Open Access

The global economy has gained momentum in recent years, with advances in technology and digitalization leading to shorter product life cycles, increased competition, and transformed industries. These circumstances call for the need for constant innovation. Organizations are required to act and adapt quickly to technological changes, dynamic markets, competitive threats, and rapidly altering customer needs, without losing focus of their established business. Two notions are important for organizations in this setting: (1) reaching ambidexterity and (2) structuring the front-end of innovation. Ambidextrous companies, which own the ability to balance between innovation activities that exploit current competencies (exploitation) and those that explore new competencies (exploration), are more successful than companies which concentrate on only one of these activities (Gibson & Birkinshaw, 2004; He & Wong, 2004; Jansen, Van Den Bosch, & Volberda, 2006; Katila & Ahuja, 2002; C. Kim, Song, & Nerkar, 2012). However, both exploration and exploitation require the allocation of resources, causing a trade-off, which makes it difficult to perform the combination of both (Greve, 2007; Levinthal & March, 1993). Previous research does not focus on how organizations can adapt their innovation activities in order to reach ambidexterity (Cantarello, Martini, & Nosella, 2012; Judge & Blocker, 2008; Z. Wei, Yi, & Guo, 2014). Managing innovations poses an increasingly daunting task for organizations, demanding different requirements regarding the innovation management process. Managing innovation through a structured innovation process facilitates the creation and planning of innovation to transform ideas into marketable products. The first stage of this process – the front-end of innovation – is of significant meaning, since activities in the front-end of innovation are strongly linked to innovation success (Dwyer & Mellor, 1991; Markham, 2013; Moenart, De Meyer, Souder, & Deschoolmeester, 1995; Reid & de Brentani, 2004). The creation of value and competitive advantage takes primarily place in the front-end of innovation, and the actual costs of mismanagement can only be discovered at later stages (Markham, 2013; Reid & de Brentani, 2004; P. Smith & Reinertsen, 1991). A concept to foster ambidexterity and structure the front-end of innovation described mainly by practitioners are so-called innovation fields (Cooper, Edgett, & Kleinschmidt, 2004; Crawford, 1980; Hambrick & Fredrickson, 2001; Khurana & Rosenthal, 1998; Reid & de Brentani, 2004; Talke, Salomo, & Rost, 2010). Innovation fields establish guidelines that determine search strategy, scope, depth, and locus of innovation search by setting search boundaries. Literature describes different types of applications for innovation fields such as strategic purposes, ideation, lifting synergies, technology intelligence and portfolio extension. With innovation fields, organizations (1) can structure the front-end of innovation and align corporate objectives to innovation activities and (2) have an instrument at hand to facilitate the shift of resources and to prioritize innovation activities according to the balance between exploitation and exploration, thereby fostering ambidexterity. However, research on innovation fields is scarce, thus, the objective of this dissertation is to examine how and why perceived contextual factors influence the intended application and perceived proficiency of innovation fields in the front-end of innovation. The theoretical foundation is based on the theory of organizational learning. A research framework is derived from acknowledged literature, focusing on (1) strategic orientation, (2) organizational context and (3) external environment as main contextual factors influencing the intended application of innovation fields. An explorative research design is followed, composed of an embedded single case study design using a mixed-methods approach. As a case, a corporate R&D division of a Germany-based company is selected. First, a qualitative study with semi-structured interviews is conducted, followed by a quantitative survey to get a more comprehensive picture of the role of perceived contextual factors influencing intended innovation field applications and proficiency. Based on the underlying empirical research, distinct differences regarding perceived contextual factors and their influence on intended innovation field applications and proficiency have been identified. Notably, the perceived contextual factors vary across the different types of applications for innovation fields. Overall, the strategic orientation and external environment have a strong influence on the intended innovation field applications and proficiency, while organizational context only play a minor role. Furthermore, the findings substantiate the use of different types of applications for innovation fields in the front-end of innovation. This study contributes to theory by creating a research framework linking perceived contextual factors to intended innovation field applications and proficiency. Finally, this dissertation delivers a comprehensive description of innovation field applications. The findings enhance the existing body of knowledge regarding innovation research, specifically regarding the front-end of innovation and innovation fields as well as organizational learning. Besides the advancement of scientific knowledge, managerial implications are drawn for the application of innovation fields in a corporate context.

