1. SYMBOLIC HYBRID ACTIVITIES.
Granados & Ayala 23, [Cristian Granados (Professor at the Graduate School of Business and at Egade Business School, Master's degree, Doctorate, and Post-Doctorate from the University of Barcelona and the University of Cambridge, Research fellow at HEC Montreal and did a research stay at Harvard Business School), and Yarid Ayala (Research Professor at Egade Business School, Editorial Board of the Journal of Happiness Studies), "Fake It ‘Till You Make It?: The Innovation Theater," Egade Ideas, https://egade.tec.mx/en/egade-ideas/research/fake-it-till-you-make-it-innovation-theater, accessed 6-30-2024, 10/31/23] Mr.Mr.
Symbolic actions are highly visible, so they can be communicated easily internally or externally for legitimacy. We found two types of actions:
1. Symbolic hybrid activities such as:
Activities to make a show: Firms frequently organize innovation contests (e.g. bootcamps, hackathons, and innovative weeks), workshops, visits to leading technology companies, or events with great speakers, that are characterized by being colorful, and euphoric, to be visible for internal and external stakeholders. But nothing happens after that. The goal is to communicate these colorful events rather than use them as inputs to develop technology-based products.
Communication: Our data indicate that innovation-related terms are used indiscriminately in internal and external corporate communication. We found that organizations theatricalize innovation by altering their language or making ambiguous promises. This includes the use of the terms ‘technological innovation’, ‘disruptive’, ‘radical technologies’, or related buzzwords in annual reports (e.g. industry 4.0 or digital transformation), media releases, conferences, or roundtables. Although these symbolic activities have no effect on the innovation process, they may influence the position’s brand.
External alliances: Our data revealed alliances with external actors (e.g. tech startups, R&D centers) that had no real intent to innovate, but rather to improve the corporate image or join a fashionable conversation. This kind of external alliance includes deals with startups, incubators, collaborative research projects, or hiring consultants.