Sticky Information and the Locus of Problem Solving

“Sticky Information” and the Locus of Problem Solving: Implications for Innovation Eric von Hippel 경영학과 오퍼레이션전공 석사과정 한혜나 / 오다 아야

Problem-Solving Information Capabilities

What is “Sticky Information”? The stickiness of a given unit of information in a given instance is defined as “the incremental expenditure required to transfer that unit of information to a specified locus in a form usable by a give information seeker. ” Information Provider Information Seeker

Why is Information ‘sticky’? 1. The nature of the information itself (explicit vs tacit) 2. The amount of information that must be transferred 3. Attributes of the seekers and providers of the information (Importance of prior knowledge)

The Impact of Information Stickiness on the Locus of Innovation-Related Problem Solving: Four Propositions 1. When information needed for innovation-related problem solving is held at one locus as sticky information, the locus of problem-solving activity will tend to take place at that site. 2. When the solving of a given problem requires access to sticky information located at two or more sties, problem-solving activity will sometimes move iteratively among these sites. 3. When the information transfer costs of iteration are high, innovation related problem-solving activities that require access to multiple loci of sticky information will sometimes be “task partitioned” into sub-problems that each draw on only one such locus of sticky information. 4. When the costs of iteration are considered to be high, efforts will sometimes be directed toward investing in “unsticking” or reducing the stickiness of some of the information.

Discussion Questions • What is an example of ‘sticky information’? • Other than the cost of transferring information, are there any other factors that affect the firms to hesitate receiving sticky information? • Due to the information transfer costs, firms may tend to seek local information as opposed to distant one. What are the pros and cons? • How can the firms utilize (efficiently) the sticky information held by users?

Discussion Questions • Toolkits for user innovation and design are integrated sets of product-design, prototyping, and design-testing tools intended for user by end users. The goal of a toolkit is to enable non-specialist users to design high-quality, producible custom products that exactly meet their needs. (von Hippel, 2005) • User Innovation Example http: //collaborn. com/

Discussion Questions Information stickiness between: FIRM TASK FIRM USER

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