Idea Generation in Technology‐Based Firms

Abstract

H. Allan Conway and Norman W. McGuinness report the results of an exploratory study of the idea generation process in nine technology‐based firms. Their objective was to determine if managerially useful patterns could be identified. The article outlines a three‐stage descriptive model of the search process encountered in the participating firms. A combination of managerial and market forces were found to be more important in the initiation of the search process than were technological influences.