to
exploit the benefits of the radical innovation. However, the introduction of radical innovations can also lead to some
important, but under-researched consequences. For example, one legacy of the radical innovations of the industrial revolution
was the growth of large companies, creating long-term employment for specific regions; leading to less need for
entrepreneurial activity, which in turn eroded cultural competences for more radical innovation. Other consequences are
more immediate and even less tangible. These are concerned with internal organisational processes and the way managers
and others think about and react to innovations. The examples highlight the need for multidisciplinary understanding and this
special issue aims to bringing together contributions from across various disciplines, including but not limited to business and
management, economics, psychology, sociology, organisational behaviour, geography and engineering to contribute to a
better understanding of the barriers and consequences of radical innovations.
Within this broad topic, we would envisage that papers could address, but would not be limited to:
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What are the key barriers (both internal to the organisation and external within the wider market environment) and
how can these barriers can be overcome?
How do barriers to RI become institutionalised within different market contexts?
How can consequences (positive/negative) of radical innovations be predicted or how can we develop resilience to
unpredictable adverse effects. What can be learnt from past attempts at dealing with the unintended consequences
of radical innovation?
To what extent do customers stimulate or stall Radical Innovation?
Does the difficulty in determining likelihood of success or the lack of a clear mechanism for measuring success inhibit
the development of Radical Innovations?
What are the policy levers to promote Radical Innovation?
Are there sectoral differences in Radical Innovation barriers or consequences?
How do you encourage Radical Innovation in traditionally conservative sectors?
What are the unintended consequences of Radical Innovation for other aspects of marketing management?
We encourage theoretically informed submissions that address any aspect of Radical Innovation as applied to industrial
marketing. Studies which employ quantitative, qualitative and mixed research methods are welcome. Papers which report on
interdisciplinary research are strongly encouraged, as well as those from single disciplines.
Paper Submission and Review Process
Please submit your paper through the Electronic Submission website for IMM. All papers will be double-blind reviewed.
Guest Editors:
Dr Vicky Story, Lecturer in Marketing, Nottingham University Business School, Jubilee Campus, Wollaton Road, Nottingham,
NG8 1BB, UK; Tel. +44 (0)115 8466192; Email: Vicky.Story@nottingham.ac.uk
Dr Judy Zolkiewski, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Manchester Business School, Booth Street West, Manchester, M15 6PB, UK.
Professor Andy Dainty, Professor of Construction Sociology; Associate Dean (Research), School of Civil and Building
Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 3TU, UK
Professor Kevin Daniels, Professor of Organizational Behaviour, Norwich Business School, University of East Anglia, Norwich
Research Park, NR4 7TJ.