Designers as determinant for aesthetic innovations

Cecilie Bryld Fjællegaard, Karin Beukel, Lars Alkærsig

Abstract

This paper investigates whether the hiring of a designer generates aesthetic innovations by a firm and what the level of design knowledge of the receiving firm means for the firms’ absorptive capacity in terms of turning the hiring of the designer into aesthetic innovations. We explore a unique dataset containing information on firms, their hiring of designers and aesthetic innovations measured by design (design patent) applications. Our findings show that hiring a designer does increase firms’ likelihood of producing aesthetic innovations. Secondly, firms with prior experience of aesthetic innovations are more likely to apply for design registrations. Thirdly, there is a positive moderating effect of firms with prior experience of generating aesthetic innovations on the effect of hiring a designer on aesthetic innovation outcome.
Original languageEnglish
Publication date2015
Number of pages1
Publication statusPublished - 2015
EventStrategic Management Society: Strategy Expanding Making Sense of Shifting Field and Firm Boundaries - Denver, United States
Duration: 4 Oct 20157 Oct 2015

Conference

ConferenceStrategic Management Society
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityDenver
Period04/10/201507/10/2015

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