This document discusses introducing environmental aspects into corporate design activities. It argues that traditional intensive industrialization has led to economic, social and environmental crises. Current trends in Europe emphasize technological, eco and social innovation alongside sustainability. The presentation proposes developing a "smart eco-assistant" to help designers and SMEs integrate environmental aspects into their work. It describes the proposed assistant's architecture and scenarios. The project aims to help companies adopt systematic innovation management and incremental knowledge management to support more sustainable practices from an ecosystems perspective considering economic, social, environmental and cultural dimensions.

1. Innovating Corporate Management:
Introducing Environmental Aspects
to Design Activities
Eunika MERCIER-LAURENT
Knowledge & Innovation Management
Research Center IAE Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3
eunika.mercier-laurent@univ-lyon3.fr
http://innovation-ecosystems.eu

2. Agenda
• Context
• Convergence (eco-design)
• Conclusion & Perspectives
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3. Evolution of Economy
Knowledge
Knowledge
Economy
Economy
Industrial
Industrial
Economy
Economy
Agricultural
Agricultural
Economy
Economy
intangible
Hunters &
Hunters &
Gatherers
Gatherers
Scarcity &
Control
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3

4. Intensive industrialization
• faster, cheaper, better (Hammer,Hershman)
• > relocation > transportation >
unemployment >
• Economic and social crisis
• Environmental disaster
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5. Developing countries
• Economic stability
• Foreign investment
• % Employment
• Pollution ---Back to the 1960 ?
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6. Current trends in Europe
•
•
•
•
Technological innovation
Eco-innovation (transport, energy…)
Social innovation
Sustainability & Corporate Social
Responsibility
Warning: traditional management methods
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7. Need
• Smart assistant for professionals
involved in design
• and for SMEs
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8. Convergence
Eco-design
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9. Initial situation – 5D view
• Focus on sustainability aspects in
product lifecycle and communication
(1D)
Environment
Social
economy
Culture
Technology = social networks
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10. Balance in Innovation Ecosystems
(5D)
Economy
Culture
Society
Environment
Technology
© Eunika Mercier-Laurent
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11. Project objectives
• Help integrating environmental aspects
into design and related activities
• Education of new attitudes
• Simplify sustainability
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12. Smart eco-assistant
•
•
•
•
•
For and with designer’s & SME
Connecting 3 management levels
Feedback flow
Simulation of impacts
Game – training and assistant
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13. Research method
• Convergence of focuses 
• Analysis of a Knowledge Flow and
intangibles
• Assessment of the innovation
management
• Needs discovery > Specifications >
scenarios > demonstration > test (QS &
some selected SME IFTH)
• Feedback and improvement
• Generalization (future project)
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14. Difficulties – 3 fields
• Sustainability – focus on intangible
values
• Eco-design focus on norms and lifecycle
• IT (weak beginning of 2D)
Role of KM
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15. Architecture
Supports top manager to
Strategy
Evaluate company progress
Optimize organizational capabilities
and strategy
Supports managers and experts to
Tactics
Task planning based on corporate strategy and
dynamic contexts
Set up a roadmap to guide environmental actions
Supports collaborators to
Operations
Analyze critical interactions within the
corporate function during the R&D process
Develop models of DIK flow between
activities
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16. Exploration
• Top-down
• Bottom-up
• Middle-top-down
Feedback and influence
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17. Scenarios
• 2012 Feng Eco methods and tools
V1.pdf
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18. Innovation Ecosystems view
Support systems
neads
Research K
Education &
Training
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Knowledge
Models &
Techniques

19. Impact of the project
• Integration of systematic innovation
management
• Incremental Knowledge Management
for supporting the process
• 5D of innovation (economic !!)
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20. Conclusions
• Way of thinking is the key of successful
innovation
• Mental flexibility (capability to serve 2
goals)
• Collaboration instead of separation
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21. Conclusions & Perspectives
•
•
•
•
KM is basic for successful innovation
ICT
Evolution of management method
Importance of fun --- Convergence 2
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22. Discusion
• What management method for
sustainable business and planet ?
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23. What management?
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24. Innovation Ecosystems &KM
Complex
Problems
Support systems
Challenges
Users
Feedback
Technology
transfer
Research
Education &
Training 3W
Knowledge
Models
&Techniques
© Eunika Mercier-Laurent, 2008
Environment
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25. Conditions for « surviving »
• 5D « glaces »
• System & holistic thinking for problem
solving
• Manage knowledge nurishing the
innovation process
• ICT for creativity, simulation,
optimization, feedback, learning,
Business Intelligence…
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26. Sustainable development
• Oxymoron
• Is sustainability more important than
economy? (CSR)
• Is it possible?
• How?
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27. Innovation & Sustainable
Development
• Eco-innovation EU program
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/inaction/index_en.htm
• Horizon 2020
http://ec.europa.eu/research/horizon2020/index_en.cfm?p
g=h2020
• United Nations
http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org
• Side effects:
– Green business (solutions & labels…)
– Green washing 
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28. Innovation
• Idea to product
• Idea to value
• Idea to sustainable success of all
participants (E. Mercier-Laurent)
• Creation, evolution, exchange and
application of new ideas into marketable
goods and services for:
• the success of an enterprise
• the vitality of a nation's economy
• the advancement of society (D.Amidon, 1997)
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29. Innovation process
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