Idea Generation Stage Research Articles

Enhancing new service development effectiveness: the role of customer participation and the moderating effects of empowerment and satisfaction

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of Customer Participation (CP) in the effectiveness of New Service Development (NSD) by examining the moderating roles of Customer Empowerment (CE) and Customer Satisfaction (CS). The research reduces the risk of failure of the NSD process and/or improves the NSD processes used by companies through the consideration of the results in the practical dimension.Design/methodology/approachThis study investigates the effects of CP at different stages of NSD using a quantitative approach. Data were collected through an online survey questionnaire. Smart PLS was used to analyse the data collected from 509 newsreaders and users of the news agency’s application.FindingsThe model confirmed that CE has an impact on the effectiveness of NSD in the idea generation and commercialization stages, but not in the development stage. Empowerment and customer satisfaction did not influence the three stages of NSD indirectly but directly. The results show that CP, CS and CE do not always have a direct or indirect effect on the development of new services. Therefore, in order to design new service development projects, media news companies need to determine the level of user cooperation.Research limitations/implicationsThe lack of objective data, especially on company performance, forces researchers to use questionnaires to analyse NSD effectiveness. Another limitation is that newspaper users answered the questionnaires, which creates “common method variance.”Practical implicationsResearchers on NSD effectiveness must use questionnaires due to a lack of objective data, especially on company performance. Another limitation is “common method variance” from newspaper users answering questionnaires.Originality/valueThis paper is a response to a perceived need for an examination of how new service development can be successful and effective.

The triggers, motivations, experiments, diffusions, and stakeholders of frugal innovation what we Learn from Thai case studies

Frugal innovators creatively apply existing technologies to address local challenges, effectively reducing costs and optimizing performance. This approach is crucial in developing countries, providing cost-effective solutions to resource scarcity, especially for people experiencing poverty. However, research on the frugal innovation process, especially these innovators' motivations and the stakeholders' roles, remains limited. This article examines the frugal innovation process with a focus on two main aspects: (1) the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations of Thai frugal innovators across the stages of idea generation, experimentation, and application, and (2) the roles played by stakeholders in these processes. Four cases of frugal innovation awarded by Ch. Karnchang Public Company are analyzed and categorized into three groups: non-commercial frugal innovation, commercialized frugal innovation as the primary income source, and commercialized frugal innovation as the supplementing income. Interviews with innovators reveal that motivations vary by commercial purposes and innovation stages. Intrinsic motivation is stronger during experimentation and application stages for non-commercial frugal innovation. In contrast, extrinsic motivation dominates in commercialized innovations. Additionally, stakeholder collaboration in fostering frugal innovation in Thailand is limited. These insights on motivations and stakeholder roles expand understanding of frugal innovation models.

Want to try a registered report? Here are our lessons learned.

A Registered Report is a type of research journal article in which the introduction, methods, and analysis plan are proposed and peer-reviewed prior to the execution of the study. The goal is to limit publication bias based on study findings by conducting peer review on the merits of the study before the results are known. First introduced in 2012 (Chambers, 2013; Chambers & Tzavella, 2022), this format of journal article publication has become more commonplace. Here we provide an overview of the format as well as eight core lessons we learned while preparing Registered Reports. We integrate guidelines from the literature with our experience to provide insight into the process of preparing and publishing a Registered Report for those who have not yet tried it. Though Registered Reports require researchers to invest more effort at the earlier stages of idea generation, design, and analysis planning, they will benefit from the feedback of reviewers when it is most beneficial and leave behind the fear of rejection due to unanticipated study limitations or null results. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Unlocking Creative Potential: Sustainable Art Practices Through Scrap Art and SCAMPER Design Innovation

Abstract: In today's consumer-centric world, rapid technological progress has led to an alarming increase in discarded items, posing a significant environmental threat. This situation underscores the pressing need for embracing sustainable practices in artistic endeavors. Many contemporary artists are now turning to "Scrap Art" or "Junk Art," creating stunning pieces from discarded materials, not only beautifying their surroundings but also raising awareness about reuse. This paper delves into the detrimental impact of rampant consumerism on the environment and advocates for repurposing and upcycling waste materials in art. It outlines a four-stage design process: selecting waste products, developing concepts, generating ideas, and creating a series of innovative designs. The SCAMPER technique, known for its effectiveness in generating creative ideas, was applied during the concept development and idea generation stages. Through this methodology, the study showcased how waste soft drink cans could be transformed into five distinct products: a desk watch, a picture frame, a spring paper clip, a pencil holder, and a lamp. These creations not only demonstrated the potential of upcycling but also reduced the need for recycling or landfill disposal. The research emphasizes the compatibility of the design process with creative concept generation and highlights the importance of sustainable art practices in mitigating environmental challenges. By unlocking the creative potential of upcycling and addressing environmental concerns, this study aims to contribute to a more sustainable and vibrant artistic landscape, benefiting both artists and the environment.

