Evaluating Novelty: The Role of Panels in the Selection of R&D Projects
Criscuolo, Dahlander, Grohsjean and Salter study R&D project selection in a leading professional services firm using several sources and methods. They argue that organisations are most likely to fund projects with intermediate novelty, since some novelty raises the share of requested funds received but too much is hard to appreciate and is selected against. They focus on the selection panel. High panel workload reduces the preference for novelty, while diverse panel expertise and a shared location between panel and applicant increase it.
Criscuolo, Dahlander, Grohsjean and Salter study R&D project selection in a leading professional services firm using several sources and methods. They argue that organisations are most likely to fund projects with intermediate novelty, since some novelty raises the share of requested funds received but too much is hard to appreciate and is selected against. They focus on the selection panel. High panel workload reduces the preference for novelty, while diverse panel expertise and a shared location between panel and applicant increase it.
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Criscuolo, P., Dahlander, L., Grohsjean, T., & Salter, A. (2017). Evaluating Novelty: The Role of Panels in the Selection of R&D Projects. Academy of Management Journal, 60(2), 433-460. doi:10.5465/amj.2014.0861.