Professor Jin Chen of Tsinghua University is a leading authority in the field of innovation management. His work provides a comprehensive, China-centric perspective on how to foster and manage innovation, from the corporate to the national level.

On the Philosophy and Culture of Innovation

  1. Innovation as a civilizational driver: "Innovation and the progress of civilization are eternal topics of human development." [1] This learning emphasizes that innovation is not merely an economic or technological activity but a fundamental force shaping human history. [1]
  2. The necessity of an innovation-friendly environment: "When we talk about innovation now, the general mention is to increase investment, but a good innovation environment is equally important." [2]
  3. Innovation must be part of the national spirit: To foster a culture of innovation, it's crucial to "vigorously promote the spirit of scientific rationality and the awareness of integrity in innovation, to form an innovation culture that encourages creation and the pursuit of excellence in the whole society, and to promote innovation to become an important part of the national spirit." [2]
  4. Tolerance for failure is non-negotiable: An innovative culture must "advocate a hundred schools of thought contending and tolerate failure." [2] It should "allow for extensive exploration and reasonable failure in scientific research and innovation activities." [2]
  5. Combining organized innovation with free exploration: The goal is to build an innovation culture "that not only focuses on major national needs but also tolerates failure, and realizes the organic combination of organized innovation and free exploration." [2]
  6. The core of corporate innovation culture: "For corporate innovation, the creation of an innovation culture needs to further promote the entrepreneurial spirit... It is necessary to stimulate the curiosity of all employees and their work style of free exploration but also continuous improvement. In other words, giving play to the entrepreneurial spirit and the spirit of craftsmanship is the foundation of corporate innovation culture." [2]
  7. Protecting innovators is foundational: A key to fostering innovation is to "establish and improve the legal environment for protecting innovation as soon as possible... and to protect the legitimate rights and interests of innovators through relevant legal measures so that they can carry out innovation activities with dignity and security." [2]
  8. People-centered innovation: China should "adhere to people-centered innovation, and constantly unleash the innovative vitality of the broad masses of the people." [1]

On Innovation Strategy and Paradigms

  1. Holistic and Integrative Innovation: Professor Chen has developed the idea of "holistic innovation," which adopts a systemic view of technological innovation. [3] This contrasts with purely analytical approaches.
  2. Integrative Innovation Defined: He defines "integrative innovation" as achieving innovative output by effectively allocating resources through a strategy-led approach that is open, collaborative, and comprehensive. [4]
  3. The Chinese approach to thinking: He contrasts the Western "atomic" way of thinking, which emphasizes analysis and decomposition, with the Chinese way of "caring for the whole and thinking systematically." [4] This holistic view considers the integration of parts and the whole, individuals and the collective, and strategy and culture. [4]
  4. Strategy as the guiding force: In his integrative innovation model, "strategic leadership" is placed in a commanding position, emphasizing higher-level thinking and a view of the overall situation. [4]
  5. Original Innovation is the ultimate goal: "Original innovation is the most fundamental type of innovation, the one that best reflects wisdom, and an important manifestation of a nation's contribution to the progress of human civilization." [5]
  6. Moving beyond imitation: As traditional growth drivers fade, "strengthening original innovation capabilities, cultivating new growth drivers for the future, and accelerating the transformation of production factors such as technology and data into new quality productive forces have become inevitable choices." [5]
  7. The challenge of the "no-man's land": As more fields enter the "no-man's land" of research, "the importance and difficulty of original innovation have become more prominent." [2]
  8. Disruptive innovation as a new paradigm: Disruptive innovation, centered on disruptive technology, enables rapid technological leadership by shifting away from existing technological paths. [5]
  9. Meaningful Innovation: Professor Chen advocates for a "meaningful innovation paradigm," which likely integrates purpose and value beyond purely economic gains. [6]
  10. Cooperative Innovation: In times of challenge, he encourages companies to "cooperate in innovation, accelerate digital transformation and the restructure of industrial chains." [7]

On National and Corporate Innovation Systems

  1. Enterprises as the main force of innovation: "Enterprises have become the main force in the high growth of R&D investment in our country... the main body status of enterprises in scientific and technological innovation has been significantly enhanced." [8]
  2. The role of government and scientists: "Scientists and government departments have become the backbone of promoting the progress of human civilization at present." [1]
  3. The masses as a driving force: "...the masses and users are an important driving force for future global innovation." [1]
  4. Deepening the fusion of technology and industry: It is essential to "continuously promote the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation to further enhance international competitiveness." [8]
  5. Strengthening original research: To enhance original innovation, we must "vigorously lay out and carry out strategic basic research, demand-driven basic research, and free-exploration basic research." [8]
  6. Diversifying funding for basic research: It is important to "increase the proportion of basic research funding in the total R&D funding and create a pattern of diversified sources of funding for basic research." [8]
  7. Demand-oriented technology transfer: A key mechanism is to "establish a demand-oriented technology achievement transformation mechanism to promote the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation." [8]
  8. The Firm Innovation System (FIS): Professor Chen has researched the concept of a "Firm Innovation System" as a pathway to enhance a company's indigenous innovation capability. [6]
  9. Developing high-level entrepreneurship: "How to forge a high-level entrepreneurial spirit to cope with the strategic transformation in the process of technological and industrial change is something we are very concerned about." [9]
  10. The core task for the future: "No matter how the global political and economic environment changes, cultivating outstanding entrepreneurs who have insight into the new direction of future industrial change is the core content." [9]
  11. The importance of talent: In building innovation capacity, it is crucial to "gather a group of 'leading' talents." [2]
  12. The need for technological ambition: Nations and companies must have "more technological ambition" to push the frontiers of what is possible. [2]

Sources:

Learn more:

  1. "Innovation and the development of human civilization" by Jin CHEN and Shuo YANG - Journal of Science and Technology Management
  2. 观点｜陈劲：谈中国创新文化及科技创新
  3. Jin Chen - Thinkers50
  4. 陈劲新书《整合式创新》：突破传统探索新时代创新范式| 开卷有益
  5. 陈劲：新质生产力对科技创新的新要求丨清华经管说 - MBAChina网
  6. CHEN Jin-Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management-SEM Library
  7. CHEN Jin: Encourage companies to cooperate in innovation, accelerate digital transformation and the restructure industrial chains
  8. 陈劲：持续提升创新能力，赋能高质量发展 - 清华大学
  9. 陈劲：如何锻造高水平企业家精神，是我们非常关心的 - 凤凰网财经
  10. 陈劲 - 清华大学习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想研究院