Using the creativity model of opportunity recognition to understand the front end of product innovation

In this dissertation a process model of creativity, previously applied to entrepreneurial opportunity recognition, was applied to the front end of product innovation (FEI) in order to gain insights into a process that has thus far not been well-understood. This represents one of the first studies of the FEI using a well-established theoretical framework of creativity. The study involved interdisciplinary teams of students enrolled in an award-winning two-semester course working to develop new product concepts for a client firm. Four cases were developed based on nine months of observation, interviews, surveys and secondary data.;The findings suggest that the process of conceiving, evaluating, selecting and transforming ideas into well-defined new product concepts could be understood using the framework. The process was seen as consisting of multiple layers of creative processes occurring simultaneously, thus a creativity-based model of the FEI is described. There were several findings based on this model. The FEI generally followed the creativity-based model but two distinctly different processes were observed depending in part on different creativity factors and team climate factors. The findings also suggest that there is a critical event that may represent the transition from the FEI to the back end (development) process---the selection of the final concept chosen for development. A key reason for the change was that the concept was well-enough understood that team members could begin discipline-specific work. Finally it was found that communication played an important role throughout the process.;This study highlights the importance of considering the entire FEI process from preconception to the final concept deliverable. This study also emphasizes the point that ideas are not fully developed when initially conceived---ideas were improved and built up through the interaction of team members and thus it is important to understand what is done with ideas after they have been generated and how individuals contribute to the development of the ideas. Finally, this study provides the basis for a common language, creativity, for practitioners and researchers, as well as providing an opportunity for further cross-fertilization between the knowledge domains of innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship.