The Hidden Faces of Innovation

Innovation is omnipresent, but its complexity is rarely examined in depth. Far from euphoric or strict technical approaches, this book offers a fresh perspective on innovation by exploring its underlying tensions, paradoxes and dynamics.

Adopting a dual approach, The Hidden Faces of Innovation combines a detailed analysis of the managerial dynamics at the heart of innovation processes with an in-depth reflection on the structural, technological and cultural dimensions that underpin them.

The first part of this book focuses on the concrete practices of innovation management: skills management, the specificities of creative industries, and the evolution of working methods in the age of remote working. The second part broadens the perspective by examining the effects of digital technologies, the role of work environments in stimulating creativity and the tensions generated by organizational agility initiatives.

Drawing on both empirical and theoretical work, the book highlights the often-invisible drivers of innovation and invites us to rethink the conditions for innovation, in line with the realities experienced in contemporary organizations.

Patrick Gilbert is Professor Emeritus at the IAE Paris (University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne) and a member of the Mutations, Anticipations, Innovations Chair, France.

Martine Le Boulaire is the General Secretary of the CIME association, France.