Hva preger en utvalgt gruppe regionale innovasjonsbyråkraters oppfatninger og forståelse av begrepet innovasjon, når de hører, leser og benytter det selv?

Abstract

The article focuses on the characteristics and impacts in how some selected regional innovation co-workers understands the conceptions innovation and innovation process. The understanding of the two conceptions is characterized by the existence of three different interpretations. The interpretations expresses that the conceptions partly are perceived as “old wine in new bottles”, partly as professional conceptions which has to do with genuine innovations and economical profit, and for the last, partly as diluted conceptions used by most people, and too often. Institutional belonging seems to have some certain significance for which interpretation to be weighted the most. The co-workers gender, education or county belonging, however, doesn’t seem to have the same significance. The data are mainly gathered from in-depth interviews with 21 co-workers at the county governor’s agricultural department, the county councils department of business development, and Innovation Norway’s offices in two counties.