How to use analogies for breakthrough innovations

Analogies can trigger breakthrough ideas in new product development. Numerous examples demonstratethat substantial innovations often result from transferring problem solutions from one industry ordomain to another. For instance, the designers of the new running shoe generation of Nike, “NikeSHOX”, use the same suspension concept like the technologies applied for Formula 1 racing cars, or thebiological Lotus-effect led to the development of various self-cleaning surfaces.Academic research on analogical thinking has been so far heavily influenced by general theoretical workfrom cognitive psychology or systematic inventing. Only a small number of studies have investigated theapplication of analogies in the specific context of breakthrough innovation projects. This paper focuses onthe question how analogies can be systematically used in the early...