Management Innovation and Change Processes

Management innovation encompasses the development, adaptation and implementation of novel managerial practices, processes and structures that enable organisations to respond effectively to evolving environmental, technological and competitive pressures. Change processes describe the systematic series of actions and interactions through which these innovations are introduced, embedded and sustained within organisations. At their core, management innovations emerge from both top-down strategic imperatives and bottom-up experimental approaches, often facilitated by dynamic capabilities that allow firms to sense and seize new opportunities while reconfiguring internal resources. Across sectors, from manufacturing to services and public administration, the successful orchestration of change processes hinges on collective sense-making, iterative learning and the translation of abstract concepts into context-specific routines. Consulting firms, intra-organisational networks and digital platforms serve as conduits for the dissemination of management ideas, while local adaptation ensures that global trends are refracted through unique institutional and cultural lenses. Recent decades have witnessed a proliferation of methodologies—such as Agile, Lean Startup and Design Thinking—underscoring a shift towards more experimental, data-driven and participatory forms of innovation management that prioritise adaptability and continuous improvement.

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Management Innovation and Change Processes publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in management innovation and change processes across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Managerial experimental approaches (MEAs): Structured methodologies—such as Lean Startup, Agile, Design Thinking and Growth Hacking—that employ iterative testing and rapid feedback to develop and refine business models.

Business model dynamics: The mechanisms and trajectories through which an organisation’s value creation, delivery and capture evolve over time in response to internal initiatives and external shifts.

Translation theory: A lens for understanding how managerial ideas are adapted, interpreted and enacted within different organisational contexts, emphasising the co-creation of meaning between idea and recipient.

Agile management practices: A set of principles and practices centred on incremental delivery, cross-functional collaboration and responsiveness to change, originally rooted in software development.

Digital transformation: The strategic integration of digital technologies into all aspects of an organisation, fundamentally altering operations, value chains and customer experiences.

References

1. Managerial experimental approaches and business model dynamics: a systematic literature review. Review of Managerial Science (2025).
2. Translating agile management practices into a traditional industry context. Journal of Product Innovation Management (2024).
3. Unveiling blind spots in consulting firms’ disseminating discourse on digital transformation. Information Systems and e-Business Management (2024).