The antecedents and impact of unsponsored R&D projects
| Dates: | 13 October 2014 |
|---|
| Times: | 13:00 - 14:00 |
|---|
| What is it: | Seminar |
|---|
| Organiser: | Manchester Institute of Innovation Research |
|---|
| Who is it for: | University staff, Adults, Alumni, Current University students, General public |
|---|
| Speaker: | , Ammon Salter |
|---|
|
Many established organizations rely on autonomous, unsponsored R&D projects to sustain and support corporate renewal. These projects emerge out of the dark corners of the organization, often as a result of inventors’ proactive and deviant creative efforts. Yet, little is known about the precise origins of these projects and what impact these projects will have on the organization. We argue that there will be a curvilinear relationship between inventors’ prior performance and status on their participation in autonomous inventive projects. In addition, we expect that, despite having lower average quality, these projects will be more likely to generate breakthrough inventions than sponsored projects. Using a unique dataset of invention disclosures from a global technology-based firm, we find some support for our hypotheses. From the analysis, we develop implications for theories of creativity, enriching understanding of proactive and deviant forms of creative efforts, and the origins of breakthroughs in mature organisations.
Speakers
Organisation: University of Bath
Ammon Salter
Role: Professor in Innovation
Travel and Contact Information
Find event
10.05
Harold Hankins building
Oxford Road
Manchester
