THE INNOVATION FUNNEL

The path to technological innovation is made up of a number of identif iable macro and micro level discriminators. The macro level includes: (1) the technological prerequisites; (2) the country's sociocultural t endencies; and (3) the country's material, human, and institutional in frastructures. At the micro level the filters include: (4) the structu re of the particular industry; (5) the size and nature of the individu al firm; (6) the attitudes of the management of the firm; and (7) the establishment of standards for the widespread diffusion of the innovat ion. The absence of one or more of these seven sequential steps dimini shes the likelihood that innovation will occur. This article examines the macrocosm of innovation and the screening process while presenting two propositions that suggest how to enhance an invention's progressi on through the innovation funnel. (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Inc.