Abstract
A recent biographer has described the philosophy of Emmanuel Lévinas as being permeated by one simple but profound theme: Western philosophy has at best ignored and at worst suppressed the “Other.” The approach of this study involved a concept-centric examination of innovation terminology assembled from key papers in the area. The analysis presents evidence of the lack of regard in the literature for the human dimension, with the notable exception of the work of Andrew Van de Ven and his collaborators. Consequently, an ethical definition of innovation is proposed inspired by the theoretical lens of Lévinas. We argue that the work makes a practical and philosophical contribution to the emerging debate on ethics by the Information Systems community. Furthermore, we suggest that our analysis has implications for diffusion of innovations research increasingly being carried out in an open-innovation paradigm.
Chapter PDF
References
Adams, R., Bessant, J., and Phelps, R. 2006. “Innovation Management Measurement: A Review,” International Journal of Management Reviews (8:1), pp. 21–47.
Ainley, A. 2005. “Lévinas, Emmanuel,” in The Oxford Companion to Philosophy, T. Honderich (ed.), Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, pp. 512–513.
Angle, H. L., and Van de Ven, A. H. 1989. “Suggestions for Managing the Innovation Journey,” in Research on the Management of Innovation: The Minnesota Studies, A. H. Van d Ven, H. L. Angle, and M. S. Poole (eds.), New York: Harper and Row, pp. 590–607.
Attridge, D. 1999. “Innovation, Literature, Ethics: Relating to the Other,” Publications of the Modern Language Association (114:1), Special Topic: Ethics and Literary Study (January 1999), pp. 20–31.
Avgerou, C. 2002. “New Socio-Technical Perspectives of IS Innovation in Organizations,” in ICT Innovation: Economic and Organizational Perspectives, C. Avgerou and R. Larovere (eds.), Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, pp. 141–161.
Becker, S. W., and Whisler, T. L. 1967. “The Innovative Organization: A Selective View of Current Theory and Research” The Journal of Business (40:4), pp. 462–469.
Benbasat, I., and Zmud, R. W. 1999. “Empirical Research in Information Systems: The Practice of Relevance,” MIS Quarterly (23:1), pp. 3–16.
Bergo, B. 2007. “Emmanuel Lévinas,” in The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy E. N. Zalta (ed.) (http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2007/entries/levinas/).
Burgelman, R. A., Maidique, M. A., and Wheelwright., S. C. 1996. Strategic Management of Technology and Ennovation (2nd ed.), Chicago: Irwin.
Chesbrough, H. W. 2003. “Open Innovation: The New Imperative for Creating and Profiting from Technology, Boston: Harvard Business School.
Chesbrough, H. W. 2006. “Open Innovation: A New Paradigm for Understanding Industrial Innovation,” in Open Innovation: Researching a New Paradigm, H. Chesbrough, W. Vanhaverbeke, and J. West (eds.), Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 1–24.
Ciborra, C. 2000. “A Critical Review of the Literature on the Management of the Corporate Information Infrastructure,” in From Control to Drift: The Dynamics of Corporate Information Infrastructures, C. U. Ciborra (ed.), Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, pp. 15–40.
Ciborra, C. 2002. The Labyrinths of Information: Challenging the Wisdom of Systems, Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Davies, M. 1988. The Management of Technological Innovation in Small and Medium Sized Firms in Cyprus, unpublished Ph.D. thesis, Department of Management Studies, Brunel University.
Davis, C. 1996. Lévinas: An Introduction, Cambridge, UK: Polity Press.
Derrida, J. 1980. “Violence and Metaphysics,” in Writing and Difference (trans. A. Bass), Chicago: University of Illinois Press, pp. 79–153.
Downie, R. S. 2005. “Ethics and Morality,” in The Oxford Companion to Philosophy, T. Honderich (ed.), Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, p. 271.
Downs Jr., G. W., and Mohr, L. B. 1976. “Conceptual Issues in the Study of Innovation,” Administrative Science Quarterly (21:4), pp. 700–714.
