Innovation Processes Track: Evaluating Novel Technologies: Art or Science?

The evaluation of novel technologies is central to ensuring that resources are allocated properly in addressing society’s problems. Despite its importance, challenges still exist that lead to promising innovations not getting properly evaluated and dying prematurely. Instead of a static, linear, box-ticking exercise, the evaluation process for novel innovations is mired with complexities. To address the current gaps in this growing research area, this presenter symposium will bring together top scholars to clarify current challenges in assessing novel innovations. The four presentations will holistically cover different aspects of novelty evaluation: evaluators’ advice-seeking with biased seekers and informants, evaluator’s thinking processes that rely on different information processing strategies, the way evaluations are affected by innovators’ social position, and how the process of entrepreneurial strategy formation unfolds under complex uncertain situations. This symposium will encourage future research in underexplored areas such as the role of the evaluators, the innovators, the context, and the idea itself in this process. The Role of Evaluators in Discounting Inventor’s Bias in Valuing Their Technological Solutions Presenter: Stefano Benigni; Imperial College Business School Presenter: Paola Criscuolo; Imperial College London Presenter: Markus Perkmann; Imperial College London When does Intuitive Thinking Work for Creative Forecasting? Presenter: Qi Zhang; Erasmus U. Rotterdam Presenter: Daan Alexander Stam; Erasmus U. Rotterdam Presenter: Dirk Deichmann; Erasmus U. Rotterdam Professional Logics and Collective Strategy Schemas During Industry Incubation Presenter: Bart Clarysse; ETH Zürich Presenter: Jana Thiel; ETH Zürich Novelty Evaluation & Narrative Strategies: The Outsider Challenge Presenter: Gino Cattani; New York U. Presenter: Denise Falchetti; George Washington U. Presenter: Simone Ferriani; U. of Bologna