Empathic facilitation in innovation: combining diagnostic and dialogic practices
by Tero Montonen; Päivi Eriksson; Hanna Lehtimäki
International Journal of Services Technology and Management (IJSTM), Vol. 21, No. 1/2/3, 2015

Abstract: This paper focuses on empathy as a central but little researched aspect of the innovation process. We extend the discussion on innovators' empathy towards customers by adding a new angle: facilitators' empathy towards innovators. We elaborate on this new angle through the concept of 'empathic facilitation', which draws on a combination of diagnostic and dialogic organisation development and facilitation practice. Through an intensive case study, we show that empathic facilitation is a key element in the innovation process when using empathy as a vehicle for rapid, customer-oriented innovation. The findings indicate that while dialogic practice is a cost-effective way to strengthen and maintain customer perspective in the innovation process, diagnostic practice is required to increase the speed of the innovation process.

Online publication date: Wed, 12-Aug-2015

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