Taken from The Proceedings of the 1st ISPIM Innovation Symposium, Singapore - 14-17 December 2009 ISBN 978-952-214-665-6.
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http://www.ispim.org/members/proceedings/Singapore08/commonfiles/files/8182254_Paper.doc
Gender and Innovation: Integrating customer preferences into R&D management
Abstract
In an age of globalized market economies and knowledge-based competition one central feature for the innovative capacity and competitiveness of organizations and economies is its ability to integrate women into economic processes. With an ageing workforce and falling birth rates, female participation in economic processes is seen as a crucial factor for economic growth in developed countries [1]. The innovative potential in R&D can be increased when preferences of women and men are equally considered and applied in all steps of an innovation process. Creating gender-sensitive processes and structures will attract more women into R&D. This paper addresses three issues: 1. What are the changes and challenges affecting national and international innovation systems? 2. How can the integration of customer needs and preferences, especially those of women, foster innovation? 3. How can the participation of women in R&D processes be increased? Our findings are based on several studies conducted within the German research project “DiscoverGender” [2], which has identified the innovative potential of gender aspects.
Keywords
Gender; Open Innovation; Mode 2- Innovation Processes; Integration of customer needs; Gender Controlling