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Future thinking and managers’ innovative behavior: an experimental study

Boris Eisenbart (Department of Industrial and Architectural Design, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia)
Dan Lovallo (Discipline of Strategy, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Business School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia)
Massimo Garbuio (Discipline of Strategy, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Business School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia)
Matteo Cristofaro (Department of Management and Law, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Roma, Italy)
Andy Dong (School of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA)

Journal of Knowledge Management

ISSN: 1367-3270

Article publication date: 21 November 2022

Issue publication date: 29 June 2023

569

Abstract

Purpose

Does future thinking enhance managers’ innovative behavior? This study aims to posit that the ability to project events while considering current/future variables and their development (i.e. future thinking) – inextricably linked with the knowledge creation process – may enhance the manager’s accuracy and the number of potentially successful innovative ideas for organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use a between-group experiment to examine the innovation choices of 47 subjects with experience in evaluating the market potential of new products when asked to support or otherwise reject real-life innovation-related ideas. The authors test the accuracy of decisions made by participants primed to apply future thinking, practically implemented through abductive reasoning, in their decision-making.

Findings

The authors found a significant change in managers’ innovative choices, with participants primed for future thinking making significantly more accurate decisions than the control group. Those participants both correctly chose innovation-related ideas with significant future potential and rejected ideas with limited potential that ultimately failed.

Originality/value

This study explores how future thinking enhances managers’ innovative behavior in organizations. It provides empirical evidence on how future thinking, practiced through abductive reasoning, can work to foster innovative behavior, which is an antecedent of knowledge creation. Organizations that foster future thinking concurrently create knowledge, increasing their competitive advantage in the long run.

Keywords

Citation

Eisenbart, B., Lovallo, D., Garbuio, M., Cristofaro, M. and Dong, A. (2023), "Future thinking and managers’ innovative behavior: an experimental study", Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 27 No. 6, pp. 1660-1679. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-02-2022-0102

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited

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