We start with a common understanding of innovation as the process of creating new “things” out of useful and novel ideas, followed by creating new values once the “new things” become goods and/or services accepted by customers in the marketplace. It is the degree of ‘usefulness’ and ‘novelty’ that will determine the possible value a customer may realize, and thus a firm may gain when providing them to the market.

1. 2nd National Conference on Management and Higher Education
Trends & Strategies for Management & Administration
The Harsh Reality of Pursuing Innovations:
Emerging Market Perspectives
Quan Hoang Vuong, Ph.D.
Centre Emile Bernheim, Université Libre de Bruxelles (Belgium)
DHVP Research (Vietnam)
E-mail: qvuong@ulb.ac.be

2. Resource Curse
The probability of “poor-performance event” conditional on overemphasis on capital
resource AND physical assets in absence of “innovation innovation” factor is extremely high: ~98%
following Vuong & Napier (2014)(*). Pursuit of “capital” has much stronger effect on
increased riskiness. We call it “transition turmoil”.
*
(*)Vuong, Q.H., and Napier, N.K. (2014). Resource curse or destructive creation in transition:
evidence from Vietnam’s corporate sector. Management Research Review, 37(7), 642-657.

3. The Growth Engine
• Entrepreneurial Efforts
– Disciplined process of
creating knowledge
• Innovation Capacity
– Continuous innovation

4. Entrepreneurship & Innovation:
the Best‐fit Predictor
Orientation
Resource Prospect Total
Failure Rent-seeking 8 29 37
Innovation 0 10 10
Fraud Rent-seeking 181 19 200
Innovation 5 4 9
194 62 256
Business Approach: Rent-seeking vs. Innovation-making
Corporate Orientation: Tapping out resources vs. Seeking prospective markets
M&A Acquiring Pursuit: Assets & brands vs. Innovation Capacity & willingness

5. Some evidence
• The evidence tells about results of a model where
– The dummy variable x1 represents “pursuit of physical resources”
– The probability π represents a conditional probability of “fraud” when
x1=TRUE
• Remarks:
– Pursuit of ““resource”” increases the risk of becoming a financial fraud
– The probability is staggering: almost 96%
– Both “rent-seeking” and “resource” together become significant, and their
“interaction” has a influence on increasing risk level, collectively leading the
probability to almost 97%.

6. “Innovation” factor
• Innovation can enter the equation as a factor that hedges against the
increasing risk of poor performance and/or frauds.
• Innovation helps reduce the problem of resource misallocation, and
mitigate the adverse effect on “resource curse” problem.
• Unfortunately, it has not been widely accepted or adopted due largely to
myopic management and short-termism in today’s business world.
• Some major issues:
– Clichés
– Half-hearted pursuit and arbitrary implementation
– Absence of an appropriate ecosystem
– Outside of strategic determination
– Measurement issues

7. 3D Conceptual Design for Innovation Process

8. Aha!Moment, Serendipity and 3D Methods
• Aha!Moment
– Long‐standing problems that are well researched
– Step by step iterations
– Solutions arrive at a critical time
• Serendipity as a strategic advantage
– Noticing unexpected info including new data and strange patterns
– Flash evaluation based on built knowledge base, experience and sense
– Connecting the dots
• 3‐Disciplines approach
– Out‐of‐discipline search for ideas/concepts
– Best expertise in the discipline
– Best practices in applying disciplined process in making innovation
– Both Aha!Moment and Serendipity approaches are used in 3‐D
– Multiple filters processes & concept of “mindsponge”

9. “Je ne cherche pas, je trouve”

10. Einstein: Information is NOT Knowledge

11. Inclusive Innovation Metrics
Academic Institutions Strategic Advisor Business Associations
Market Testing:
Feb. – May 2014
Advisory Services:
Since June 2014

12. Survey
• 40 firms from 11 provinces
– 24/40 larger (total assets greater than US$4.7 million); 16/40 smaller
– Total annual revenue of approx. US$2 billion
– Estimated growth rate (average) ~15%
– Employing 35,000 workers
• Sample expected to increase
• Increasing awareness and supports from governmental agencies
• Improved coordination and implementation
• Part of CSR

13. i2Metrix: Expanding Survey Sample
19 Firms 25 Firms 40 Firms
O t t
Output
9.0
C-Readiness Differentiation
8.0
Implementation 7.0 Trend-setting
6.0
Mindsponge Innovator
Multi-Filtering F-Resources
Supports

14. i2Metrix: Large vs. Small Firms
i2M Large Size i2M Small Size
Output
9.0
8.0
p
C-Readiness Differentiation
Implementation 7.0 Trend-setting
6.0
Mindsponge Innovator
Multi-Filtering F-Resources
Supports

15. “Mindsponge”: Learn and Unlearn Values

16. Multi‐Filtering & Mindsponge:
Dimensions of Innovation Capacity
Histogram of Multi-Filtering Histogram of Mindsponge

17. Firm’s Pursuit of Innovation
10
9
8
7
Measure
6
i2M
5
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Firm

18. i2Metrix: On‐going Experiment
i2M Team interviewing corporate
managers
i2M Team at International
Innovation Business Forum
Participants include Vietnam’s
Science and Technology Minister,
Swiss Ambassador to Vietnam,
international researchers, and
corporate executives.

19. Remarks
• Innovation capacity is NOT about “slogans,” “PR campaigns” or clichés.
– Investment in HRM, information process, strategic management,
entrepreneurial orientation, even if the firms undertaking it are well established.
• Overexcitement may create pitfalls for not just startups and young SMEs,
but also established firms
– due to uncontrollability of the process and high degree of uncertainty of a
typical process of making, adopting and diffusing new innovations.
• Methods for better management of the innovation process are a critical
requirement for firms in their “innovating time”
– Measurement and benchmarking components that help to identify areas of
weakness and pitfalls, and to avoid “innovation curse” whenever possible.
• Market as the determining factor
– Innovators’’ assumption and illusion about market opportunities are a major
source of risk
– Innovation has its context and “innovativeness” has to fit a context, given
realistic market demand.

20. Agenda
• TIGERS@Mekong
– http://tuoitrenews.vn/business/12647/tigersmekong-strategy-meeting-held-in-hcmc
• Streamlining i2Metrix framework
• Expanding survey / focusing on “entrepreneurship + innovation”
• Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam

21. Thanks
• Participants at the conference and the organizers
• Participatory firms and their managers in the i2Metrix program
• Advisers and colleagues:
– Mr. Dang Le Nguyen Vu (Trung Nguyen Coffee Group),
– Dr. Nancy K. Napier (Boise State University),
– Dr. Dolly Samson (Stamford Intl University),
– Mr. Mike Ducker (J.E. Austin Associates),
– Mr. Tran Tri Dung and DHVP Research,
– Mrs. Vu Kim Hanh and BSA staff.