In the face of increasing digitization, companies must make significant changes to their offerings and operations to remain competitive. This digital transformation of organizations includes a digital transformation of the workplace, which is often met with resistance from employees. While it is recognized that reducing employee resistance is crucial for organizations, there is a limited understanding of the antecedents of employee resistance in the context of digital transformation, different resistance behaviors, and potential countermeasures. Drawing on technostress and employee resistance theories, we address these research gaps. Results from two empirical studies support our central prediction that digital transformation of the workplace causes technostress, which in turn promotes passive and active resistance behaviors among employees. Additionally, we highlight that organizations can use digital literacy facilitation to reduce employee technostress and resistance.

Makerspaces democratize technology access and therefore improve the chances for innovation and entrepreneurship. Nevertheless, we know little about how innovation happens in collaborative innovation spaces like makerspaces. To unleash the full potential of makerspaces, it is essential to understand what resources and environments support innovation for makerspace users. Against this background, this research study aims to explore how different makerspace user groups leverage makerspace resources during their innovation process. To achieve this, we use the resource-based view in combination with an open innovation perspective and examine the relevance of makerspace resources (knowledge, technology, social, and financial) during the different stages of the innovation journey (ideation, development and prototyping, commercialization and diffusion). In contrast to prior work, we focus on different makerspace user groups within an industry-specific makerspace and investigate how open innovation strategies (inbound, outbound, and coupled) are used to leverage the makerspace resources to develop innovation projects. Since the object of investigation is broadly unexplored and complex, we use an embedded single case study approach to explore 10 different projects within a makerspace with a specific focus on photonics. Photonics is described as a so-called enabling technology that carries a considerable potential for cross-industry innovation. The qualitative content analysis revealed that professional and hobby users differ in their makerspace resource use and their modes of openness across the innovation journey. Furthermore, we find that makerspaces can take the role of a facilitator or incubator depending on who uses the makerspace to innovate.

Der Transfer von Ideen und Forschungsergebnissen zu Innovationen am Markt stellt Unternehmen und Forschungsinstitutionen immer wieder vor Herausforderungen. Im Rahmen dieses Buchkapitels wird aufgezeigt wie Makerspaces als Orte des Ideen- und Wissensaustauschs den Transfer von Forschungsergebnissen in die Wirtschaft unterstützen können. Hierfür werden zunächst aktuelle Herausforderungen beim Forschungstransfer dargestellt sowie das Konzept von Makerspaces erläutert. Dabei wird auch auf aktuelle Forschungsergebnisse in Bezug auf die Wirkung von Makerspaces auf das Innovationsgeschehen eingegangen. Anhand einer Case Study aus dem Bereich Medical Photonics wird verdeutlicht in welchen Phasen eines Innovationstransfers Makerspaces besonders relevant sind. Es zeigt sich, dass die Anforderungen jedes Innovationstransfers unterschiedlich und Makerspaces insbesondere in der Prototypingphase relevant sind. Die Barrieren zum Transfer werden durch die Makerspace Infrastruktur herabgesetzt. Es kann daher festgehalten werden, dass Makerspaces großes Potenzial zur Unterstützung des Innovationstransfers bergen.

Digitale Technologien bieten vielseitige Chancen für Gründungen. Im Rahmen dieses Buchkapitels wird aufgezeigt wie der Zugang zu Technologie – exemplarisch am Beispiel von 3D-Druck – zur Überwindung von Barrieren im Gründungsprozess beitragen kann. Hierfür werden zunächst typische Herausforderungen während des Gründungsprozesses aus den Bereichen (1) Neuproduktentwicklung, (2) Technologie, (3) Markt, (4) Finanzen und (5) Geschäftsmodell theoretisch beleuchtet. Im Anschluss wird auf die Potenziale von 3D-Druck allgemein sowie für Gründungen eingegangen. Daran anschließend werden die theoretischen Überlegungen zum Potenzial von 3D-Druck für Gründungsvorhaben anhand einer Fallstudie aus dem Bereich der Mikroskopie mit der Praxis abgeglichen. Es zeigt sich, dass der Zugang zu 3D-Drucktechnologie dabei hilft, typische Herausforderungen im Gründungsprozess zu überwinden sowie die Produktentwicklung zu beschleunigen und kundenorientierter zu gestalten.

Are the success factors of Research-based spin-offs (RBSO) transferable to the context of Corporate spin-offs (CSO)? We posit that certain success factors are independent from the spin-off’s institutional background and are viable for both types of ventures. This study provides comparative, comprehensive and concrete evidence on the performance of both types of entrepreneurial venturing. Our comparative approach, taking in RBSOs and CSOs at the same time, contains a comprehensive set of success factors and provides concrete results in the form of management lessons for spin-offs in general. We apply logistic regression and non-parametric propensity score matching and use data from a RBSO sample and a CSO sample from Germany. We find that factors such as age, starting size, the introduction of regional and national market novelties as well as business contacts with the parent are success factors for both kinds of spin-offs and therefore highly relevant for both types, independent of the context from which they emanate. 

Open Innovation means a situation where a company does not just rely on their own internal knowledge and resources for innovation but also uses multiple external sources to drive innovation. This approach may also influence various aspects of customers' brand perception. To investigate this issue, an experimental study based on two different Facebook posts by the well-known consumer brand "Frosch" was conducted (n = 2,426). The results show that open innovation creates an additional communicative value, by affecting consumers' price acceptance level, the brand personality, and the perceived quality. The effect depends on the extend of knowledge about the nature of open innovation.

Bei der Öffnung unternehmerischer Innovationsprozesse (Open Innovation) kommt die Frage auf, ob und inwiefern dadurch die Markenwahrnehmung der Konsumenten beeinflusst werden kann. In einer experimentellen empirischen Studie (n = 2.426) werden Facebook-Nutzern unterschiedliche Posts der Konsumgütermarke „Frosch" gezeigt und Aspekte der Markenwahrnehmung erhoben. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Open Innovation einen kommunikativen Wert generieren kann, der aus Kundenperspektive insbesondere die Preisbereitschaft, die Markenpersönlichkeit sowie die wahrgenommene Qualität beeinflusst. Die Wirkung ist umso stärker, je größer das Wissen der Konsumenten über Open Innovation ist. Für die Praxis bedeutet dies, dass Open Innovation Teil einer langfristigen Kommunikationsstrategie sein kann, um die Marke zu stärken.

Working in collaborative groups and teams now represents the practice predominantly adopted by organizations aspiring to create innovation. However, this trend towards boundless collaboration at work is harshly criticized for a resulting discrimination of introverted employees - called the New Groupthink. According to this, introverts suffer from working conditions that inhibit individual and quiet work. The current shift towards collaboration overall elicits lower creativity and achievement levels due to the resulting suppression of introverts. This inefficiency hence depicts a relevant issue for companies by reason of creativity and innovation's decisive stake in todays' turbulent environments. Therefore, this quantitative research investigates whether hybrid brainstorming can equate introverts with extraverts by balancing their idea contribution. It suggests solutions to both introverts, with regards to enhancing their stake in ideation, and companies, with regards to how to apply ideation methods in most efficient ways.