Drucker, P. 1985. Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Practice and Principles, London: Heinemann.
DTI. 1994. “Innovation Definition,” Department of Trade and Industry, London, UK.
Elam, M. 1993. Innovation as the Craft of Combination: Perspectives on Technology and Economy in the Spirit of Schumpeter, Ph.D. Thesis, Linköping Studies in Arts and Science No. 95.
Elveton, R. O. (ed./trans.). 1970. The Phenomenology of Husserl: Selected Critical Readings, Chicago: Quadrangle Books.
Evan, W. M., and Black, G. 1967. “Innovation in Business Organizations: Some Factors Associated with Success or Failure of Staff Proposals,” The Journal of Business (40:4), pp. 519–530.
Fagerberg, J. 2005. “Innovation: A Guide to the Literature,” in The Oxford Handbook of Innovation, J. Fagerberg, D. Mowery, and R. R. Nelson (eds.), Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, pp. 1–26.
Fagerberg, J., Mowery, D., and Nelson, R. R. (eds.). 2005. The Oxford Handbook of Innovation, Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Freeman, C. 1982. The Economics of Industrial Innovation (2nd ed.), London: Frances Pinter.
Garcia, R., and Calantone, R. 2002. “A Critical Look at Technological Innovation Typology and Innovativeness Terminology: A Literature Review,” Journal of Product Innovation Management (19:2), pp. 110–132.
Gardiner, P., and Rothwell, R. 1985. “Tough Customers: Good Designs,” Design Studies (6:1), pp. 7–17.
Grossmann, R. 2005. “Phenomenology,” in The Oxford Companion to Philosophy, T. Honderich (ed.), Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, pp. 695–697.
Hooker, B. 2005. “Consequentialism,” in The Oxford Companion to Philosophy, T. Honderich (ed.), Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, pp. 162–165.
Horner, C., and Westacott, E. 2000. Thinking through Philosophy: An Introduction, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Hyvärinen, L. 1990. “Innovativeness and its Indicators in Small- and Medium-Sized Industrial Enterprises,” International Small Business Journal (9:1), pp. 64–79.
Inwood, M. J. 2005a. “Husserl, Edmund,” in The Oxford Companion to Philosophy, T. Honderich (ed.), Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, pp. 408–410
Inwood, M. J. 2005b. “Heidegger, Martin,” in The Oxford Companion to Philosophy, T. Honderich (ed.), Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, pp. 371–375.
Kautz, K., and Nielsen, P. A. 2004. “Understanding the Implementation of Software Process Improvement Innovations in Software Organisations,” Information Systems Journal (14:1), pp. 3–22
Kelly, S. 2005. “New Frontiers in the Theorization of ICT-Mediated Interaction: Exploring the Implications of a Situated Learning Epistemology,” in Proceedings of the 26 th International Conference on Information Systems, D. Avison, D. Galletta, and J. I. DeGross (eds.), Las Vegas, NV, December 11–14, pp. 495–505.
Kerlin, M. J. 1997. “Peter French, Corporate Ethics and the Wizard of Oz,” Journal of Business Ethics (16), pp. 1431–1438.
Kimberly, J. R. 1981. “Managerial Innovation,” in Handbook of Organizational Design, P. C. Nystrom and W. H. Starbuck, New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 84–104.
Klein, M. 2005. “Responsibility,” in The Oxford Companion to Philosophy, T. Honderich (ed.), Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, p. 816.
Knight, K. E. 1967. “A Descriptive Model of the Intra-Firm Innovation Process,” The Journal of Business (40:4), pp. 478–496.
Larsen,T. J. 1998. “Information Systems Innovation: A Framework for Research and Practice,” in Information Systems Innovation and Diffusion: Issues and Directions, T. J. Larsen and G. McGuire (eds.), Hershey, PA: Idea Group Publishing, pp. 411–434.
