Innovation governance: Method applicable to large Brazilian companies

Governança da inovação: Método aplicável às grandes empresas brasileiras

Objective:  Propose an innovation governance methodology applicable to large Brazilian companies, addressing the knowledge gap that exists on this subject in both the academic and business spheres.

Originality/value:  This study addresses the gap in traditional corporate governance, which neglects leadership and strategy for innovation, compromising companies’ vitality. Although innovation governance is crucial for achieving organizational ambidexterity, Brazil lacks a methodology applicable to large companies, considering its economic and political context. Thus, the presented result proposes a new approach to the topic.

Methodology:  Design Science Research was adopted, which follows a qualitative approach and aims to design artifacts to solve complex problems, assess what has been designed or is functioning, and communicate the results obtained. For this study, five stages were followed in order to ensure scientific rigor: identification of the problem to be addressed, proposal of the artifact, development of the artifact, evaluation of the results obtained, and, finally, communication of the results.

Findings:  A functional artifact, validated by experts, that provides a solution to the challenge of innovation governance in large Brazilian companies. Grounded in organizational philosophy and business heterogeneity, the method is divided into five stages: decision on the modus operandi of innovation, strategic definition, structuring of people architecture, design of innovation processes, and formalization.

Contribution/implications:  The applications of this method allow large Brazilian companies to incorporate innovation as a strategic element, optimizing their processes and structures for organizational ambidexterity. The main theoretical contribution lies in proposing an innovation governance model contextualized for the Brazilian scenario, which can serve as a basis for future research that seek to explore this theme.

Keywords:
innovation governance; corporate governance; innovation; organizational ambidexterity; multi-dexterity