The Crucial Role of Mindsets in Innovation Efforts: Opening the Black Box in the Context of Frugal Innovation

Innovation research has investigated the relevance of innovations for organizational competitiveness and the role of innovations for social as well as economic welfare. Accordingly, scholars and practitioners frequently emphasize the innovation processes that lead to desired innovative outcomes. Nevertheless, these innovation processes have to be carried out by motivated individuals. Increasingly, academic literature takes the mindsets of these actors into consideration. However, diverging conceptualizations limit our understanding of the term ＂mindset＂ and the role of individuals’ mindsets in organizational innovation efforts. This book aims at opening the ＂black box＂ of innovation as a mindset. Linking mindset theories from social psychology to the context of frugal innovation, the author provides rigorous conceptual work on mindsets in innovation. This conceptual research is supported by findings from two empirical studies. This book makes important contributions to theory and practice: to academic research by developing conceptual clarity on understanding innovation as a mindset and providing supportive empirical evidence, and to innovation practice by showing how a detailed understanding of individuals’ mindsets can inform evidence-based change interventions.

Malte Krohn dedicates his professional career to democratizing innovation and entrepreneurship. In 2022 he was announced as a Faculty Innovation Fellow at Stanford University’s d.school.