Organization and Strategy Seminar(2018-11)
Topic: Which Idea to Pursue? Gender Effect on Novel Idea Selection
Speaker: Mengzi Jin,Singapore Management University
Time: Friday, 23 November, 13:30-14:55
Location: Room K02 , Guanghua Building 2
Abstract:
Innovation typically involves generating multiple novel ideas and selecting the most promising one for implementation. In this research, I examine how gender influences idea selection during innovation process. I theorize that although women are equally capable as men in generating highly novel ideas, women and men differ in “novelty avoidance” during idea selection - the extent to which individuals refrain from pursuing the most novel ideas they have generated. In a laboratory study where students were instructed to make creative short-films for the university, I found support of the hypothesis. In a second laboratory study where students were instructed to make creative photo collages for the university, I found that the gendered effect is moderated by the presence of women in judging panels. Specifically, women’s novelty avoidance tendency is mitigated when there are more women appeared in the judging panel. In the third study conducted on a creative crowdsourcing platform featuring a sample of freelancers, I replicated the gender difference in novelty avoidance and found that fear of social backlash from demonstrating high creativity explains women’s novelty avoidance tendency. Overall, my work advances current understanding of the challenges and opportunities that women innovators face, thereby helping to close the gender gap in innovation and entrepreneurship.
Introduction:

Mengzi Jin is a doctoral candidate in Department of Organizational Behavior and Human Resources, Singapore Management University (SMU) - Lee Kong Chian School of Business. Before joining the Ph.D. Program of SMU, she received a BA with Distinction in Psychology from University of Minnesota Twin Cities in 2014. Mengzi’s research focuses on creativity and innovation across multiple levels. In her primary stream of research, she studies how workplace diversity, specifically cultural and gender diversity, influence employee creativity and organizational innovation. Mengzi also has a keen interest in studying gender issues in the workplace. For her dissertation, she takes a process approach to innovation to understand how women innovate and what challenges and opportunities women innovators face. Her dissertation won the 2018 Kwok Leung Memorial Dissertation Award.
Your participation is warmly welcomed!