2020 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
Shaping spaces of innovation communities - The role of promoters in German-Japanese networks
| Project/Area Number |
20K01167
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| Research Institution | Ritsumeikan University |
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Principal Investigator |
Schlunze R.D 立命館大学, 経営学部, 教授 (70319599)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
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| Keywords | proximity / teamwork / innovative spaces / community practice / participative research / mixed method / intercultural / management geography |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
Participative observation in diverse DJW Squad meetings:In pilot phase semi-structured interviews with checklists have been facilitated. I conducted participative observations in several DJW meetings such as the Squads IT, Start-up, Legal, Member to member. I visualized and evaluated Squad networks. Observation revealed that visibility of particular promotors in the network can conflicts the alignment with the DJW Squad. Vennmaker charts drawn from the meeting show how members compete to be perceived as core members. The low number of Japanese DJW participants is perceived as a problem.
Preparing an online network questionnaire: An online network questionnaire with support of the German IT company, Kronenwett & Alphonse, was build. More than ten meetings for receiving consultancy for the online network questionnaire were conducted in November 2020 to March 2021. Time was needed to develop technical features such an instant visualization of the network information. Since March 2021 pretest to prepare the online survey were conducted.
Preparations for any informal participatory survey: The objectives of the survey investigate the six proximities and channels of promoter activities to evaluate the formation and performance of innovative spaces of German Japanese networks. The role and the intercultural competence of the promoters in these innovative networks is in the center of the survey.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
Covid-19 made it impossible to travel to Germany for conducting F2F interview as planned in 2020 but I actually interviewed DJW members in February 2020 in purpose to build a questionnaire. However, building an online network questionnaire took more time as expected since new technical features needed to be created making possible the instant visualization of the interviewee’s networking. Since F2F interviews in summer 2020 and spring 2021 were not possible because of the corona crises I put more effort on gathering secondary data. Thus, a sample about 243 agile members has been compromised and will be visualized with network analysis using the software R for network analysis. Another sample with more than 31 members who have taken a promoter role for DJW at the level of regular meetings such as Asa-no-Kai has been compromised facilitating homepage information. I needed to postponed my stay at University of Duesseldorf during from spring term to winter term 2021 because of the precarious situation in Germany. Taking Covid-19 precaution I hope to meeting with DJW members in Osaka, Nagoya and Tokyo conducting interviews in summer 2021.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
Quantitative and Qualitative data are gathered concurrently in a convergent design. Mixed method applied combines inductive and deductive logic with adductive approach. This research uses the multiple-case method to obtain information to determine whether the findings of one Squad case are present in another in order to justify generalization. To answer the research question triangulation will be conducted.
In June 2021 online questionnaire will be launched to survey agile members' proximity and network practices. The members network will be visualized according to the research question clarifying the crucial network density of agile members. The participatory observation at the level of the Squad intercultural will be conducted on 3rd Friday and comprising following topics: Intercultural Team Building; Leading teams with empathy and Emotional intelligence (EQ); Promoting spaces of innovative teamwork. The information will be facilitated for qualitative analysis. I will start my field research or overseas research study at Duesseldorf University in October 2021. Then, I hope to meeting with DJW members who have been cooperating with the online survey then. I am planning to introduce the improved research framework and preliminary results at the 2021 EAMSA conference in Lodz, Poland.
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| Causes of Carryover |
I proposed to conduct F2F interviews in Germany during the summer and spring vacation. However, because of the pandemic crisis the study trip to Germany was technically not possible.
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