Isabelle Uner
Isabelle's research interests lie in organisational culture, leadership, and entrepreneurship, especially within creative industries. She has previously studied Design Management, which has shaped her research approach to reflect the principles of design thinking, human-centredness and interdisciplinarity. She is also interested in combining qualitative and quantitative approaches within her research to build an enhanced understanding of her field.
Research
How can social network analysis inform the development of new approaches to collaborative networking for increased intellectual capital in creative manufacturing SMEs?
This research aims to contribute to the theoretical and practical relevance of intellectual capital in the success of creative manufacturing SMEs. My research will highlight the importance of intellectual capital as a predictor of success (Seilov et al, 2015), such as for independent jewellery manufacturers, artists, textile and fashion designers and the manufacturers and suppliers of resources within these sectors.
Through social network analysis and employing participatory design methods, I will enhance proactive engagement with innovation, collaboration, and knowledge exchange as critical intangible resources for creatives within the manufacturing industry, through the development of new collaborative networking methodologies.
I will incorporate interorganisational networking for building intellectual capital (Khalique et al., 2015, Jordão and Novas, 2017, Jordão et al, 2020), which is currently under-researched (Verbano and Crema, 2016). Additionally, a key factor for this research is the need for structured and systematic methodologies of collaboration.
The European Commission (Breque et al., 2021) has stressed that industries should be relying on the strength of SMEs, creating localised industrial ecosystems that share common principles by applying strategic and systematic approaches to transformation (Breque et al., 2021).
The project will combine a grounded theory approach with the design thinking process. The methodology will use stages of discover, develop, design, and validate to build an understanding of how design thinking and structured methodologies can be used to bridge the gap between current and desired levels of intellectual capital.
Co-creation will play a key role in the develop and design stages. I have identified key stakeholders that I can engage in the co-creative workshops, such as Chambers of Commerce, West Midlands Growth Hub, Made in the Midlands and STEAMhouse.
References
- Breque, M., De Nul, L. and Petridis, A., 2021. Industry 5.0: towards a sustainable, human-centric and resilient European industry. Luxembourg, LU: European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation.
- Jordão, R.V.D. and Novas, J.C., 2017. Knowledge management and intellectual capital in networks of small-and medium-sized enterprises. Journal of intellectual capital, 18(3), pp.667-692.
- Jordão, R.V.D., Novas, J. and Gupta, V., 2020. The role of knowledge-based networks in the intellectual capital and organizational performance of small and medium-sized enterprises. Kybernetes, 49(1), pp.116-140.
- Seilov, G.A., 2015. Does the adoption of customer and competitor orientations make small hospitality businesses more entrepreneurial? Evidence from Kazakhstan. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 27(1), pp.71-86.
- Verbano, C. and Crema, M., 2016. Linking technology innovation strategy, intellectual capital and technology innovation performance in manufacturing SMEs. Technology analysis & strategic management, 28(5), pp.524-540.
Postgraduate supervisors
- Dr Mersha Aftab
- Professor Rachel Sara
Postgraduate Supervision
Isabelle is currently being supervised by the following supervisors:
- Dr Mersha Aftab
- Professor Rachel Sara
Publications
Conference presentations
- International STEAM Conference 2023 (Impact of empathy in STEM research: working practices of an interdisciplinary project) Seventeenth International Conference on Design Principles and Practices (The Role of Higher Education in Creating Futureproof Leaders).