Lauer, Q. 1965. Phenomenology: Its Genesis and Prospect, New York: Harper & Row.
Leonard, D. 1998. Wellsprings of Knowledge: Building and Sustaining the Sources of Innovation, Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Lévinas, E. 1998a. Otherwise than Being, or, Beyond Essence, Pittsburgh, PA: Duquesne University Press.
Lévinas, E. 1998b. “Philosophy and the Idea of Infinity,” Collected Philosophical Papers (trans. A. Lingis), Pittsburgh, PA: Duquesne University Press, Chapter 4, pp. 47–59.
Lingis, A. (trans.). 1998. “Translators’s Introduction,” in Collected Philosophical Papers, E. Lévinas, Pittsburgh, PA: Duquesne University Press, pp. vii–xxxi.
McInerney, D. P. A. 2004. Innovative Regions: A Comparative Analysis of the Innovative Activities of Indigenous and Non-indigenous Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the Shannon and Dublin Regions of Ireland, unpublished Ph.D. thesis, University of Limerick, Ireland.
McNerney, J. 2001. Footbridge Towards the Other: A Philosophical Investigation into the Notion of the Human Person in the Writings of Karol Wojtyla with Special Reference to the Paradigm of the Neighbour, unpublished M.Litt. thesis, Department of Philosophy, University College Dublin, Ireland.
Mohr, L. B. 1969. “Determinants of Innovation in Organizations,” The American Political Science Review (63:1), pp. 111–126.
Moran, D. 2000. Introduction to Phenomenology, New York: Routledge.
Nelson, R. R., and Winter, S. G. 1977. “In Search of Useful Theory of Innovation,” Research Policy (22:2), pp. 36–76.
Nonaka, I. 1990. “Redundant, Overlapping Organization: A Japanese Approach to Managing the Innovation Process,” California Management Review (32:3), pp. 27–38.
Nystrom, H. 1990. Technological and Market Innovation: Strategies for Product and Company Development, Chichester, UK: Wiley.
Porter, M. 1990. The Competitive Advantage of Nations, New York: Free Press.
Posselt, T.R. 2005. Edith Stein: The Life of a Philosopher and Carmelite, Washington, DC: ICS Publications.
Quinton, A. 2005. “Philosophy,” in The Oxford Companion to Philosophy, T. Honderich (ed.), Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, pp. 702–706.
Rahmanseresht, H. 1988. Towards a Revised Model of Innovation in Organisations, unpublished Ph.D. thesis, University of Hull.
Resca, A. 2006. “Knowledge: Climbing the Learning Ladder to a ‘Phenomenological’ View,” Journal of Information Technology (21:3), pp. 203–210.
Rickards, T. 1985. Stimulating Innovation: A Systems Approach, London: Pinter.
Ring, P. S., and Van de Ven, A. H. 2000. “Formal and Informal Dimensions of Transactions,” in Research on the Management of Innovation: The Minnesota Studies, A. H. Van d Ven, H. L. Angle, and M. S. Poole (eds.), New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 637–662.
Roberts, E. B. 1988. “Managing Invention and Innovation,” Research-Technology Management, (31), pp. 11–29.
Rogers, E. M. 2003. Diffusion of Innovations (5th ed.), New York: Free Press.
Rogers, E. M., and Shoemaker, F. F. 1971. Communication of Innovations: A Cross-Cultural Approach, New York: The Free Press.
Rowe, L. A., and Boise, W. B. 1974. “Organizational Innovation: Current Research and Evolving Concepts,: Public Administration Review (34:4), pp. 284–293.
Schumpeter, J. A. 1934. The Theory of Economic Ddevelopment: An Inquiry into Profits, Capital, Credit, Interest, and the Business Cycle, Boston: Harvard University Press.
Shavinina,L. V. (ed.). 2003. The International Handbook on Innovation, Oxford, UK: Pergamon Press.
