Idea Management in the Swedish Energy Sector : -A case study to design an idea management process for continious innovation

Abstract: The main key to any innovation is the idea management process which is also known as the front-end phase of the innovation. An idea management is a systematic process of searching, collecting, developing and implementing of ideas. This study focuses on idea management process within the energy sector of Sweden, as there is no well-defined process within the area that captures the voice of the employee. The solution is present in the form of newly designed process that takes into consideration the voice of the employees, technology for supporting and delivering the shared responsibilities. The main purpose of this study is that the energy sector of Sweden is being less explored that leaves out the sector from adapting to the idea management process. This sector lacks in considering the different tools, techniques and methods to be used that will help in searching, capturing, evaluating and selecting ideas. In order to explore the energy sector within Sweden a single case study on business unit Vattenfall heat, Uppsala, a Swedish multinational national energy company has been selected. To reach the bottom line of exploration ten semi-structured interviews were used to collect data and were grounded using “Gioia methodology”. The grounded theory model designed can be used by energy sector to design an idea management process for idea capturing, idea screening, idea selecting an idea implementing. The outcomes were recorded to be four main aggregate dimensions in designing the idea management process for the energy sector of Sweden. It was discovered that the four-aggregate dimension “people”, “process” and “workspace culture” are interconnected and to manage the overall process there is a requirement of strong “policy”. Considering these outcomes as main important drivers a new design is created which streamlines for searching, capturing, evaluation and implementing of ideas for the energy sector of Sweden. This study can further be elaborated and can be an important source of information for an organization willing to have a digital platform for the idea management process. The study can also be used in creating a central platform involving the different actors into an idea management process.