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Innovation Experiments: Researching Technical Advance, Knowledge Production, and the Design of Supporting Institutions

In: Innovation Policy and the Economy, Volume 16

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  • Kevin J. Boudreau
  • Karim R. Lakhani

Abstract

This paper discusses several challenges in designing field experiments to better understand how organizational and institutional design shapes innovation outcomes and the production of knowledge. We proceed to describe the field experimental research program carried out by our Crowd Innovation Laboratory at Harvard University to clarify how we have attempted to address these research design challenges. This program has simultaneously solved important practical innovation problems for partner organizations, like NASA and Harvard Medical School (HMS), while contributing research advances, particularly in relation to innovation contests and tournaments. We conclude by proceeding to highlight the opportunity for the scholarly community to develop a “science of innovation” that utilized field experiments as means to generate knowledge.
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Suggested Citation

  • Kevin J. Boudreau & Karim R. Lakhani, 2015. "Innovation Experiments: Researching Technical Advance, Knowledge Production, and the Design of Supporting Institutions," NBER Chapters, in: Innovation Policy and the Economy, Volume 16, pages 135-167, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberch:13583
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    Cited by:

    1. Ina Ganguli & Marieke Huysentruyt & Chloé Le Coq, 2021. "How Do Nascent Social Entrepreneurs Respond to Rewards? A Field Experiment on Motivations in a Grant Competition," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 67(10), pages 6294-6316, October.
    2. Lars Hornuf & Daniel Vrankar, 2022. "Hourly Wages in Crowdworking: A Meta-Analysis," Business & Information Systems Engineering: The International Journal of WIRTSCHAFTSINFORMATIK, Springer;Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI), vol. 64(5), pages 553-573, October.
    3. Albert Bravo-Biosca, 2020. "Experimental Innovation Policy," Innovation Policy and the Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 20(1), pages 191-232.
    4. Jorge Guzman & Jean Joohyun Oh & Ananya Sen, 2020. "What Motivates Innovative Entrepreneurs? Evidence from a Global Field Experiment," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 66(10), pages 4808-4819, October.
    5. Bengtsson, Lars & Edquist, Charles, 2020. "Towards a holistic user innovation policy," Papers in Innovation Studies 2020/11, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.
    6. Oliver Schilke & Sheen S. Levine & Olenka Kacperczyk & Lynne G. Zucker, 2019. "Call for Papers-Special Issue on Experiments in Organizational Theory," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 30(1), pages 232-234, February.
    7. Hameeda A. AlMalki & Christopher M. Durugbo, 2023. "Systematic review of institutional innovation literature: towards a multi-level management model," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 73(2), pages 731-785, June.
    8. Oliver Alexy, 2022. "How flat can it get? From better at flatter to the promise of the decentralized, boundaryless organization," Journal of Organization Design, Springer;Organizational Design Community, vol. 11(1), pages 31-36, March.
    9. Emma von Essen & Marieke Huysentruyt & Topi Miettinen, 2020. "Exploration in Teams and the Encouragement Effect: Theory and Experimental Evidence," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 66(12), pages 5861-5885, December.
    10. Emma von Essen & Marieke Huysentruyt & Topi Miettinen, 2019. "Exploration in Teams and the Encouragement Effect: Theory and Evidence," Economics Working Papers 2019-10, Department of Economics and Business Economics, Aarhus University.

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