Mentoring as a tool to support innovative work behavior of employees

The paper focuses on the role of mentors and mentoring processess in fostering employees' innovative behaviors in the workplace. The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between the form of mentoring processes and innovative behavior of employees in the organization. A quantitative questionnaire survey was conducted to answer the following research questions: What is the impact of mentoring focused on innovative behavior at work on employees' well-being and commitment to work?; What are the correlations between mentoring focused on idea exploration, idea generation and idea implementation and employees' innovative behavior in the workplace?; What is the impact of face-to-face mentoring and e-mentoring on employees' innovative behavior? The findings refer to an analysis conducted on a survey sample of 527 employees participating in face-to-face mentoring and e-mentoring processes. Participation in mentoring programs dedicated to the development of innovative behavior of employees at work influences employee innovation, both at the stage of idea exploration, idea generation and idea implementation. As the results of the study indicate, mentoring aimed at developing employees' innovative behavior increases their well-being at work and employee work engagement. However, it does not matter the form, in which mentoring process is carried out - whether face-to-face mentoring or online mentoring.

Entrepreneurship skills: do all dimensions of skills matter for sustainable business start-up?

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to establish whether all the dimensions of entrepreneurship skills matter for sustainable business start-up among the youths, using evidence from a developing economy.Design/methodology/approachThis was cross-sectional study which utilized a quantitative approach. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire from 254 youths who undertook skills training at the various government-supported business skills training centers in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area (GKMA), that is to say, Kampala, Mukono and Wakiso. Data collected were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) to derive descriptive, correlational and hierarchical regression.FindingsStudy findings indicate that unlike entrepreneurial skills, management, technical and personal maturity skills matter for the sustainability of business start-up of youths in Uganda. However, when all skills are compared, management skills matter most as compared to technical and personal maturity skills.Originality/valueThis study strengthens the existing literature on the sustainable business start-up of youths in Uganda. It is also relevant for policy decision-making and policy reversal because it demonstrates that skilling is pertinent and should be encouraged and rolled out across the country to encourage sustainable youth business start-ups. To increase sustainable business start-up among youths, management skills should be prioritized, together with technical and personal maturity skills, compared to entrepreneurial skills, which should only be emphasized at the idea generation, planning, resource mobilization and business implementation stages.

UNIVERSITY AS AN INNOVATIVE PRODUCTION UNIT TO OVERCOME THE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF SANCTION PRESSURE

This article describes the actual problem and the need to develop a methodology/algorithm for working with innovative projects in universities in the face of sanctions pressure. The article discusses both theoretical and practical aspects of this problem, and puts forward the idea that universities can act as innovative production units to overcome the negative consequences of sanctions pressure. The implementation of this idea is ensured by creating the necessary favorable organizational, financial, infrastructural and other conditions conducive to the creation and implementation of innovative projects in universities. The role of universities in the innovation ecosystem is considered, including taking into account world experience. The article is based on the latest scientific research in the field of innovation management and proposes to develop a methodology/algorithm for working with innovative projects in universities, from the idea generation stage to successful implementation. It considers issues related to the selection of an innovative project, its financing, planning and management, as well as the interaction between the project team and potential partners and investors. The development of such a methodology can help in the process of generating ideas and successfully implementing innovative projects in universities, which in turn contributes to sustainable economic development.

Mapping the neural mechanisms of creativity by convergent and divergent thinking in school-aged children: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy study

Creativity is essential to children's learning, career development and well-being. Divergent and convergent thinking are the central components of creativity, which is a compound high-order cognitive ability. However, most existing behavioral and neuroimaging studies have only tested the characteristics of a single component of creativity. The neurological mechanism of creativity from the construct of divergent and convergent thinking needs to be explored by a more comprehensive approach.In this functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) study, we investigated neural activity in 69 school-aged children while they worked on creative tasks involving divergent and convergent thinking. Their divergent and convergent thinking abilities were evaluated using the Alternate Uses Task (AUT) and Remote Association Task (RAT), respectively.When working with a divergent thinking task, we found that neural activation was higher in the middle frontal gyrus (MFG) than when working with a convergent thinking task. In addition, a significant positive correlation was found between HbO activation in the MFG and performance on the divergent thinking task, while a significant positive correlation was found between HbO activation in the inferior parietal lobule (IPL) and performance on the convergent thinking task.These results suggest different neural mechanisms of the two main components of creativity. Divergent thinking may be modulated more by top-down executive control networks during the idea generation stage. In contrast, convergent thinking may be modulated more by integrating semantic information into coherent representations during the idea selection stage. Our study contributes toward the theoretical integration of the complex structure of creativity. We also provide neural evidence showing that divergent and convergent thinking may be modulated by idea generation and the selection process of creative thinking.

