Exploring Managerial Innovation in the University Context: an In-Depth Look through a Systematic Literature Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56294/dm2025394Keywords:
Managerial Innovation, University Management, Higher Education, Systematic Literature Review, Pedagogical PracticesAbstract
This article explores the evolution and growing importance of managerial innovation in the university context, based on an in-depth analysis of existing literature. In the face of globalization and higher education challenges, managerial innovation is crucial for modernizing pedagogical practices, enhancing teaching quality, and addressing students' needs. This systematic literature review evaluates key studies, including those by Xue & Wang (2024) and Chung & Espinoza (2023), to assess the impact of innovation on university management. The analysis focuses on trends from 2014 to 2024, drawing on works from the Scopus database. The study addresses four main questions: the relationship between managerial innovation and university education, their reciprocal interaction, the impact of innovation on higher education, and the gaps in current research. The article highlights key findings while stressing the importance of an ethical approach to implementing managerial innovation in universities. The structure includes the methodology, synthesis, analysis, and conclusions on future research directions
References
1. Xue C, Wang J. Proactive research across boundaries, organizational resilience, and radical green innovation. Bus Strateg Environ. 2024;33:1834-52. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.3217
2. Janahi NA, Durugbo CM, Al-Jayyousi OR. Critical network factors for eco-innovation in manufacturing: A Delphi study from the triple helix perspective. Bus Strateg Environ. 2023;32:3649-70. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2953
3. Chung V, Espinoza J. The relationship between transformational leadership and knowledge management: The moderating effect of organizational culture. Knowl Manag Perform. 2023;7:138-49. https://doi.org/10.1108/KMP-2023-0021
4. Polidoro F, Lampert CM, Kim M. External knowledge sources, knowledge spillovers, and internal collaboration: The effects of intra-firm links on business-university partnerships. Strateg Manage J. 2022;43:2742-76. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.3346
5. Meissner D, Zhou Y, Fischer B, Vonortas N. A multi-level perspective on entrepreneurial universities: Examining the dynamics of university-industry joint labs. Technol Forecast Soc Change. 2022;178:121573. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121573
6. Depoo L, Šnýdrová M, Šnýdrová I. Criteria for selecting business management graduates by employers. SCMS J Indian Manage. 2022;19:5-13.
7. Bachnik K, Moll I, Montaña J. Collaborative spaces: At the intersection of design and management. J Enterprising Communities. 2022;16:26-45. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEC-03-2021-0027
8. Aerts G, Cauwelier K, Pape SD, Jacobs S, Vanhondeghem S. An inside-out perspective on stakeholder management in university technology transfer offices. Technol Forecast Soc Change. 2022;175:121291. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.121291
9. Wei S, Zhang Z, Chen X. Maker spaces incubation model in China: Co-working or co-creation?. Technol Anal Strateg Manag. 2022;34:668-86. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537325.2021.1988446
10. Pagano A, Carloni E, Galvani S, Bocconcelli R. Knowledge diffusion mechanisms of Industry 4.0 in traditional industrial districts: The Italian case. Competitiveness Rev. 2021;31:27-53. https://doi.org/10.1108/CR-06-2020-0081
11. Anis MZA, Hadi S, Rajiani I, Abbas EW. Managerial effects of leadership, knowledge sharing, and innovation in higher education. Pol J Manage Stud. 2021;23:59-73. https://doi.org/10.17512/pjms.2021.23.1.05
12. Puerta-Sierra L, Montalvo C, Angeles A. University-industry collective action framework: Societal issues, entrepreneurial interactions, and outcomes. Technol Anal Strateg Manag. 2021;33:1377-88. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537325.2021.1886034
13. Albatis E, Bogers M, Podmetina D. Corporate human capital for university partnerships: A micro-foundations perspective. Technol Forecast Soc Change. 2020;157:120085. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2020.120085
14. Mahdad M, De Marco CE, Piccaluga A, Di Minin A. Leveraging adaptability to close the Pandora's box of open innovation. Ind Innov. 2020;27:264-84. https://doi.org/10.1080/13662716.2020.1713731
15. Marčeta M, Bojnec Š. Drivers of global competitiveness in EU countries in 2014 and 2017. Organizacija. 2020;53:37-52. https://doi.org/10.2478/orga-2020-0004
16. Kokt D, Makumbe W. Towards the innovative university: What role do organizational culture and knowledge sharing play?. S Afr J Hum Resour Manag. 2020;18 https://doi.org/10.4102/sajhrm.v18i0.1325
17. Erhardt N, Martin-Rios C, Chan E. Value co-creation in sports entertainment between internal and external stakeholders. Int J Contemp Hosp Manag. 2019;31:4192-210. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-05-2018-0400
18. Liu H, Pechenkina E. Innovation by numbers: An autoethnography of innovation as violence. Culture Organ. 2019;25:178-88. https://doi.org/10.1080/14759551.2018.1495910
19. Ardito L, Ferraris A, Messeni Petruzzelli A, Bresciani S, Del Giudice M. The role of universities in managing knowledge for smart city projects. Technol Forecast Soc Change. 2019;142:312-21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2018.07.030
20. Molner S, Prabhu JC, Yadav MS. Lost in a universe of markets: Toward a theory of market scope for early-stage technologies. J Mark. 2019;83:37-61. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022242918825264
21. Miranda MG, Borges R. Technological business incubators: An exploratory analysis of intra-organizational social networks. J Innov Manag. 2019;16:36-54.
