The Rational View of Product Innovation: A Critical Investigation

Abstract

This paper seeks to trace some of the roots and problems of the rational view of innovation. Concentrating primarily upon product innovation, we point out that the eighteenth century notion of social progress in the light of reason has gradually given an enormous impetus to a rational view of product innovation in modern organizations. We summarize several decades of research into management of product innovation from the rational approach, compressing and characterizing the literature by six-key policies, best practices or metaphors. The paper discusses some of the issues and problems concerning the rational approach and finally concludes with proposals for future studies.