Does familiarity with an idea bias its evaluation?

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Innovation Management
• Organizational Behavior

Background:

• Organizations aim for disruptive innovation but frequently fail.
• A key reason for failure is the conflict between seeking novel ideas and preferring familiar ones.
• Existing research highlights bias against objective novelty, neglecting subjective novelty's impact.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the influence of subjective familiarity on idea evaluation in innovation.
• To explore how the extent to which an idea is unfamiliar to an evaluator affects its assessment.
• To understand the cognitive biases hindering radical innovation.

Main Methods:

• The study employed two field studies and one laboratory experiment.
• It drew upon psychological and marketing research concerning the mere exposure effect.
• Evaluations of ideas based on subjective familiarity were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Results indicate that familiarity with an idea positively influences its evaluation outcome.
• Subjective novelty, or unfamiliarity, can lead to biased assessments.
• The mere exposure effect plays a significant role in innovation evaluation.

Conclusions:

• Subjective familiarity is a critical factor in innovation evaluation, often overlooked.
• Cognitive biases related to familiarity can impede the adoption of truly novel ideas.
• Understanding these biases is crucial for improving innovation processes and outcomes.