22. Takanashi C, Lee K-J. Boundary between leadership, resource mobilization, and performance in university-industry R&D projects: A study in a Japanese university. Technol Anal Strateg Manag. 2019;31:140-54. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537325.2018.1507154
23. Steenkamp RJ. The quadruple helix innovation model for Industry 4.0. Acta Commercii. 2019;19 https://doi.org/10.4102/ac.v19i1.820
24. Ramchander M. Reconceptualizing undergraduate entrepreneurship education in traditional South African universities. Acta Commercii. 2019;19. https://doi.org/10.4102/ac.v19i2.644
25. Belderbos R, Gilsing V, Lokshin B, Carree M, Fernández Sastre J. The antecedents of new R&D collaborations with different partner types: On the dynamics of past R&D collaboration and innovative performance. Long Range Plann. 2018;51:285-302. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2017.09.001
26. Ngoc-Tan N, Gregar A. Impacts of knowledge management on innovations in higher education institutions: Empirical evidence from Vietnam. Econ Sociol. 2018;11:301-20. https://doi.org/10.14254/2071-789X.2018/11-3/19
27. Lazarev GI, Krivoshapova SV, Krivoshapov VG, Yarygin AN. Developing a supply chain management algorithm for integrating universities into the national innovation system. Int J Supply Chain Manag. 2018;7:440-45.
28. Arora A, Belenzon S, Patacconi A. The decline of science in corporate R&D. Strateg Manage J. 2018;39:3-32. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.2709
29. Passaro R, Scandurra G, Thomas A. The emergence of innovative entrepreneurship: Beyond intention – Survey on academic SUC participants. Int J Innov Technol Manag. 2017;14:1750025. https://doi.org/10.1142/S0219877017500254
30. Garcia-Perez-de-Lema D, Madrid-Guijarro A, Martin DP. Influence of university-business governance on innovation and performance levels of SMEs. Technol Forecast Soc Change. 2017;123:250-61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2016.09.014
31. Kolympiris C, Klein PG. The effects of university incubators on academic innovation. Strateg Entrepreneurship J. 2017;11:145-70. https://doi.org/10.1002/sej.1244
32. Aaboen L, Laage-Hellman J, Lind F, Öberg C, Shih T. Exploring the role of university spin-offs in business networks. Ind Mark Manag. 2016;59:157-66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2016.04.003
33. Guerrero M, Urbano D, Fayolle A, Klofsten M, Mian S. Entrepreneurial universities: Emerging models in the new social and economic landscape. Small Bus Econ. 2016;47:551-63. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-016-9755-4
34. Boudreau KJ, Guinan EC, Lakhani KR, Riedl C. Looking beyond intellectual boundaries: Intellectual distance, novelty, and resource allocation in science. Manag Sci. 2016;62:2765-83. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2015.224
35. Christos L, Konstantinos V, Alexandros G, Despoina M. Cooperation characteristics for innovative SMEs in crisis: The Greek paradigm. Corp Ownersh Control. 2016;14:30-37.
36. Ciliberti S, Carraresi L, Bröring S. Drivers of innovation in Italy: The food versus the pharmaceutical industry. Br Food J. 2016;118:1292-316. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-12-2015-0477
37. Baraldi E, Ingemansson Havenvid M. Identifying new dimensions of business incubation: A multi-level analysis of the Karolinska Institute’s incubation system. Technovation. 2016;50-51:53-68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2015.09.003
38. Ceptureanu E, Ceptureanu S. Recommendations for implementing change management in innovative SMEs. Qual Acces Success. 2015;16:109-12.
39. Alberti FG, Pizzurno E. Knowledge exchanges in innovation networks: The case of an Italian aerospace cluster. Competitiveness Rev. 2015;25:258-87. https://doi.org/10.1108/CR-04-2014-0005
40. Salter A, Criscuolo P, Ter Wal ALJ. Coping with open innovation: Responding to the challenges of external engagement in R&D. Calif Manage Rev. 2014;56:77-94. https://doi.org/10.1525/cmr.2014.56.2.77
41. Williams D, Kluev A. The entrepreneurial university: Evidence of the changing role of universities in modern Russia. Ind High Educ. 2014;28:271-80. https://doi.org/10.5367/ihe.2014.0202
42. Naqshbandi MM, Kaur S. Do managerial ties support or stifle open innovation?. Ind Manag Data Syst. 2014; 114:652-75. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-04-2013-0205.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Hanae Amrani , Zouheir Boussouf , Ahmed Aftiss (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The article is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Unless otherwise stated, associated published material is distributed under the same licence.
