Teams searching for innovation increase their odds of driving the evolution of a field when they reach out to colleagues—or to research findings—outside their field's area of expertise, a new study from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business suggests.
“If all of the innovators come from the same backgrounds and know the same things, they might be efficient in coming up with solutions,” Smith Professor Rafael Corredoira said. “The problem is that at some point, they will hit a wall. They will not be able to move beyond to find another solution.”
