El Departamento de Administración de la Facultad de Economía y Negocios de la Universidad de Chile, tienen el agrado de invitarle al Seminario Académico: Amidst the Symbolic and the Rational: Adoption of Innovation in an Emerging Country.
Expone: Gonzalo Valdés, Departamento de Ingeniería Industrial PUC.
Abstract:
In the current business environment, innovation has stood out as essential for the survival and growth of organizations. However, the underlying motivations for incorporating innovation have been a subject of debate from various perspectives, leading to theoretical and practical discrepancies. This study seeks to adopt a multifaceted perspective, merging institutional theory with the institutional logics perspective. We did this to explore the companies’ motivations to adopt and adapt innovative practices. While this objective has been addressed in studies in the global north, more research on emerging economies needs to be done. Analyzing how companies in developing countries incorporate innovation processes adds valuable information to the existing knowledge on transferring practices and economic development. A qualitative methodology was employed to achieve this objective, involving interviews with innovation leaders from 40 companies from various sectors in Chile. Theoretical sampling maximized variation and inductive content analysis revealed the coexistence of diverse motivations. Research findings unveiled an apparent symbolic adoption of innovation at the beginning, where companies influenced by institutional pressures decouple rhetoric from practice, seeking external legitimacy. However, in the long term they tend to recouple via recontextualization, seeking internal legitimacy and validation. The findings shed light on the complexity of innovation adoption, emphasizing the need to culturally contextualize innovative transfer and recognize the possibility of the coexistence of symbolic and rational elements in business practices.
