The R&D Management Conference not only moves about the world – this June it is in Paris – but it is also organised by a new team each time, supported by a conference office that facilitates the sharing of experiences and databases from one year to the next. We caught up with Sihem Jouini, a professor at HEC Paris, to ask her how she got involved.

Sihem’s research focuses on management of disruptive innovation, the organisation of exploration and new product development processes.

Sihem Jouini is a professor at HEC Paris.

She holds the Orange Chair in Innovation Management & Globalisation and the Safran Chair in High-Tech Innovation in Managem

Q What is your role in the R&D Management Conference?

I am professor at HEC (Business School) and associate researcher at the research center in management of Ecole Polytechnique (Engineering school).  For several years, both schools have have been developing strong and various partnerships with industry within the teaching programs as well as on research, so it is a good opportunity for us to manage the conference.

Ahead of the conference there is a Phd Colloquium, I am organising this with my colleague Svenja Sommer and  it will be held at the HEC in (Jouy en Josas, France.)

For the conference, I am working with Thierry Rayna and a group of professors and researchers from Ecole Polytechnique. The Conference that will be held at Ecole Polytechnique, (Palaiseau, France.)

Q2 Have you been to many previous conferences? If so, what have been the standout moments for you?

I have been to conferences at Grenoble, Cambridge and Milan and each time I have enjoyed the variety of the sessions, the link to innovation management at large and the interactions between academic and practitioners.

I remember presenting my research in a session and receiving very insightful comments from both perspectives, which is uncommon in other conferences.

Q3 Will the Paris conference have a similar format to the previous conferences or are you planning to introduce any new features?

We are working on introducing some new features. We intend to involve students from the Innovation and Design masters programme not only in the logistic aspect, in the way students are generally involved in conferences,  but as also in the content part.

Q4 What area of innovation and design are you researching?

I am very interested in the very different ways that established firms are introducing design and design thinking, both as a trigger and a driver of transformation for their innovation processes. With the rise of new and fast moving technologies such as big data, AI, etc.., focusing on the usage of these technologies and the users needs and behaviours is crucial.

Q5 If someone is interested in this area of research – what do you recommend they read to provide a good overview of the current thinking?

A forthcoming special issue of California Management Review dedicated to this subject.

We talked to

Sihem Jouini
Professeur Associé, HEC Paris
Titulaire de la Chaire Orange Management de l’innovation et Globalisation
Directrice du MS Management de Grands Projets et des majeures Projet Innovation Conception et Innovation & Entrepreneurship (ExecMBA)

More about the R&D Management Conference – click here.