Mark Dodgson
Encyclopedia
Mark Dodgson is an Australia
n academic and author. His research on the innovation
process has influenced innovation management and policy worldwide.
and Idi Amin
. He is the brother of author, Philip Pullman. After a number of years working as a lorry driver and drayman in London, Dodgson completed his PhD in two years at Imperial College London
and worked at the Science Policy Research Unit at University of Sussex
for eight years. During this period he developed expertise in technology and innovation management and policy in Europe. In 1993 he moved with his family to Australia where he became Professor and Executive Director of the National Graduate School of Management at the Australian National University
. For the next ten years he developed expertise in technology and innovation management and policy throughout Asia. In 2003 he moved to become Director of the Technology and Innovation Management Centre at the University of Queensland
. He continues to advise governments and major corporations around the world on innovation, and has worked in over 50 countries. Dodgson is the author of two key texts in the Management of Technological Innovation. He was awarded the Eureka Prize for Leadership in Business Innovation in 2007.
and policy depends on a comprehensive understanding of the innovation process and the ways it is changing. His early contributions on technology strategy identified the importance of focus and flexibility in technology investments and use. He conducted one of the first comprehensive studies of the emerging phenomenon of biotechnology firms by writing the history of the UK’s pioneering company, Celltech
. As a result he identified the importance of organizational and technological learning, and published a book in 1991 – The Management of Technological Learning – on Celltech
, and several highly cited articles in the journals, Organization Studies and Human Relations.
and Ammon Salter at Imperial College London
, he identified the emerging role of ‘innovation technology’ – a basket of technologies used to increase the speed and efficiency of innovation. Innovation technologies include eScience; modelling, simulation and visualization tools; and rapid and virtual prototyping. The technologies were used in an innovation process typified as one involving ‘thinking’, ‘playing’ and ‘doing’. The book that resulted from this work – Think, Play, Do: Technology, Innovation and Organization – was the first to identify the role of play around emerging technologies to encourage innovation. Play includes experimenting, tinkering, and prototyping with new ideas.
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n academic and author. His research on the innovation
Innovation
Innovation is the creation of better or more effective products, processes, technologies, or ideas that are accepted by markets, governments, and society...
process has influenced innovation management and policy worldwide.
Biography
Born in Norwich, UK, he grew up in Wales and Uganda, where his father was pilot to Presidents Milton OboteMilton Obote
Apolo Milton Obote , Prime Minister of Uganda from 1962 to 1966 and President of Uganda from 1966 to 1971, then again from 1980 to 1985. He was a Ugandan political leader who led Uganda towards independence from the British colonial administration in 1962.He was overthrown by Idi Amin in 1971, but...
and Idi Amin
Idi Amin
Idi Amin Dada was a military leader and President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. Amin joined the British colonial regiment, the King's African Rifles in 1946. Eventually he held the rank of Major General in the post-colonial Ugandan Army and became its Commander before seizing power in the military...
. He is the brother of author, Philip Pullman. After a number of years working as a lorry driver and drayman in London, Dodgson completed his PhD in two years at Imperial College London
Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
and worked at the Science Policy Research Unit at University of Sussex
University of Sussex
The University of Sussex is an English public research university situated next to the East Sussex village of Falmer, within the city of Brighton and Hove. The University received its Royal Charter in August 1961....
for eight years. During this period he developed expertise in technology and innovation management and policy in Europe. In 1993 he moved with his family to Australia where he became Professor and Executive Director of the National Graduate School of Management at the Australian National University
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
. For the next ten years he developed expertise in technology and innovation management and policy throughout Asia. In 2003 he moved to become Director of the Technology and Innovation Management Centre at the University of Queensland
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
. He continues to advise governments and major corporations around the world on innovation, and has worked in over 50 countries. Dodgson is the author of two key texts in the Management of Technological Innovation. He was awarded the Eureka Prize for Leadership in Business Innovation in 2007.
Views on innovation
Dodgson argues innovation managementInnovation management
Innovation management is the discipline of managing processes in innovation. It can be used to develop both product and organizational innovation. Without proper processes, it is not possible for R&D to be efficient; innovation management includes a set of tools that allow managers and engineers to...
and policy depends on a comprehensive understanding of the innovation process and the ways it is changing. His early contributions on technology strategy identified the importance of focus and flexibility in technology investments and use. He conducted one of the first comprehensive studies of the emerging phenomenon of biotechnology firms by writing the history of the UK’s pioneering company, Celltech
Celltech
Celltech Group plc was a leading British-based biotechnology business based in Slough. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:...
. As a result he identified the importance of organizational and technological learning, and published a book in 1991 – The Management of Technological Learning – on Celltech
Celltech
Celltech Group plc was a leading British-based biotechnology business based in Slough. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:...
, and several highly cited articles in the journals, Organization Studies and Human Relations.
Early research
His research in the early 1990s led him to write one of the first books on how technology was developed collaboratively, between firms and between firms and research organizations. He identified the consequences of increased collaboration for managers and policy-makers in his 1993 book, Technological Collaboration in Industry. With Roy Rothwell, Dodgson edited one of the first comprehensive collections of writing on innovation in his Handbook of Industrial Innovation in 1994.The influence of technology
Dodgson became increasing convinced about the way technology was itself changing the innovation process. With colleagues David GannDavid Gann
David Michael Gann CBE is a British academic.Professor David Gann, CBE, holds the Chair in Innovation and Technology Management at Imperial College Business School and Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London...
and Ammon Salter at Imperial College London
Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
, he identified the emerging role of ‘innovation technology’ – a basket of technologies used to increase the speed and efficiency of innovation. Innovation technologies include eScience; modelling, simulation and visualization tools; and rapid and virtual prototyping. The technologies were used in an innovation process typified as one involving ‘thinking’, ‘playing’ and ‘doing’. The book that resulted from this work – Think, Play, Do: Technology, Innovation and Organization – was the first to identify the role of play around emerging technologies to encourage innovation. Play includes experimenting, tinkering, and prototyping with new ideas.
Innovation Policy
His research on the innovation process has informed government policies in Europe, Asia and Latin America. His 1996 book with John Bessant – Effective Innovation Policy – identified the importance of intermediary organizations building bridges between business and the research base in nations. Dodgson has advised the Australian Government on its innovation policy since 1987, and was an advisor to its 2008 Review of Australia’s National Innovation SystemReview of the National Innovation System
The Review of the National Innovation System was a process established in January 2008 by the Government of Australia and coordinated by an expert panel...
.