Idea Inheritance, Originality, and Collective Innovation

Workshop on Information in Networks, 2013

3 Pages Posted: 15 Sep 2013

See all articles by Harris Kyriakou

Harris Kyriakou

Stevens Institute of Technology - School of Business; IESE Business School

Jeffrey V. Nickerson

Stevens Institute of Technology - School of Business

Date Written: August 23, 2013

Abstract

In order to create new products, inventors search and combine previous ideas. Few studies have examined the characteristics of search that lead to new products; most have focused on patent citations, which are often retrospective and may not reflect the usefulness of inventions.

Through the analysis of collaborations in an online virtual community, the impact of originality on popularity and practicality is tested. These tests in turn are based on a method for measuring the distance between 3D shapes. In sum, this paper presents a new method for gauging innovation, and suggests ways of further understanding the role technology plays in encouraging creativity. From an organization perspective, this work provides insights into the creative process, and in particular the open innovation process, in which thousands of individuals together evolve designs, without belonging to the same corporate structure, without claiming IP rights, without exchanging money.

Keywords: Collective Innovation, Open Innovation, Remix Networks, 3D Printing, CSCW

JEL Classification: O3, O31, O32

Suggested Citation

Kyriakou, Harris and Kyriakou, Harris and Nickerson, Jeffrey V., Idea Inheritance, Originality, and Collective Innovation (August 23, 2013). Workshop on Information in Networks, 2013, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2325877

Harris Kyriakou (Contact Author)

Stevens Institute of Technology - School of Business ( email )

Hoboken, NJ 07030
United States

IESE Business School ( email )

Avenida Pearson 21
Barcelona, 08034
Spain

Jeffrey V. Nickerson

Stevens Institute of Technology - School of Business ( email )

Hoboken, NJ 07030
United States

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