Attitude towards Low-end and High-end Innovation

As innovation processes are characterized by high levels of uncertainty, key individuals’ higher-level attitudes shape their behavior. We investigate new product development decision makers’ and agents’ attitudes towards two crucial innovation types: low-end innovation (positioned below the average market price of the product category) and high-end innovation (positioned above the average market price of the product category). While previous research suggests that these key individuals have inherent preferences towards low-end or high-end innovations, we lack knowledge regarding what constitutes their attitudes. Consequently, we investigate why some key individuals prefer low-end innovations while others favor high-end innovations. Using a qualitative approach, we collected data from 48 individuals, including a pilot study with 26 experts, followed by semi-structured interviews with 11 potential innovators and 11 actual innovators. We content-analyzed the data, applying inductive as well as deductive approaches. Our results reveal three overarching perspectives that innovators use to create low-end and high-end attitudes: the firm perspective (i.e., firm benefits and firm fit), the personal perspective (i.e., personal benefits and personal fit), and the societal perspective (i.e., social benefits). These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the human side in innovation management.