The RISE Workshop 16.0 took place on January 28, 2010 at Ergon Informatik AG in Zürich. The RISE community explored the practices and contribution of senior executives (top managers and entrepreneurs) to their organizations. In the first part of the workshop, Patrick Burkhalter (CEO of Ergon Informatik AG), Daniel Lüscher (CEO of Raiffeisen Kölliken-Entfelden, Board Member of Raiffeisen Switzerland), Dieter Marxer (CEO of Noventa) and Dr. Simon Grand (Academic Director, RISE Management Research) shared their views on how an “entrepreneurial executive” thinks and acts, how he or she intervenes in the organization and what it precisely is that entrepreneurs and managers at the executive level do not and cannot delegate. In the second part of the workshop, the discussion moved on to better understand how executives learn and how they keep up their high level of proficiency in what they do. Among other conclusions, it turned out that executives have a high preference for formats that allow them to regularly reflect their own thinking and doing in joint academic and peer group discussions.

Succession is a fundamental challenge for entrepreneurial companies, both on the level of ownership and management. In the RISE Workshop 15.0, which took place on November 12th, 2009, the the RISE community discussed a particularly radical case, Adnovum Informatik AG. In 2006, the founder, owner and CEO Stefan Arn left his company within a few months, transferring the ownership to Gratian Anda and the management responsibility to a core team of former seniors of the firm. The succession process from 2006 to 2009 was shared, including the establishment of new governance and management processes, the transformation of entrepreneurial agency, and the adaptation of the company’s strategic orientation. First, the insights and experiences of Ruedi Wipf, the new and current CEO were discussed, followed by the perspectives and insights of Adrian Ackeret and Simon Grand (RISE Management Research), who studied the transition from a strategy and entrepreneurship research point of view.

The last RISE Workshop took place at F. Hoffmann-La Roche’s headquarters in Basel on June 4th 2009. The workshop was concerned with the strategic management of innovation. In particular, it addressed the challenges of innovation in the pharmaceutical context and how managers cope with these challenges. First, Paul Nagagaki, Head of Group Research Strategy of Roche presented insights on Roche’s particular challenges with investments in new technologies and approaches. Second, Florian Bertram of RISE presented the findings of his dissertation on how managers create and establish new and uncertain opportunities.

David Griessbach, presented his paper project “Overcoming the Stability-Change-Dichotomy” during a RISE Colloquium on March 5th 2009 at the University of St. Gallen. In a first part two papers on the dichotomy of stability and change (Feldman & Pentland, 2003; Garud & Karnoe, 2001) and one paper on the paradox in theory building (Poole & Van de Ven, 1989) have been discussed. In the second part of the workshop, David presented his paper project.

Dr. Daniel Bartl, recent PhD graduate, managing director of RISE, and consultant at Booz & Company published an article on the Booz & Company Global Innovation 1.000. The article was published in the Handelszeitung and in the Swiss Innovation Guide. In this article Daniel drew the conclusions of the Global Innovation 1.000 study for Switzerland and Germany. The article can be found under the following link:

Report on Booz & Company Global Innovation 1.000 study (German)

On Thursday February 5th 2009 RISE organized a workshop together with its company partners on “The Interplay between Entrepreneurship and Management". The workshop took place in Zurich at the headquarters of software company Netcetera AG. After an introduction of RISE Management Director Dr. Daniel Bartl, Netcetera’s CEO Dr. Andrej Vckovski presented the development of the firms strategy from its beginning and the entrepreneurial challenges associated with it. After an extensive discussion Prof. Dr. Johannes Rueegg-Stuerm and Dr. Simon Grand framed this account of managerial practice from a theoretical perspective, introducing their new research program of entrepreneurial management.

The last RISE Workshop on November 6th 2008 explored the management of innovation processes that effectively turn ideas into new products and services. Thereby it moved into a new environment being functional consumer and industrial products where innovation management comprehensively integrates design, engineering, manufacturing and customer interaction. Dieter Marxer, Member of the Board of NOVENTA Engineering AG, offered a visual impression of NOVENTA’s way to innovate. Exploring innovation in this particular context is a consequence of the new collaboration between RISE and Prof. Dr. Urs Füglistaller, Director of the Swiss Research Institute of Small Business and Entrepreneurship at the University of St. Gallen. Prof. Dr. Urs Füglistaller contributedn with his expert knowledge in research and practice of small and mid-sized businesses, as well as with his knowledge of NOVENTA Engineering AG.

Today Florian Bertram presented his research on “The Strategic Mangement of Innovation: Resource Allocation and the Creation of new and uncertain Opportunities” at the research seminar of the Sol C. Snider Entrepreneurial Center of the Wharton School.

On October 2nd 2008 Steven Floyd presented his work on “The managerial Knowledge Base underlying the Process of Strategic Renewal” in this months’ RISE Colloquium. In the first part Steve and the participants discussed two of Steve’s papers, one published and one in the status of review and resubmit as well as a Burgelman (1991). Purpose of this discussion was to provide the context for the current working paper that was discussed in the second part of the colloquium and to give an overview on Steve’s work.

In the second part, of the workshop Steve presented his current working paper “The managerial Knowledge Base underlying the Process of Strategic Renewal"which was followed by a lively discussion. In a third part the participants discussed current opportunities to contribute to the research program of strategic entrepreneurial competence.

The RISE Colloquium on September 4th 2008 was concerned with “The Strategic Mangement of Innovation: Resource Allocation and the Creation of new and uncertain Opportunities". In a first part two papers of strategy process research where discussed in terms of their contribution to a creation of opportunities in the strategy process. Furthermore Actor Network Theory was discussed as a potential theoretical framework to describe and explain entrepreneurial and strategic action inside the strategy process. In a third part Florian Bertram presented his research on resource allocation to new and uncertain opportunities.