Mikael Johnsson, innovation team postdoc

• Post by: Tobias Larsson
• 13th December 2016
• 1 Comment

Dr. Mikael Johnsson is a postdoctoral researcher at BTH, employed to continue his research on innovation teams (dissertation here), and is part of the KKS research profile Model Driven Development and Decision Support. 

WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND?

I was born in, and still live in Västerås, Sweden. I earned my bachelor degree in 2006 in Innovation Management, followed by some years where I focused on my own inventions and to advice other innovators and companies to develop their ideas to new products and services. My interest for research grew during that time, and my research journey started at Mälardalen University where I earned my licentiate degree in 2013 within the field of Innovation Management. This was followed by further studies at BTH where I earned my doctoral degree within Mechanical Engineering in 2016, which led me to this postdoctoral occupation.

I love to work out off the office. My best working moments are in a busy place with a lot of activities going on, e.g. a café or bar, a lobby, a train station or anywhere where I can interact with what’s going on, and to get influences from the reality. I love innovation from any possible perspective, e.g. to help companies to implement innovation in their organisation, to educate students in theoretical and practical innovation management, to practice it by myself and to conduct research. I really enjoy observing people doing what they do in their everyday work and to reflect on what is seen as norms, as all this is knowledge stimulating new ideas to be born.

Besides from research, I really enjoy driving some kind of vehicle, experience new places and photographing. And of course, to spend time with my wife and our grown up kids.

WHAT DO YOU DO IN RESEARCH?

All companies are depending on innovation if they want to stay in business in the long run, but prior research show that this has to be conducted an ever-increased speed. Based on that I have conducted research in how to created innovation teams that can speed up innovation work by acting in an agile way.

My research has, so far, focused on factors that enable innovation teams to conduct innovation work. During my research I have identified some critical factors, and developed both models and methodologies to explain how innovation teams emerge and can be created without group related problems. Now, my research will focus on implementing this knowledge in the industry and evaluate its outcomes to gain new knowledge.

WHAT IS YOUR EXPERIENCE IN TEACHING?

My teaching has focused on a course where the students must use both their theoretical knowledge from mechanical engineering and at the same time being creative, where they develop new components to an existing product to improve its simplicity without affecting its functionality in a negative way.

Except from that, I’m well experienced from my prior career in conducting seminars and workshops to educate individuals and companies with practical hands-on advice to stepwise develop their ideas to the market, and by that learning the handcraft of innovation management.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO BRING TO THE BTH COMMUNITY AND PARTNERS?

I hope BTH and partners will appreciate my interest of action inspired research, and to implement new knowledge in their organisations as a part of our results. I also hope that I can contribute to an increased network of new partners, and initiative to new research projects connecting to the research profile of Model Driven Development and Decision Support.

On a personal level I hope my passion for innovation will result in new courses and research projects that, in addition to keeping up collaboration with already established students and companies, to attract new students and companies to collaborate with BTH.