This thought-provoking volume presents a more nuanced view – through a number of paired chapters for and against, as well as more general critiques of innovation and several suggested new lines of inquiry, the book will be of interest to all with a broader interest in innovation.

Part I. Innovation – Where We Are and How We Got Here.- Chapter 1. Introduction, Alf Rehn and Anders Örtenblad.- Chapter 2. Innovation, Labor Displacement, and the Role of the State: The Classical Economists’ Perspective, Samuel Hollander.- Chapter 3. Innovation Ethics, Thomas Taro Lennerfors and Kiyoshi Murata.- Part II. Some General Critiques of Innovation.- Chapter 4. Creative Continuation—An Alternative Perspective on Innovation and Society, Jon P. Knudsen.- Chapter 5. Image, Imperatives, and Ideology in the Innovation Industry, Alf Rehn.- Part III. For and Against Business Model Innovation.- Chapter 6. In Search for the Holy Grail in Management Research: A Review of the Benefits of Business Model Innovation, Thomas Clauß.- Chapter 7. A Critique of Business Model Innovation, La Ode Sabaruddin and Fathiro Hutama Reksa Putra.- Part IV. For and Against Social Innovation.- Chapter 8. The Pros of Social Innovation, Luis Rubalcaba and Ernesto Solano.- Chapter 9. Against Social Innovation, Nidhi Srinivas.- Part V. For and Against Service Innovation.- Chapter 10. For Service Innovation: Some Arguments in Favor of Services and Innovation in Services, Faridah Djellal, Camal Gallouj, and Faïz Gallouj.- Chapter 11. Against Service Innovation: Why Service Innovation is Not Sustainable, Lars Witell, Per Carlborg, and Hannah Snyder.- Part VI. For and Against Open Innovation.- Chapter 12. For Open Innovation, Lykke Margot Ricard and Sergio Jofre.- Chapter 13. What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Reflections on Potential Challenges of Open Innovation, Pia Hurmelinna-Laukkanen, Ioana Stefan, and Jialei Yang.- Part VII. The Road Forward From Here.- Chapter 14. What Does It Take? Feminist Readings of Innovation Studies, Sine N. Just and Sara Dahlman.- Chapter 15. Non-western perspectives on innovation, Abhinav Chaturvedi.- Chapter 16. Innovation, AI, and Materiality: Learning from the Arts, Astrid Huopalainen.- Chapter 17. Peace Piece: On the Machiavellian Moment in Organizational Innovation, Karl Palmås and Stefan Molnar.- Chapter 18. The Animal Spirits of Innovation: On Companion Species, Creativity, and Olly the Airport Cat, Damian O’Doherty.- Chapter 19. The Future(s) of Innovation, Alf Rehn.   

“For decades we have been told that innovation is a good thing, and that it will help us solve problems from hair loss to the climate crisis. But what if innovation is the problem? Fast capitalism relies on the whirlwind of the new, when now we seem to need slowness, nostalgia and steady state economies. In this provocative book, the authors encourage us to think beyond cliches about the shiny future and instead think harder about what it might mean to treat novelty with suspicion.”— Martin Parker, Professor of Organisation, University of Bristol, UK“This is a great book, as not just another praising of innovation, but offering critique, perspectives and nuances that are both refreshing and relevant. It will serve as a lens for the reader, making sense of innovation and the unfolding future thereof.”— Christer Windeløv-Lidzélius, CEO at Kaospilot, Denmark"An enjoyable and unconventional venture by a multi-vocal choir of scholars to question innovation critically. Mostly refreshing is the way the book doesn’t stop short at just critiquing but having the courage and ambition to push forward, providing both “musts” and “shoulds” for innovation studies."— Marcus Lindahl, Chair of Industrial Engineering & Management, Uppsala University, SwedenDespite its complexity, innovation is often depicted within academic literature as a phenomenon that is innately good and always necessary. This thought-provoking volume presents a more nuanced view – through a number of paired chapters for and against, as well as more general critiques of innovation and several suggested new lines of inquiry, the book will be of interest to all with a broader interest in innovation.Alf Rehn is Professor of Innovation, Design, and Management at the University of Southern Denmark. He is also active as a strategic advisor and a keynote speaker. His research focuses on power and culture in creativity and innovation.Anders Örtenblad is Professor of Working Life Science at the School of Business and Law, University of Agder, Norway, and Professor II at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Norway. He is the founder and editor of the book series Palgrave Debates in Business and Management.

“For decades we have been told that innovation is a good thing, and that it will help us solve problems from hair loss to the climate crisis. But what if innovation is the problem? Fast capitalism relies on the whirlwind of the new, when now we seem to need slowness, nostalgia and steady state economies. In this provocative book, the authors encourage us to think beyond cliches about the shiny future and instead think harder about what it might mean to treat novelty with suspicion.” (Martin Parker, Professor of Organisation Studies and Director of the Bristol Inclusive Economy Initiative, University of Bristol, United Kingdom) “This is a great book. It offers depth and goes wide when trying to understand the concept of innovation. It is just not another praise of innovation, but one offering critique, perspectives and nuances that are both refreshing and relevant. It will serve as a lens for the reader, making sense of innovation and the unfolding future thereof.” (Christer Windeløv-Lidzélius, CEO at Kaospilot, Denmark and Professor of Business Design, Saint Paul Escola de Negócios, São Paulo, Brazil)"An enjoyable and unconventional venture by a multi-vocal choir of scholars to question innovation critically. Mostly refreshing is the way the book doesn’t stop short at just critiquing but having the courage and ambition to push forward, providing both “musts” and “shoulds” for innovation studies. Not always pleasant remedies but well-argued and thought-provoking." (Marcus Lindahl, Chair of Industrial Engineering & Management and Dean of Collaboration, Uppsala University, Sweden)

Provides a forum for academics to debate and discuss the concept of innovation Draws on an international and interdiscplinary range of perspectives Explores a diverse range of topics, including non-Western perspectives