Shepard, H. A. 1967. “Innovation-Resisting and Innovation-Producing Organizations,” The Journal of Business (40:4), pp. 470–477.
Slappendel, C. 1996. “Perspectives on Innovation in Organizations,” Organization Studies (17:1), pp. 107–129.
Sokolowski, R. 2000. Introduction to Phenomenology, NewYork: Cambridge University Press.
Squires, R. 2005. “Solipsism,” in The Oxford Companion to Philosophy, T. Honderich (ed.), Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, p. 883.
Stein, E. 1989. On the Problem of Empathy (trans. W. Stein) (3rd rev. ed.), Washington, DC: ICS Publications.
Susman, G. I., and Evered, R. D. 1978. “An Assessment of the Scientific Merits of Action Research,” Administrative Science Quarterly (23:4), pp. 582–603
Swanson, E. B. 1994. “nformation Systems Innovation among Organizations,” Management Science (49:9), pp. 1069–1092.
Swanson, E. B., and Ramiller, N. C. 1997. “The Organizing Vision in Information Systems,” Organization Science (8:5), pp. 458–474
Swanson, E. B., and Ramiller, N. C. 2004. “Innovating Mindfully with Information Technology,” MIS Quarterly (28:4), pp. 553–583
Thompson, V. A. 1965. “Bureaucracy and Innovation,” Administrative Science Quarterly (10:1), Special Issue on Professionals in Organizations, pp. 1–20.
Van de Ven, A. H. 1986. “Central Problems in the Management of Innovation,” Management Science (32:2), pp. 590–607.
Van de Ven, A. H., Angle, H. L., and Poole, M. S. (eds.). 2000. Research on the Management of Innovation: The Minnesota Studies, New York: Oxford University Press.
Vanhaverbeke, W., and Cloodt, M. 2006. “Open Innovation in Value Networks,” in Open Innovation: Researching a New Paradigm, H. Chesbrough, W. Vanhaverbeke, and J. West (eds.), Oxford, UK: University Press, pp. 258–284.
Vrakking, W. J. 1990. “The Innovative Organization,” Long Range Planning (23:2),pp. 94–102.
Weber, R. 2003. “Editor’s Comments: Theoretically Speaking,” MIS Quarterly (27:3), pp. iii–xii.
Webster, J., and Watson, R. T. 2002. “Analyzing the Past to Prepare for the Future: Writing a Literature Review,” MIS Quarterly (26:2), pp. xiii–xxiii.
Whetten, D. A. 1989. “What Constitutes a Theoretical Contribution?,” Academy of Management Review (14:4), pp. 490–495.
Wilson, J. 1966. “Innovation in Organizations: Notes toward a Theory,” in Approaches to Organizational Design, J. Thompson (ed.), Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, pp. 193–218.
Wolfe, R. A. 1994. “Organizational Innovation: Review, Critique and Suggested Research Directions,” Journal of Management Studies (31:3), pp. 405–431.
Yin, R., Heald, K., and Vogel, M. 1977. Tinkering with the System: Technological Innovations in State and Local Services Toronto: Lexington Books.
Zain, M. 1993. A Field Study of Adoption and Implementations of Innovations by Manufacturing Firms in Malaysia, unpublished Ph.D. thesis, Manchester Business School.
Zaltman, G., Duncan, R., and Holbek, J. 1973. Innovations and Organizations, New York: Wiley
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2008 International Federation for Information Processing
About this paper
Cite this paper
Costello, G.J., Donnellan, B. (2008). Seeking the Face of Innovation with the Ethical Compass of Emmanuel Lévinas. In: León, G., Bernardos, A.M., Casar, J.R., Kautz, K., De Gross, J.I. (eds) Open IT-Based Innovation: Moving Towards Cooperative IT Transfer and Knowledge Diffusion. TDIT 2008. IFIP – The International Federation for Information Processing, vol 287. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-87503-3_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-87503-3_6
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-0-387-87502-6
Online ISBN: 978-0-387-87503-3
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)