PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a review of literature that establishes the factors affecting the ability of an organisation to absorb and apply knowledge. The review aims to draw from literature on the resource‐based view of the firm, dynamic capabilities, organisational learning, knowledge management and technological innovation. The paper then seeks to present a model of knowledge translation capability synthesised from the literature review.Design/methodology/approachThe model that is synthesised from the literature review draws on three streams of work. First, the work of Dorothy Leonard on technological capability; second, the I‐space model of knowledge assets developed by Max Boisot; and third, other work based in the organisational learning and innovation management literature. The model is illustrated using a case study of an innovation project.FindingsThe effective development of a knowledge translation capability requires attention to a network of both formal and informal structures/activities across an organisation. Together these activities constitute a dynamic capability that operates iteratively throughout the whole organisation and are an example of triple‐loop learning processes.Practical implicationsThe paper will prove useful to other academics in the area of technological innovation and practising managers who can use the model to evaluate their own organisation's knowledge translation capability.Originality/valueThe advantage of the model presented is that, unlike other discussions of dynamic capability, the link between conceptual level description and real world activities has been made more distinct. By recognising relevant organisational structures and relationships, it becomes possible to takes steps to assess their performance and then manage their improvement.

Purpose -This paper aims to set out a framework that can be used for locating strategies for incorporating patient and public involvement (PPI) in the wider process of translative healthcare research. Design/methodology/approach -This paper is analytical and synthesizes knowledge from several disciplines in order to provide a coherent framework for understanding the scope and purpose of PPI. The framework sets out four idealised strategies for PPI based on mode and purpose of involvement. The paper concludes by summarising a range of implications for organisations involved in the governance of translative healthcare research. Findings -The framework defines four idealised strategies for PPI in translative healthcare research. The strategies range in purpose from collecting patient data, through to improving public involvement and knowledge with respect to healthcare research. Practical implications -The framework presented has direct relevance for agencies concerned with the management and governance of translative healthcare research. The framework is relevant when either designing or auditing research pathways in terms of PPI activities. The framework is also important in highlighting to healthcare leaders, researchers, patients and the wider public, the potential role of participation in healthcare research. Originality/value -This paper's value is that it combines perspectives from the wider literature on innovation, user-led design and participation, to the problem of translative healthcare research.

No abstract

This paper presents a synthesis of the innovation literature applied to a theoretically important case of open innovation in the UK National Health Service. It draws in perspectives from other industrial sectors and applies them specifically to the management and organisation of innovation activities around health technology and the services in which they are embedded.

Public sector healthcare services are both large users and innovators of health technologies. In the UK's National Health Service (NHS) initiatives have been developed to manage the process of technological innovation more effectively. This has two main aims, to maximize potential commercial returns from innovations developed within the NHS; and to improve levels of patient care through appropriate diffusion of innovations. The initiatives have been devised using approaches and processes already used in other public sector organizations, in particular, universities. Central to the approach taken by many universities is the setting up of a university technology transfer office (UTTO) to provide innovation management services. This paper assesses the extent to which the UTTO-based approach to technology transfer matches the needs of the NHS. Several significant factors are identified that suggest that the two sectors merit different approaches to innovation management. An agenda for further research into health service innovation management processes is suggested that emphasises issues including: the relative roles of formal and informal innovation processes; contingent variables affecting design of innovation processes; limitations of technology-push approaches to managing practice-based innovation; and cultural fit of innovation management models.