Creative quartets re-arranged

CBS researcher wins EliteForsk travel award for innovation research

On Wednesday 27 January, Helge Sander and Crown Princess Mary will be presenting this year’s EliteForsk awards at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen. 45 Danish researchers are presented with awards amounting to DKK 12 million. One of those is PhD Fellow Shannon O’Donnell from the Department of Management, Politics and Philosophy, who will receive a travel grant for exceptionally talented, young PhD fellows. She will be going to the MIT Sloan School of Management in Boston to continue her innovation research.

What do music and innovation have in common?

The study conducted by Shannon O’Donnel in cooperation with Professor Robert Austin is focused on different types of cooperation. Shannon O’Donnel is going to examine how to apply new cooperation methods, how a specific type of cooperation works and the relevance of this type of cooperation to an organisation focused on creating innovative results.

Quartet cooperation

The unique aspect of this study is that the empirical evidence primarily consists of musical instruments. In the experiment, a string quartet is asked to sit separately, which is very unusual as musicians are often dependent on the presence and visual expression of their fellow musicians. The purpose of the study is to show the relationships and practices that are created under special circumstances – the results will be used on organisations in terms of innovation and management.

-I am really pleased to get the opportunity to go to Boston and continue my research. MIT is one of the world’s leading business schools, and it is the perfect environment for research within my field, Shannon O’Donnel says.