Is Google driving us dumb? The introspective looping

Abstract

Creativity is a key source of strategic advantage in nowadays knowledge-based society. However, reactive paradigms still dominate innovation theory: solutions follow well-known problems. But triggering radical innovation requires proactive creativity, implying using information to constantly find new problems to solve. Led by Google, personalization strategies use algorithms to obtain filtered information, meeting particular users’ expected preferences. This phenomenon, largely neglected by management research and practice, has received substantial criticism, around the concerns that it impoverishes social discourse, slows down human brain thinking capability, and eventually reduces creativity and innovation potential. Indeed, research has confirmed the positive impact that exposure to numerous and divergent external stimuli has on individual creativity. Thought-provoking questions emerge: Will customized search outputs affect companies’ competitive capabilities? If personalized search results reduce the diversity and overall wealth of stimuli received, will creativity and innovation in organizations be diminished? How can managers prevent this potentially dangerous process?

Keywords:

• Cognitive frames
• creativity
• Google
• information technology
• innovation
• introspective looping
• search output personalization

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Joaquín Camps

Joaquín Camps received his PhD in Economics and Business Management from the University of Valencia, Spain. He is a Full Professor at the Department of Business Management, Faculty of Economics, University of Valencia, Spain. His research interests are focused on organizational behavior, innovation, and international strategy. Professor Camp’s research outcomes have been published in leading journals, such as British Journal of Management, Journal of Economic Geography, Personnel Review, Human Resource Management, and International Journal of Human Resource Management.

Victor Oltra

Victor Oltra received his PhD in Economics and Business Management from the University of Valencia, Spain. He is an Associate Professor at the Department of Business Management, Faculty of Economics, University of Valencia, Spain. His research interests revolve around knowledge and innovation management, human resource management, business ethics and corporate social responsibility, and innovative methods in management education. Dr. Oltra’s research outcomes have been pùblished in leading journals, such as Journal of Knowledge Management, Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, Human Resource Management, Journal of Business Ethics, International Journal of Human Resource Management, Business Ethics: A European Review, Human Resource Management Journal, and International Journal of Management Education.