TDCS Anodal Stimulation of the Right Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Improves Creative Performance in Real-World Problem Solving

Brain regions associated with creativity is a focal point in research related to the field of cognitive neuroscience. Previous studies have paid more attention to the role of activation of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in creativity tasks, which are mostly abstract conceptual tasks, and less attention to real-world creativity tasks. The right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is involved in functions such as visuospatial processing, which may have a positive impact on innovative solutions to real-world problems. In this study, tDCS technology was used to explore the effect of anodal stimulation of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex on design creativity performance in a real-word problem-solving task related to product design. The experimental task comprised three stages, of which the first two were idea generation stages based on divergent thinking using text and graphics, respectively, whereas the third was the creative evaluation stage based on convergent thinking. Thirty-six design students were recruited to partake in the experiment. They were randomly assigned into anodal stimulation and sham stimulation groups. The results showed that anodal stimulation of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex produced a significant positive effect during the creative evaluation stage, promoting the usefulness of ideas (p = 0.009); thus, improving product creativity scores. However, there was no significant impact on the idea generation stage (p > 0.05), which is dominated by divergent thinking. The results suggest that activating the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex with tDCS can improve people's performance in creative activities by promoting convergent thinking rather than divergent thinking. It also provides further evidence that the right hemisphere of the brain has an advantage in solving complex problems that require the participation of visuospatial information.

Dirty creativity: An inductive study of how creative workers champion new designs that are stigmatized

How do creative workers make ideas perceived as tainted acceptable to others? Using a qualitative, inductive study of the emerging entomophagy market – using insects as a source of food for humans – and the Circular Economy – using waste, pollution, and other tainted resources as raw materials for new products – we introduce a new form of creativity we label dirty creativity. Our findings demonstrate that creative workers use two sets of tactics to make dirty creativity more acceptable: relocating dirt (locating the stigma within a network of common ideas) and recasting dirt as value (extolling features of dirty that redeem the value of the material). Our inductive theory reveals that creative workers champion their products by drawing attention to the dirtiness while simultaneously mitigating the ramifications of doing so. In doing so, our research advances theory and research on creativity by shifting the locus of creative work from the early stages of idea generation to the intermediate phase of idea championing and by highlighting the importance of dirty creativity and the effort needed to shape dirty creativity into acceptable designs.

Identification Of Motivational Factors for Conducting Academic Research Among University Researchers: A Case Study of PMAS-Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi

Universities research has become an essential component of higher education and researchers' motivation and their output of research are thought to be strongly correlated. The main purpose of this study was to identify the driving forces behind PhD scholars' decisions to pursue research at PMAS Arid Agriculture University in Pakistan. The nature of the research was exploratory and Nominal Group Technique was applied, to a nominal group of 15 academic scholars. The Nominal Group approach was used in different steps (idea generation, selection, listening, clarification, and ranking and consensus stages). The NGT's results were classified into five categories: social recognition, supervisor support and coordination, intended outcomes, theoretical preferences, and a sense of achievement. Participants gave less preference to the element that their interest in research activities inspired them to conduct research and more preference to the factor that acknowledgement from society was an incentive for them to undertake research.

Highly Efficient Double Microprism Polarizer with Microstructured Molecular Ordering

AbstractUsing crafted microstructures with complex molecular ordering has proven to be an excellent approach to control the propagation and phase front of light, and consequently, has led to remarkable advances in various photonic devices. A polarization‐conversion‐type polarizer with extraordinarily high transmittance can be another innovative photonic application that can be realized using microfabricated molecular ordering; however, the technology is still at the stage of idea generation. Here, a novel polarization conversion polarizer is demonstrated using a polymerized liquid crystalline double microprism (DMP) array and patterned retarder. A lab‐made polarizer using the method exhibits the degree of polarization of 94.5% without absorption or large reflection of light, and its transmittance is found to be ≈1.8 times higher than a dichroic sheet polarizer. In addition, the DMP polarizer works in the full spectral range of visible light and its thickness is less than 150 µm; therefore, it can be used in flat photonic devices, including displays. DMP polarizers can easily be fabricated using well‐established soft lithography and photoalignment methods. Thus, the proposed technology can open new possibilities for polymerized liquid crystal films with well‐crafted molecular ordering.

