Biography
Doctor Moran Lazar is a Senior Lecturer (Assistant Professor) at the Coller School of Management in Tel Aviv University. Lazar focuses on the early foundations of entrepreneurship and innovation. She integrates organizational behavior and strategy perspectives to understand the early processes of entrepreneurship and innovation, such as the formation of new venture teams, ideation processes, and leading entrepreneurship and innovation in organizations and new ventures. Her work involves various methods and platforms, such as entrepreneurship competitions, hackathons, accelerators, educational entrepreneurship programs, crowdfunding platforms, and companies.
Lazar consults and facilitates entrepreneurship and innovation processes in diverse companies and industries. She educates and trains entrepreneurs and executives from various countries in Europe, the United States, East Asia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Lazar earned her PhD in behavioral science and management from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology and visited as a research fellow at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland and INSEAD.
Interview with Dr Lazar
How does it feel to be shortlisted for the Panmure House Prize?
Being shortlisted for the Panmure House Prize 2024 is a great honor and a moment of personal and professional significance. It is incredibly validating to have my research recognized by such a prestigious award, especially one that embodies interdisciplinary spirit. This recognition not only affirms the relevance and impact of my work but also inspires me to continue pushing the boundaries of my field. In addition, the Panmure House Prize is known for celebrating innovative research that contributes to broader societal benefits. Being among the shortlisted candidates fills me with pride and motivates me to strive even harder to make meaningful contributions. As such, this recognition reaffirms my commitment to addressing real-world challenges through rigorous and innovative research. Overall, being shortlisted is a powerful impetus to continue pursuing excellence and creating value through research.
How did you find out about the Panmure House Prize and what was it that attracted you to apply?
I found out about the Panmure House Prize through a personal reach out from the Vice President for Research and Development Office in my university. The Panmure House Prize's reputation and its celebration of innovative, cross-disciplinary research immediately attracted me. Specifically, what drew me to apply was the emphasis on research that transcends traditional academic boundaries and addresses real-world challenges. My research, which integrates insights from psychology, strategy, economics, aligns perfectly with this ethos. The prize’s focus on fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration resonated deeply with my research aspirations. Moreover, the opportunity to be recognized for promoting groundbreaking research was incredibly appealing. This aspect of the prize, and its potential to catalyze further innovation through knowledge creation and capture, was a significant motivator for me. Lastly, the potential impact of the prize in terms of advancing my research and its applications was a key consideration. The recognition and support from such a prestigious award would provide valuable resources to further develop and disseminate my findings, ultimately contributing to meaningful societal benefits.
Could you give us a brief introduction to your research for people who might not be from an academic background, could you explain what is the problem you are trying to solve?
My academic research focuses on the early foundations of innovation entrepreneurship. Innovation and entrepreneurship are central socioeconomic drivers that lead to societal advancement and technological disruption. In my inter-disciplinary work, I provide a new perspective on the micro underpinnings of innovation and entrepreneurship, such as the formation of entrepreneurial/innovation teams and the ideation process for creating and actualizing new ideas. The team and the idea are the core components of new ventures and innovation initiatives, and scholars often refer to them as the jockey (the team) and the horse (the idea) – both critical to performance and success in the turbulent entrepreneurial and innovation arena.
In my research, I focus on key questions related to how, when, and why creative ideas are generated, as well as how, when, and why creators, entrepreneurs, employees, and managers implement them successfully. The application of my research lies in its potential to directly impact real-world entrepreneurial endeavors and address pressing challenges in early-stage innovation processes. Across industries and firms, the majority of new initiates fail prematurely. By uncovering the factors that facilitate the generation and development of novel ideas as well as the formation of new teams to implement such ideas, my work offers actionable insights that can inform decision-making processes for entrepreneurs, innovators, mentors, and investors alike.
How do you conduct your research?
In my research, I collaborate with companies, innovation hubs, and entrepreneurial programs, where I gather valuable insights from real-world settings. These collaborations provide a fertile ground to study the dynamics of innovation and entrepreneurship activities. In these settings, I document early-stage innovation and entrepreneurship processes, as well as their antecedents and outcomes. These collaborations not only enriche data collection efforts but also allow for the validation of theoretical models in practical contexts. I employ a multi-method approach to ensure robustness and depth in findings, incorporating experiments, intervention studies (field experiments), large-scale datasets, and surveys. By observing and analyzing such processes in real settings, I offer applicable insights that contribute to both academic knowledge and practical strategies for fostering innovation and entrepreneurship.
How do you envision your work will advance long-term thinking and innovation in your field and beyond?
My research holds significant promise in its original contribution. Focusing on the early foundations of innovation and entrepreneurship, my research uncovers how new initiatives can come to life – in relation to both the generation of novel ideas and forming successful teams to actualize these ideas. By integrating across micro and macro disciplinary accounts, I shed light on the micro foundation of strategic decisions and actions throughout early innovation and entrepreneurship processes. This novel approach not only expands the existing literature but also offers fresh insights that have the potential to reshape our understanding of early-stage innovation and entrepreneurship.
The contribution of my research significantly stems from its interdisciplinary nature. In my research, I integrate micro perspectives rooted in social psychology and organizational behavior with more macro views in areas of strategy, economics, and sociology. By creating new connections between these disciplinary accounts, my research provides an overarching framework to early-stage innovation and entrepreneurship. In doing so, my research bridges gaps between micro and macro vantage points on the same phenomenon, fostering a more holistic perspective. By integrating insights from micro organizational behavior together with macro strategy and economics view of new ventures, my work can expand the boundaries of knowledge and catalyze cross-disciplinary ideas that inspire new avenues of inquiry and collaboration in the field.
What are you working on next?
My aim to provide an innovative contribution stems from a multifaceted approach that combines novel methodologies, interdisciplinary perspectives, and a commitment to addressing real challenges. Firstly, I strive to push the boundaries of traditional research by incorporating cutting-edge techniques and technologies that enable deeper insights and more nuanced analysis. Here, I recently initiated a new line of work on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in early-stage innovation and entrepreneurship to facilitate ideation processes. This positions my research at the forefront of theoretical and methodological innovation.
Furthermore, my commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration allows me to draw inspiration from diverse fields and integrate insights from seemingly disparate disciplines. In transcending disciplinary silos, I now uncover new connections between innovation and entrepreneurship with technology, integrating new disciplinary accounts from information systems and human-computer interaction. These will enrich our understanding and contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of innovation and entrepreneurship.
Lastly, I provide an innovative contribution by addressing pressing real-world problems. In my new projects, I focus on sustainability challenges that require radical innovation. This will ensure my work not only advances theoretical knowledge but also fosters positive change in society – making contributions that resonate within the academic community and beyond.
