What is the best way to present an innovative idea?

Why or how? A study published in the "Strategic Management Journal" shows that the way to "frame" an intuition depends on the audience

A study published in "Strategic Management Journal” shows that the chosen mode for “to frame” own idea, the so-called “framing", may be essential to determine its success; at the same time there is no “framing” universally effective: there is a “framing" right for the right audience.
From the technological revolution of Apple to the tourist one of Airbnb, from low-cost flights of the Southwest Airlines to social micro-loans of the Grameen Bank: there are many cases of great innovators whose successful ideas were initially ignored if not completely rejected, often even more than once.
How come? One possible answer is in the way in which, in the very early stage of a project's development, the idea is presented to people who are potentially interested in supporting and funding it.
So what is the best way for innovators who find themselves having to present their idea, looking for allies and investors?

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On the one hand, we can focus on the “because” at the basis of one's idea, on the other one can insist on the “including” is intended to put it into practice. Which option to choose? It depends on the audience you are facing.
This is what emerges from the analysis of a group of researchers from theUniversity of Bolognaand City University of London and New York University, published in "Strategic Management Journal” and then taken up by the “Harvard Business Review”, two of the most prestigious management magazines in the world.
"The theme we wanted to explore is that of 'framing', i.e. the way we 'frame' a message thinking of a given target audience, with the intention of obtaining the widest possible support", explains Simone Ferriani, professor atUniversity of Bologna and the City University of London, among the authors of the study.
“The role of 'framing' as a persuasive mechanism has been amply demonstrated by the scientific literature, but many people often take their communication style for granted and do not think strategically about how to 'frame' their ideas to maximize their impact. This can be a particularly strong limitation for creatives, innovators, entrepreneurs who are trying to get a project off the ground and who, at the beginning of their journey, have little more than an idea to share”.

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On which is the best approach to present an innovative idea, experts are divided into two camps. On the one hand there are those who argue, such as the essayist and motivator Simon Sinek, that the right approach is to emphasize the "why" of your message: focusing on the purpose of the innovation would in fact help to appreciate its profound reasons and would therefore make it easier to empathize with the idea.
On the other hand, however, there are other experts, such as the well-known organizational psychology scholar Adam Grant, according to which it is appropriate that the idea is framed through a communication more oriented to the "how" ("how"), i.e. how you plan to implement the idea to get to the expected goal.

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An “entrepreneurial pitch” evaluated by two types of people

To understand which is the best way, the scholars carried out a series of experiments with two groups of people: a group of professional investment experts and a group of newbies.
Both were asked to rate a "entrepreneurial pitch”, which is a succinct description of an innovative business idea.
The scholars then verified whether the appreciation of the idea varied with respect to two alternative ways of "frame it".
In one case the idea was presented with a strong emphasis on “how”, or on how the product or service could satisfy specific needs, while in the other case the emphasis was on the “why”, or why the product or service might be desirable by consumers or users.
The result? “The results of the experiments carried out indicate that the non-expert public is more inclined to appreciate and financially support the idea when the 'framing' is oriented towards the 'why'; however, experts are more inclined to invest in the idea when it is communicated by favoring a concrete 'framing', i.e. oriented towards the 'how'”, explains the researcher of London and Bologna.

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The “why” pleases newbies, the “how” pleases investors

“The difference in impact is remarkable: a 'why framing' increases the probability that the group of neophytes will appreciate the idea by 25 percent; conversely, framing the idea by emphasizing the 'how', rather than the 'why', increases the likelihood that the idea will be preferred by professional investors by almost 50 percent”.
The group of researchers replicated these results in subsequent experiments, again and again differentiating the target audience between experts and non-experts and always confirming the outcome of the previous experiments: the choice of the “framing” is decisive in mobilizing resources and attention, but there is no “framing” universally effective. Instead, there is a "framing" right for the right audience.
The founders of successful innovative companies such as Apple, Airbnb, Southwest Airlines or Grameen Bank they could therefore have avoided the initial rejections and rejections if they had used a “framing” different to present their ideas?
“It's hard to say because we don't know in what terms these people expressed themselves at the beginning of their entrepreneurial adventures”, he says in conclusion Simone Ferriani.
“However, our experiments show that the use of a 'why' or 'how' framing is an extremely important choice, the results of which are closely linked to the identity of the recipient of the idea being communicated”.
The study was published in the journal "Strategic Management Journal” with the title “Start with “Why,” but only if you have to: The strategic framing of novel ideas across different audiences".
The authors are Denise Falchetti (Department of Business Sciences, University of Bologna), Gino Cattani (New York University) e Simone Ferriani (Department of Business Sciences, University of Bologna and City University of London).

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