Linguistic Structures and Innovation: A Behavioral Approach

Abstract

National systems of innovation exhibit a high level of variance stemming from numerous factors that include economic and legal structures, cultural attributes, and the consequent policies. We draw on the Sapir-Whorf theory of language relativity and its effect on cognition, to advance the theory of commercial innovation. We do so by analyzing the association between linguistic structures and innovation output. We evaluate three distinct linguistic categories (grammatical gender marking, the use of second-person pronouns, and the use of first-person singular pronouns) and demonstrate that the corresponding linguistic variables are strongly associated with innovation output and performance. Our paper makes several contributions to the literature. We advance management scholarship by demonstrating how the Sapir-Whorf theory of the language relativity can provide a deeper understanding of business innovation processes. Specifically, our quantitative results with regard to the association between the three metrics of linguistic structure and innovation have important implications for theory, policy, and practice. Finally, we contribute to the ongoing theoretical debates on gender inequality, group creativity, and collaborative innovation.