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Advancing the Conceptualization and Operationalization of Novelty in Organizational Research

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  • Lori Rosenkopf

    (The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104)

  • Patia McGrath

    (The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104)

Abstract

The construct of novelty is an important primitive for theories of organization learning, strategic change, and innovation. The organizational pursuit of novelty is generally theorized as necessary for long-term organizational adaptation and survival yet variance increasing in the short term. We argue that the recent explosion of studies of exploration and exploitation tend to conceptualize and operationalize novelty quite narrowly. In contrast, we treat novelty as a multidimensional construct and discuss implications of this approach for future research.

Suggested Citation

  • Lori Rosenkopf & Patia McGrath, 2011. "Advancing the Conceptualization and Operationalization of Novelty in Organizational Research," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 22(5), pages 1297-1311, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ororsc:v:22:y:2011:i:5:p:1297-1311
    DOI: 10.1287/orsc.1100.0637
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Nicolas Carayol, 2016. "The Right Job and the Job Right: Novelty, Impact and Journal Stratification in Science," Post-Print hal-02274661, HAL.
    2. Pina e Cunha, Miguel & Rego, Arménio & Clegg, Stewart & Lindsay, Greg, 2015. "The dialectics of serendipity," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 9-18.
    3. van Rijnsoever, Frank J. & Kempkes, Sander N. & Chappin, Maryse M.H., 2017. "Seduced into collaboration: A resource-based choice experiment to explain make, buy or ally strategies of SMEs," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 284-297.
    4. Avagyan, Vardan & Camacho, Nuno & Van der Stede, Wim & Stremersch, Stefan, 2022. "Financial projections in innovation selection: the role of scenario presentation, expertise, and risk," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 112474, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    5. Avagyan, Vardan & Camacho, Nuno & Van der Stede, Wim A. & Stremersch, Stefan, 2022. "Financial projections in innovation selection: The role of scenario presentation, expertise, and risk," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 39(3), pages 907-926.
    6. van Rijnsoever & Marius Meeus & Roger Donders, 2012. "The effects of economic status and recent experience on innovative behavior under environmental variability: an experimental approach," Innovation Studies Utrecht (ISU) working paper series 12-01, Utrecht University, Department of Innovation Studies, revised Jan 2012.
    7. Magnani, Giovanna & Zucchella, Antonella, 2021. "Portfolios of learning in entrepreneurial internationalisation," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(2).
    8. Concepción Rubio‐Picón & Francisco Velasco‐Morente & Encarnación Ramos‐Hidalgo & María A. Agustí, 2023. "The effect of innovation efficiency management on performance: Differences according to organizational size," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 44(1), pages 336-358, January.
    9. Anita Williams Woolley & Erica Fuchs, 2011. "PERSPECTIVE---Collective Intelligence in the Organization of Science," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 22(5), pages 1359-1367, October.
    10. van Rijnsoever, Frank J. & Meeus, Marius T.H. & Donders, A. Rogier T., 2012. "The effects of economic status and recent experience on innovative behavior under environmental variability: An experimental approach," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(5), pages 833-847.
    11. Wang, Pengfei & Van De Vrande, Vareska & Jansen, Justin J.P., 2017. "Balancing exploration and exploitation in inventions: Quality of inventions and team composition," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(10), pages 1836-1850.
    12. Manuel Guisado-González & Jennifer González-Blanco & José Luis Coca-Pérez, 2019. "Exploration, exploitation, and firm age in alliance portfolios," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 9(4), pages 387-406, December.
    13. Linda Argote & Ella Miron-Spektor, 2011. "Organizational Learning: From Experience to Knowledge," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 22(5), pages 1123-1137, October.
    14. Tang Wang & Vikas A. Aggarwal & Brian Wu, 2020. "Capability interactions and adaptation to demand‐side change," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(9), pages 1595-1627, September.
    15. Janssen, M. & Stoopendaal, A.M.V. & Putters, K., 2015. "Situated novelty: Introducing a process perspective on the study of innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(10), pages 1974-1984.
    16. Simone Santoni & Paolo Ferri & Maria Lusiani, 2013. "Novelty Conduits and Forms of Network Ties: To Bond or to Bridge?," Working Papers 34, Department of Management, Università Ca' Foscari Venezia.
    17. Brix, Jacob, 2017. "Exploring knowledge creation processes as a source of organizational learning: A longitudinal case study of a public innovation project," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 113-127.
    18. Sasanka Sekhar Chanda & Bill McKelvey, 2020. "Back to the basics: reconciling the continuum and orthogonal conceptions of exploration and exploitation," Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory, Springer, vol. 26(2), pages 175-206, June.

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