Is innovation always positive? Is innovation the way out from, or the reason to the current global economic crisis? Are you able to catch the weak signals and early trends in your industry?

The Hanken Focus Forum seminar will raise the issue on how to improve the net effect that innovation has on the goal of achieving increased well-being in Finnish society. Public debate on innovation tends to focus on maximising the intended positive effects of innovations, but often ignores the often less beneficial unintended consequences for society as a whole. Could we improve the effectiveness by paying more attention to minimising unintended and undesirable effects and consequences that innovation can have on society?

The seminar will be arranged on 16 April 2012 at the Hanken School of Economics. During the seminar the book 'Challenging the Innovation Paradigm' will also be launched.

Agenda

14.00 Welcome and introduction.

14.15 The future of innovation - Report from EU research project
Dr. Karl-Heinz Leitner, Austrian Institute of Technology

Coffee break

15.15 Panel discussion: How do we improve the effectiveness of innovation in achieving higher well-being for all people in Finnish society in the future?

Esa Saarinen, Philosopher, Professor, Aalto University
Ville Niinistö, Minister of the Environment
Ville Miettinen, CEO, Microtask Oy, winner of the Red Herring Innovation Award
Timo Hämäläinen, Sitra fellow, Ph.D., Dos.,Strategic research, Finnish innovation fund, Sitra
Guy Ahonen, Director, Knowledge Management, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health

16.30 Challenging the Innovation Paradigm
Presentation of Hanken research project on unintended consequences of innovation.
Professor Karl-Erik Sveiby, Ph.D. Pernilla Gripenberg, Ph.D. Beata Segercrantz

17.00 Cocktails

Please register to the seminar by 5.4.2012 here