This study was designed to answer the question of whether resource performance depends more on good governance or rather on effective institutional structures. The specific aim is to make clear the extent to which good governance and institutions promote small scale gold mining businesses, to explain empirically the nature of human rights challenges in the small-scale mining (SSM) industry from the perspective of mining mangers, to investigate the nature, determinants, and frequency of conflicts associated with SSM, and to discuss the challenges facing SSM operations and ways to confront them. The findings show that, in the context of efforts to spur economic development, the exploitation of mineral resources has the potential to bring about far-reaching environmental and social changes. These changes can create opportunities, but they also represent a business risk for corporations and a social risk for communities. There is as a consequence a pressing need to investigate recent threats to mineral resource exploration relating to economic development, peace and stability, and the survival of private businesses. These threats are particularly serious for less-developed countries that are net exporters of natural resources. Such countries could use these resources to drive economic development and decrease their dependence on aid from developed countries. In most of them, however, owing to a lack of strong institutions, mismanagement of mineral and other natural resources has fueled social conflict without producing meaningful development. In addition, there is often the perception in countries such as Ghana, which is the subject of this study, that mining, whatever its benefits, is responsible for significant environmental damage and for Human Rights Adverse Impacts (HRAI), including child labor and exploitation, displacement of rural households, and violence. For these reasons, investment in the mining sector and associated businesses has often faced stiff resistance. Given the right governmental institutions, small-scale gold mining and associated activities can prove beneficial to and be accepted by a society and can attract further investment; under the wrong circumstances, this type of mining can impact society negatively. At the very least, when SSM is poorly managed, the anticipated benefits to the business community and the broader society are unlikely to materialize. The evidence from large-scale mining, particularly in the wake of Ghana’s civil war, indicates a correlation between mineral resources and conflict. Less is known about the nature, frequency, and causes of conflicts that afflict households in Ghana’s artisanal mining communities. There is accordingly a need for research into ways to prevent human rights violations and to create share value in the SSM sector through social development and renewed incentives for investment in it. This thesis represents an attempt to fill this need by exploring whether the capacity of resources—in this case, gold mining—to spur economic development—here, by creating competitive SSM businesses, improving livelihoods, or reducing poverty—depends on governance structures and whether there is a correlation between SSM and conflict outside the context of civil war. This thesis is informed by three broad insights. The first concerns the challenges facing the SSM activities that play a vital role in the Ghanaian economy. Second, there is the importance of the role played by institutions in the development of SSM amid renewed attraction of investment in the sector. Third, changing social expectations are a crucial aspect sustainable mining and the protection of human rights.

People face economic decisions on a daily basis. Quite often, these decisions involve high stakes and some degree of personal risk, as choices produce real consequences that set the course for future actions. Although decades of decision research in the intersection of psychology, behavioral economics, and neuroscience have much advanced our knowledge about the psychological underpinnings of economic decisions, several academic disputes remain unsettled. Indeed, surprisingly little is known about the role of motivation and volition in guiding economic decisions. Certainly, people’s motives, goals, and their expectations of attractive rewards are important drivers of decision making. Yet, motivation and volition cannot be reduced to goals and incentives. The cognitive mechanisms underlying economic decisions are rather complex, and motivation and volition may impact decisions at the level of these cognitive processes. This dissertation considers the role of motivation and volition in economic decisions by examining the impact of experimentally induced motivational and volitional states of mind on economic choices and decision processes. Using different methods and decision making paradigms, four experiments provide novel evidence that informs the ongoing debates in motivation research, decision science, and psychophysiology. In short, Experiments 1a and 1b explore the possibility of interactive effects between motivation, volition, and financial incentives in determining economic performance. Moving on to the level of decision processes, Experiment 2 examines the impact of motivation and volition on decision processes under risk. Decision times, eye movements, and pupil dilations provide process measures of cognitive effort, pre-decisional information search, and affective arousal, respectively. Finally, Experiment 3 investigates how particular decision attributes relate to affective and motivational processes in decisions under risk. The findings of the present dissertation can be summarized in terms of four main conclusions. First, incentives are effective for improving economic performance when the payment of attractive monetary rewards is contingent on performance. Yet, higher incentives do not further improve performance. Second, the experimental manipulation of motivational and volitional mindsets does not directly affect choices, but notably impacts decision processes. Third, the influence of motivation and volition on economic decisions appears to depend on the appropriate incentivization of the task at hand. Fourth, risky choice attributes that entail no gain at all, i.e., zero-outcomes, elicit high levels of affective arousal and motivational avoidance tendencies that guide selective attention and decision making in the lottery choice paradigm. The implications of these findings are discussed for theory development in motivation research and decision science, as well as in terms of their practical implications for decision making in managerial contexts and other high-stakes decision environments.

