GREDEG-DEMOS, Sophia Antipolis, 15-16 November 2007 - Call extended until 7 August

Over the last decades European researchers have made major efforts aimed at understanding and measuring technical innovation including its diffusion and impact upon economic performance. The results of these efforts, often supported by the European Commission programs, may be seen as bolstering the effort to stimulate science and technology and improve our understanding of the knowledge-based economy through the Sixth Framework Program.

Many analytical studies as well as the disappointing experience with “the new economy” indicate the development and absorption of new technologies and their impact upon economic performance is conditioned by the organisational context and by the knowledge and competence of workers and organisations. There is therefore a great need to strike a better balance between efforts to promote technical innovation and its diffusion on the one hand and organisational and human resource development on the other hand.

The main purposes of this interdisciplinary workshop will be to improve our theoretical and empirical understanding of organisational change and innovation, as well as to foster creative thinking about how public policies can stimulate the development and diffusion of innovative organisational practices. Proposals on the following topics and issues are especially welcome:

1. Papers developing evolutionary approaches to organisational change focusing on the dynamics of routines and organisational capabilities in relation to organisational structure;
2. Papers focusing on the interrelations between organisational innovation and technical innovation;
3. Theoretical and/or empirical papers extending national, regional or sector innovation systems approaches so as to more fully integrate enterprise-level processes of knowledge development and use;
4. Theoretical or empirical contributions which focus on the connections between inter-firm or network relations and the intra-firm dynamics of organisational change;
5. Survey-based empirical contributions focusing on problems of measuring organisational innovation within and across national boundaries;
6. Employers/employees’ representations of best practices and the processes of their diffusion within populations of firms (e.g. ISO norms, TQM, etc.);
7. Policy contributions focusing on the way such fields as competition policy, labour market policy, education policy and research policy set framework conditions for firms that impact on the diffusion of organisational innovation.

Timetable
Extended abstracts must be submitted by email to edward.lorenz@gredeg.cnrs.fr by 7 August 2007. Confirmation of receipt will be sent electronically. Notifications of the review committee's decisions will be sent electronically by 31 August 2007, and full papers should be submitted by 15 October 2007.

Workshop location
The workshop will be take place on 15-16 November 2007 at Hotel West-End, 31 Promenade des Anglais, Nice, approximately 5 km from the Nice Airport.
Estimated number of participants: 35-40

Workshop registration
Registration fee including gala dinner on the night of the 15th: 100 euros.
DIME members can apply to cover their travel and registration costs according to the standard DIME rules.

Scientific Committee:

• Björn Asheim: University of Lund
• Bengt-Aake Lundvall – University of Aalborg
• Pierre Garrouste, ATOM, Université de Paris 1
• Alice Lam: Royal Holloway University of London
• Luigi Marengo: Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies
• Bart Nooteboom: Tilburg University

Organisers:

• Nathalie Lazaric: GREDEG CNRS/University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis
• Edward Lorenz: GREDEG CNRS/University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis

For additional information contact:
Edward Lorenz: (edward.lorenz@gredeg.cnrs.fr)