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Innovation and Knowledge Management for Sustainability: Theoretical Perspectives

Innovation and Knowledge Management for Sustainability: Theoretical Perspectives

René J. Jorna, Niels R. Faber
Copyright: © 2012 |Pages: 19
ISBN13: 9781613501658|ISBN10: 161350165X|EISBN13: 9781613501665
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-61350-165-8.ch020
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MLA

Jorna, René J., and Niels R. Faber. "Innovation and Knowledge Management for Sustainability: Theoretical Perspectives." Technological, Managerial and Organizational Core Competencies: Dynamic Innovation and Sustainable Development, edited by Farley Simon Nobre, et al., IGI Global, 2012, pp. 365-383. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-61350-165-8.ch020

APA

Jorna, R. J. & Faber, N. R. (2012). Innovation and Knowledge Management for Sustainability: Theoretical Perspectives. In F. Nobre, D. Walker, & R. Harris (Eds.), Technological, Managerial and Organizational Core Competencies: Dynamic Innovation and Sustainable Development (pp. 365-383). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-61350-165-8.ch020

Chicago

Jorna, René J., and Niels R. Faber. "Innovation and Knowledge Management for Sustainability: Theoretical Perspectives." In Technological, Managerial and Organizational Core Competencies: Dynamic Innovation and Sustainable Development, edited by Farley Simon Nobre, David Walker, and Robert J. Harris, 365-383. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2012. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-61350-165-8.ch020

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Abstract

This chapter supports the argument that innovation is a special case of knowledge management; it is about knowledge creation. With economic profit as its driving force, innovation is mostly short term and commercial, feeding the question whether innovation really can be applied to ecological and social systems. The problem concerns the goal of innovation: what does it suppose to realize? In this chapter, we combine knowledge management (KM) and innovation concepts with sustainability and we argue that as long as the emphasis in innovation is on “profit” and not on “people” and “planet” (the three P’s of sustainability) we have no guiding mechanism for innovation, namely the existence of a sustainable future. In a sustainable perspective, innovation becomes an instrument that benefits society at large. In this chapter, we explore concepts behind issues of KM and innovation through literature review and we argue along three lines of thinking. First, we demonstrate that innovation is knowledge creation at an individual and collective level. Second, we argue that innovation should be a means and not a goal. Third, we offer a perspective to operationalize the relationship between knowledge, innovation and sustainability. Sustainability as an issue requires adaptation of human and social systems to ever-changing environments. This continuous need for change demands people to constantly develop and obtain new knowledge to realize the balance between system and environment. We conclude this chapter by introducing concepts on Knowledge of Sustainability (KoS) and Sustainability of Knowledge (SoK) that form the synthesis of our discussion, and we set the outline of a framework for sustainable innovation.

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