Study: Scientists and Circus Directors Offer New Insights on Innovation

An article published by Inc. Magazine delves into the innovation process, highlighting research that challenges conventional wisdom on idea selection. The study suggests that both creative professionals and managers struggle to identify novel and original ideas effectively.

Led by Professor Justin Berg, the research involved professionals from the circus industry and other creative fields. It identified two core issues in idea selection: the identity of the evaluator and their mindset. Berg found that individuals closely attached to their own creations, and managers relying on past successes, tend to judge new ideas more critically.

Specifically, managers underestimated public reaction to new acts by a significant 7.9 percentage points. Creative professionals were slightly more accurate but still underestimated reactions by 3.9 percentage points. This gap widened for the most novel acts.

The study proposes that evaluators make better predictions when they have first generated their own ideas. Simply entering a judging mode degrades their evaluative capacity, a tendency particularly noted in managerial defaults.

The article posits that organizations often don't lack ideas but rather face challenges in selecting and backing the right ones. Insights drawn from the circus world offer new perspectives on how organizations can enhance the objectivity of their innovation choices and increase the success rate of new concepts.