When technology and business collide : sheltering novelty as a source of innovative products

Abstract

The notion of innovation as a source of long-term growth is an attractive and familiar one, yet there is no set formula for guaranteed innovation. This paper examines the idea that novelty and novel ideas lie at the heart of innovation, but more importantly, are sometimes overlooked or prematurely dismissed given pressures at the interaction at the boundary between the intended audience and the representation of novelty by objects with universal comprehensibility. The examination of flows from the transition of novelty to boundary objects suggests that the interactions and organizational conditions surrounding the boundary object -- the relational construction -- compete and thereby influence the interpretation and adoption of new technology. Using the case of Xerox PARC, this paper examines the factors occurring in a highly-novel research setting, wherein the interaction between technical, social, and business/financial concerns yield many sources of potential conflict. A conceptual model of understanding these categories of interactions is introduced, and its use is suggested to encourage higher receptivity to developing sciences and technologies.