Inside the technology showroom: Sequence of technology demonstrations and willingness to collaborate

Abstract

AbstractTo support their open innovation strategy, many research technology organizations (RTOs) demonstrate their mature and emerging technologies in showrooms. However, little is known about how RTOs should showcase their technologies to attract new R&D partners. Drawing on construal level theory, we propose that the right order of technology demonstrations depends on the visitors’ level of technical expertise. An empirical field experiment of 139 showroom visitors at the CEA Tech showroom, a world‐leading French technology showroom for micro‐technologies supports our theorizing. Visitors with little technical expertise are most willing to collaborate when they feel creatively inspired. This is likely to happen when visitors see emerging technologies before mature ones because it elicits a high construal level. In contrast, visitors with high technical expertise are more willing to collaborate when they perceive complementary resources. This is likely to occur when the demonstrations alternate between emerging and mature technologies because it elicits construal level shifts. We discuss the study's theoretical and practical implications for outbound open innovation and construal level theory.