Prof. Thorsten Grohsjean (Bocconi University)
Datum: Dienstag, 2. August
Zeit: 12:00 - 13:30
Ort: Raum 006, Kaulbachstr. 45, EG
Titel: ‘THE NEW NEEDS FRIENDS’: HOW CREATORS AID THE SELECTION OF NOVELTY
Abstract: Even when organizations seek novel ideas, they often select against them. Building on theories of the creative process that suggest a tight link between creating and selecting ideas we investigate how involving creators into the selection of ideas changes which ideas are selected. We theorize that creators increase the selection of novelty in two ways: creators (1) select more novel projects themselves and (2) influence selectors to do the same. The creators’ effect on the selection of novelty is driven by three channels: (1) by contributing more up-to-date knowledge; (2) by broadening the network of contacts; and (3) by being more accurate in separating quality from status than selectors. Combining unique quantitative data and 37 in-depth interviews we test our predictions in the secondment program at the National Science Foundation and find broad support. Using the qualitative interviews, we showcase the channels at play, and then test them quantitatively. These findings have implications for scholars of search and innovation by proposing a relatively light-touch intervention to facilitate the selection of novel ideas, and by showing which kinds of creators select novel ideas and influence their colleagues to develop a larger taste for novelty.