Research on the transfer of the ability to innovate

Kirsti Booijink has finished her master thesis! She has examined the way the ability to innovate that people acquire by participating in innovation practices is transferred to the day-to-day work environment. She has done the research in the context of Habiforum and has studied several of their 'pilot projects' (in Dutch: 'proeftuinen'). One of her findings is that the application in the day-to-day work environment of abilities, acquired in the pilot project, is influenced by a 'layer' consisting of people around the individual. These people, in what Booijink calls a membrane, facilitate the others to use their abilities. The membrane gives them the freedom to experiment, to apply new skills, and to make mistakes. I find this idea of a membrane striking: organisations themselves seem not able to offer a stimulating context for innovation. It works better when we organise pilot projects (with a way of working that is completely different from the way of working in the day-to-day work environment), and then, in order to transfer, we need a membrane, in order to have the freedom to experiment and make mistakes. This gives the impression that innovation takes place rather in spite of organisations rather than thanks to them. Wouldn't it be an interesting perspective to see if we could design organisations as pilot projects (proeftuinen or innovation practices)...? Download the research report of this study (in Dutch!).