An article by Dr. Yossi Maaravi and his colleagues under the title:
Hack Your Organizational Innovation
Cite article
Heller, B., Amir, A., Waxman, R., & Maaravi, Y. (2023). Hack your organizational innovation: literature review and integrative model for running hackathons. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 12(1), 1-24.
Following the publication of Dr. Yossi Maaravi's article, we had an interesting conversation with him on the subject:
Hello Dr. Maaravi, in this research you delve into the world of hackathons. What inspired this research?
"Innovation is the lifeblood of organizations, and as Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger said in 2019, 'maintaining the status quo is often the most dangerous step.' Due to the importance of thriving through innovation, I delved into the diverse methodologies that organizations use to foster creativity and innovation."
Your focus on corporate innovation is intriguing. Can you elaborate on why you see this as crucial in today's market?
"In today's dynamic and competitive market, organizations need to be not only adaptive but proactive. To remain relevant, they must consistently offer innovative products and services."
I noticed that in the article you mentioned crowdsourcing and active user participation in the creative process as innovation strategies. What led you to explore these avenues?
"Crowdsourcing and user engagement directly taps into the collective intelligence of diverse communities. It's like opening the doors of society to an abundance of fresh ideas. Organizations can benefit significantly from the external and internal perspectives brought through these collaborative approaches."
What sparked your interest in researching hackathons as a unique methodology for fostering innovation?
"Hackathons, with their combination of sprint and marathon, caught my attention as a unique way in which organizations approach innovation. Not only do they contribute directly to ideas and prototyping, but they also act as a catalyst to increase employee motivation towards innovation. It's a dual-purpose strategy that intrigued me ."
The integrative model presented in the article.
Your promise of an integrative model and guidelines sounds exciting. Can you give us a preview of what readers can expect?
"The article synthesizes existing research on the subject of hackathons to provide practical guidelines for both practitioners and researchers. We break down the design characteristics of hackathons, discuss tools and methodologies for successful installation and execution, and offer recommendations for holding projects that arise from these events."
It sounds like a road map for innovation enthusiasts. What is your personal opinion on the role of hackathons in fostering innovation?
"Hackathons are more than just events; they are dynamic catalysts for innovation. They not only produce tangible results in terms of new products and prototypes, but also create an environment that fuels people's motivation to think innovatively. It is a powerful approach that can reshape the way organizations approach and driving innovation."
Abstract
This article aims to offer a comprehensive overview of the existing literature on the hackathon phenomenon to offer scholars a common ground for future research and managers and practitioners research-based guidelines on best planning and running a hackathon. A review of the most relevant literature on hackathons was conducted to serve as the research basis for our integrative model and guidelines. This article synthesizes the research on hackathons to offer comprehensible guidelines for practitioners while also providing questions for future hackathon researchers."