Improving the Ethical Dimension in the Innovation Process

Large companies' engineering design processes rarely consider the ethical and moral dimensions of innovation projects. This need for ethics is increasingly felt, particularly with the advent of digital technologies. The research mainly focuses on product designers in large companies during the innovation/creativity phase. The authors propose and evaluate the efficiency of a method allowing them to consider ethics from this first stage of product development. A specific database incorporating ethical categories and problems from the early stages of idea generation supports this study. This database is inspired by a research project funded by the European Commission called ETICA. The authors evaluate the proposal with a detailed case study in a large automotive company. This case study highlights the contribution of the extended ethical design method from an ethical point of view and a financial one for the company. They believe that the proposal will boost creativity by addressing innovative product designers' usual fixations.

The influence of varying positive affect in approach-motivation intensity on creative idea generation and creative idea evaluation: an fNIRS study

The aim of this study was to explain previous inconsistent results regarding the effects of positive affect on creative cognition based on the motivational dimensional model of affect theory and provide the underlying neural correlates of the effects of different approach-motivation intensities of positive affect on creative processes (creative idea generation and creative idea evaluation) using the functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) technique. Sixty participants were randomly assigned to three groups (high-approach-motivated positive affect (HAM), low-approach-motivated positive affect (LAM) and affectively neutral state (NS)) to complete corresponding tasks in creative idea generation and creative idea evaluation stages. In the creative idea generation stage, the results indicated that the LAM group achieved a higher performance in flexibility and originality than the NS group. However, compared with the NS group, the LAM group exhibited a lower sensitivity in the creative idea evaluation stage. The fNIRS technique provides an ideal approach with high ecological validity for exploring the issue of affect and creativity. In current study, fNIRS results showed that the HAM group exhibited significantly more activation in the bilateral frontal lobe than the LAM group and NS group in the creative idea generation stage. This result could reflect individuals attempting to overcome a narrowed attentional scope state through the activation of bilateral frontal cortical resources in the creative process. In the creative idea evaluation stage, compared with the NS group, the LAM group showed significant deactivation in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which is a brain area associated with executive, controlled processing. Moreover, the approach-motivation intensity altered the connectivity between the left prefrontal cortex and left superior temporal gyrus in the creative idea generation stage. Thus, the influences of positive affect on creative cognitive processes (both creative performance and hemodynamic responses) were modulated by the approach-motivation intensity in the creative idea generation and creative idea evaluation stages.

Comparing the Profile Characteristics for Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Agri-business Incubators

The challenge faced by the incubators in India is finding good start-ups that solve theproblems in the market or in value chain. A well-structured incubation program may leadthe startup from idea generation stage to setting up the business and most crucial fundingsupport. Analysis of effectiveness of training programme was done using primary as wellas secondary data. Progress report of the institute and primary information from the traineeswere matched to reach usefulness of the training programme. The primary data was collectedduring August, 2019 to January 2020 with partial structured pre-scheduled interview. Forthe ICAR-BPD trainees there was no substantial variation in age or land ownership,implying that the comparison on certain dimensions could be due to the training programmerather than underlying human attributes. The ICAR-BPD trainees were mainly attemptingto obtain government employment and were often unaware of the training and otherresources available to help them establish their own enterprise. Almost all of the traineesattributed their progress to the RUDSET Institute’s EDP teaching.

A qualitative study on social entrepreneurship: technology-based social ventures and humanitarian entrepreneurial mindset

Abstract Seen as an effective approach for sustainable development of disenfranchised communities, spurring legislation initiatives and private investment, social entrepreneurship has gained the attention of many economies across the globe. Social entrepreneurship arises as an effective practice for solution development for access to education, healthcare, water, food, or electricity. In the United States, several university programs are tackling the development of technology-based social ventures. While there has been growth in assessing social entrepreneurship education, little exchange of what works in a technology-based social entrepreneurship program occurred. To contribute to the body of empirical knowledge of what works in a program dedicated to technology-based solutions which have the potential to stimulate global improvements, the researcher performed a qualitative analysis of the Penn State HESE program’s ENGR 451 course on social entrepreneurship. The purpose of this research was to gather some baseline data about three areas connected to developing culturally fit technology-based ventures and the humanitarian entrepreneurial mindset developed throughout this process. The paper reported on a grounded theory study using in-depth interviews with the 49 students enrolled in the ENGR 451 course on social entrepreneurship, 70% studying engineering. The research analyzed two areas related to engineering entrepreneurship: the entrepreneurial mindset generated by participation in the course and the process of developing culturally fit technology-based social ventures with particular interest in task-role distribution, idea generation, and design-thinking stages. The current study is part of a larger qualitative study exploring how and what students in the HESE program learn about social entrepreneurship and how this learning influences their intent to be part of or to start a social venture. The findings have potential impact across social entrepreneurship program design, are intended to inform educators of social entrepreneurs about social entrepreneurship program design and the humanitarian entrepreneurial mindset.

