Matthewes, Elisa; Nassar, Anis; Zihlmann, Christian (2022). Fostering innovation: Experimental evidence on the effectiveness of behavioral interventions PLoS One, 17(10), e0276463. Public Library of Science (PLoS) 10.1371/journal.pone.0276463
|
Text
journal.pone.0276463.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons: Attribution (CC-BY). Download (536kB) | Preview |
We experimentally investigate an intervention that ought to motivate innovative behavior by changing risk perceptions. Participants run a virtual lemonade stand and face a trade-off between exploiting a known strategy and exploring untested approaches. Innovation through testing new approaches comes along with a risk of failure because participants are compensated based on the profits generated by their virtual business. We test whether we can draw attention away from this risk by implementing a salience mechanism, which ought to focus participants on the input rather than the outcome of the innovative process. However, we find that this intervention is not effective in motivating innovative behavior—rather, it jeopardizes innovation. We discuss potential behavioral channels and encourage further research of risk salience as a tool to foster innovation. Our pre-registered study highlights the importance of evaluating interventions before implementation, as even carefully designed interventions may turn out to be ineffective or even backfire.
Item Type: |
Journal Article (Original Article) |
|---|---|
Division/Institute: |
Business School > Institute for Applied Data Science & Finance Business School |
Name: |
Matthewes, Elisa; Nassar, Anis and Zihlmann, Christian  0000-0002-7394-5334 |
Subjects: |
H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) H Social Sciences > HF Commerce > HF5601 Accounting |
ISSN: |
1932-6203 |
Publisher: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
Language: |
English |
Submitter: |
Christian Zihlmann |
Date Deposited: |
22 Nov 2022 10:22 |
Last Modified: |
22 Nov 2022 10:22 |
Publisher DOI: |
10.1371/journal.pone.0276463 |
ARBOR DOI: |
10.24451/arbor.18025 |
URI: |
https://arbor.bfh.ch/id/eprint/18025 |
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |