Idea Generation: Who Has The Most Profitable Ideas

AbstractIdea generation has been recognized as an important part of the front end of the innovation process. Few studies have empirically examined where the most profitable ideas come from or the linkages between the degree and sources of innovation. Data on 34 projects suggests that the sources of ideas depend on the degree of innovativeness. Interaction between the customer and the engineer/scientist is the most important source of radical innovations. Senior R&D management plays a crucial role for generating platform innovations, though the ideas for such innovations can also originate from immediate customers like distributors.