A Novel Multicriteria Decision Making Model for Techno-Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is crucial for the survival of technology enterprises. Although the literature on techno-entrepreneurship is rich, it lacks a comprehensive and clearly structured techno-entrepreneurship management process to be followed by enterprises. It is also clear from the literature that the causal relationship between innovation, technology and entrepreneurship is complex and choosing among entrepreneurial alternatives is a multicriteria decision making problem with multiple, often conflicting, constraints. This study introduces the Integrated Techno-Entrepreneurship model that aims to help enterprises in pursuing business initiatives. The 4-stage model shows all relevant transformations of inputs from the idea generation stage until final viable product or service. Model content and face validation were done by seeking academic and industry entrepreneurship experts’ opinion respectively. Validation results showed high item-total correlations for all model concepts and a high Cronbach’s alpha value. It is concluded that the model is promising and potentially implementable in real life.

Transfer of Craft Knowledge to New Product Development through Collaboration between Craftsmen and Designers

New product development (NPD) plays a significant role in maintaining competitive advantage and increasing market share. NPD is highly dependent on the existing knowledge of individuals within the company, which is shared and used to create new knowledge. Employees’ tacit knowledge is another significant source of know-how for companies. Craft knowledge – a form of tacit knowledge that includes material and hand-making knowledge – is transferable to industries through collaborative works. Since the management and design literatures on this subject do not meet on common ground, there is a lack of literature on this transfer. With this aim, we examined the transfer of craft knowledge to NPD in three industries: leather, glass, and furniture industries. Thirteen in-depth interviews were conducted with six companies. Interviews were analyzed through thematic analysis. Craft knowledge is transferred to industries during the idea generation and prototyping stages of NPD through problem-solving and suggesting materials and manufacturing techniques.

Opportunity‐led ideation: How to convert corporate opportunities into innovative ideas

Opportunities, that is, action possibilities for innovative business models, goods, services and processes, particularly affect idea generation, which is vital for innovation success. Capitalizing on opportunities requires complementing predominating problem‐centred innovation approaches. Despite mature knowledge on idea generation, there is still a limited understanding on how to leverage opportunities. Hence, there is a limited set of methods available that provide formalized guidance. To address this gap, we co‐developed an opportunity‐led ideation method in an action design research project with one of Australia's leading financial service providers. Thanks to this immersive collaboration, our method reflects not only the intent of researchers and existing knowledge but also the influence and needs of practitioners. Building on established opportunity sources from the literature, this method structures the idea generation stage of the innovation process into the activities initiation, immersion, investigation and integration. The method provides guidance on how to transform opportunities into ideas and presents activities, techniques, tools and roles that are important within the idea generation stage. Our research theoretically extends the understanding of opportunity identification within the front end of innovation. Moreover, it provides insights on balancing formalization and creativity within idea generation. Organizations can use the method as a blueprint to systematically and proactive sense, assess and translate opportunities into ideas.

Frugal creativity: a new conceptualization as planned behavior

PurposeThis paper aims to introduce, define and propose a model for the concept of “frugal creativity” (FC), as the front end of the frugal innovation (FI) process. Modeling FC as a planned behavior makes it useful to large organizations who may wish to strategically promote such behavior.Design/methodology/approachIdentifying common themes from the literature, the authors propose a comprehensive definition of FI. Using this definition, they define FC. Next, a model for FC is proposed based on the theory of planned behavior.FindingsThe conceptual model proposes that frugal creativity intention (FCI) can be predicted by the prosocial motivation, dissatisfaction with status-quo and the threat-opportunity perception of resource constraints of an individual. The authors further propose that FCI would translate into FC more frequently when work is perceived as meaningful.Research limitations/implicationsThe proposed model opens avenues for further conceptual and empirical research in the area, although it first requires empirical validation.Practical implicationsThe model of FC as a planned behavior can help multinationals, established firms or governments, seeking to use FI as a deliberate strategic choice, to develop suitable human capital and context for FI.Originality/valueFirst, the authors propose a comprehensive definition for FI by consolidating related constructs. Second, they introduce the concept of FC as the idea generation stage of FI. Third, they propose a model for FC as a planned behavior. To the authors’ knowledge, the last two have not been attempted earlier.