We will hold KIMAP Research seminar on October 6th

We will hold KIMAP Research Seminar on October 6th, 2026.

Date & Time

Tuesday, October 6th, 2026
1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Presenter

Dr. Max Mulhuijzen (Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)

Title

Realising the public benefits of underground innovation

Abstract

Underground innovation is the development of innovations by employees that are unsanctioned, unsupervised, and developed without official company resources. Such projects can take up to 70% of employees’ time and propel technological breakthroughs, like Toshiba’s first laptop. Their significance is anticipated to further increase with the democratisation of tools that augment individuals’ skillsets to innovate, like GenAI. Recent evidence, however, indicates that most underground innovations never surface due to a lack of incentives for employees to disclose. Most underground innovations remain private information of the innovators, leading to diffusion failure and untapped productivity. Scholars advised the careful design of idea-management systems and crowdsourcing campaigns to surface underground innovations, but such interventions can hardly compensate for employees’ underground innovation efforts and are, as such, ineffective. In this presentation, Dr. Max Mulhijzen will share his insights into the phenomenon of underground innovation and its diffusion failure. Based on projects with Ford Motor Company and the Dutch National Police, he will present the disconnect between employees’ motivations to innovate underground and their proactive dissemination, labelled proactivity constraints. Dr. Max Mulhuijzen will also present his future research agenda on this topic—as an invitation to join underground innovation research.

Venue

Medium Conference Room (Rokko-dai 1st Campus, Building Ⅲ 1F)

Language

English

Intended Participants

Professors and Graduate students of GSBA, Kobe University

How to register

No advance registration required (please come directly to the venue)

Contact

Yu Xin (Associate Professor of GSBA, Kobe University)
yuxin[at]people.kobe-u.ac.jp