The goal of the research presented in this dissertation is to analyze decision-making processes in different mindsets, specifically their impact on economic risk-taking behavior, and to find out whether they can support better performance and outcomes. This is a major concern of motivation research in general: understanding the reasoning mechanisms that determine actions and using that knowledge to promote healthy and rational behavior. In the present work, this goal related to a specific set of behaviors, that is, decisions under risk and in an economic context. A key strategy to improve outcomes in this field is to increase rational choices. More than that, however, this work also focuses on decision processes that forego rational or irrational behavior, to better understand the nature of mindset effects. Thus, it is not only relevant how individuals decide, but also how they arrive at that decision. To that end, risk-taking situations were examined with repeated measurements, different levels of difficulty, and different incentives. To explain mindset effects and their overall implications for risk taking, achievement motivation, learning processes, and different strategies of goal pursuit are discussed. All in all, the goal of this work is to provide new insights into risk-taking behavior and decision processes in economic contexts, as they are influenced by different states of mind. In addition, possible measures to help increase rationality in risky situations are outlined to provide some practical applications for the findings of this work. For some, the suggestion of the “improvement” of decisions through manipulations of individuals’ states of mind may have an Orwellian ring to it. On the contrary, however, the present research will hopefully increase knowledge about naturally occurring, everyday mindsets and their impact on human perception and behavior, in order to enable or train people to make a targeted use of their mindsets and reach their desired goals.

Despite various efforts to decrease gender differences in organizations and the underrepresentation of females in management positions, progress is little. However, efforts can only be effective if the source of the problem is identified and understood. Thus, a considerable number of studies has been carried out in an attempt to understand which aspects facilitate the underrepresentation of females in management (e. g., Joshi, Son,& Roh, 2015; Niederle & Vesterlund, 2007; Eagly & Karau, 2002). Research has shown that the reason for the gender disparity in leading positions is twofold. First, individual differences in characteristics and behavior are compelling predictors of gender imbalance in organizations (Bass & Bass, 2009; Joshi & Roh, 2009; Judge, Bono, Ilies, & Gerhardt, 2002; Mumford et al., 2000). Second, current research on gender inequality emphasized that some work contexts seem to be more vulnerable to this phenomenon (Joshi & Roh, 2009; Gardiner & Tiggemann, 1999). Although the topic is ubiquitous and has been widely discussed in various disciplines, research has often been conducted within the confines of laboratory settings, and field research neglected to systematically include the work context as an explanatory variable. In order to shed new light on this issue, the work presented here investigated gender differences in career-relevant psychological aspects and behaviors, depending on the position and the female/male dominance of work environment. In a literature review, three constructs emerged that have not been systematically explored in the workplace as potential indicators of gender differences in managers and non-managers. Therefore, cognitive reflection, confidence in one’s own skills, and deceptive behavior were investigated in three field studies, looking directly at females and males in leading and non-leading positions in female- and male-dominated fields. Study 1a and 1b focused on the examination of the constructs within the private sector. Female and male managers and non-managers in multiple companies in Germany from the male-dominated manufacturing and the female-dominated service sector were surveyed. Results indicated a strong influence of business sectors on gender differences in self-image and work-related behavior. In order to cope with gender-incongruent work environments, males and females followed different strategies. In the female-dominated service sector, males coped with the incongruency by engaging in impression management by being overconfident as well as using self-enhancement by deceiving. In contrast to males, females only engaged in self-enhancement by deceiving in the male-dominated manufacturing sector. Both strategies were used to appear in a more positive light and to cope with the gender-incongruent workplace. Study 2 examined the three constructs in the government sector, more specifically, in female and male politicians from Germany’s national and its sixteen state parliaments and civil servants. In contrast to the private sector, males and females did neither use self-enhancement nor impression management strategies. This finding was surprising as the underrepresentation of females is an issue in both, business and politics. Overall, the findings of the present work on cognitive reflection, confidence and deception shed new light on gender differences as overconfidence and deception functioned as impression management and self-enhancement strategies for males and females to manage the demands of female- and male-dominated industries. In contrast, this does not apply for politics where those strategies were not used. Moreover, the results suggest that the investigation of female- and male-dominated environments is crucial to explain the behavior of females and males and truly provides a better understanding of gender differences at work.