Appropriation in Innovation Management

We find that appropriation is a key element in understanding the factors that are shared by successfully innovative organisations. By ‘approbation’ we mean ‘taking ownership’. In 1996 Michael Porter pointed out that “the essence of strategy is choosing what not to do”. Decisions about innovation should be seen as being strategic. Hence, which innovation opportunities an organisation chooses to appropriate (and which it chooses not to pursue) are highly consequential for innovation management.

Not all innovation initiatives can be beneficial or cost-effective. Hence, the ambition of an organisation should not be simply to have more innovation but to gain greater positive benefits (i.e. exploit more effectively) multiple, aligned innovation initiatives.