Press Release: Innovation Research Interchange Announces 2023 Maurice Holland Award Winners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 30, 2024

Innovation research Interchange Announces Annual Award Finalists

Washington, D.C. – The Innovation Research Interchange—the innovation division of the National Association of Manufacturers—announced today that Michael Obal, Todd Morgan and Wesley Friske are the winners of the 2023 Maurice Holland Award for their paper “Is ‘Cutting-Edge’ Good? Assessing Product Newness Factors in Technologically Turbulent Environments.”

“In innovation, novelty generates the most attention but does not always translate into better value for the company and customers. This article tells readers when and to whom novel new products matter and why companies need to strike the right balance to ensure better new product performance,” said Research-Technology Management Editor-in-Chief Yat Ming Ooi.

“I would like to thank the Innovation Research Interchange and the Board of Editors at Research-Technology Management for selecting our paper for the prestigious Maurice Holland Award. RTM is a leading academic journal for innovation-related research, and thus having an opportunity to publish an article in RTM is a significant accomplishment in its own right,” said Friske. “From a personal perspective, I am also grateful for the opportunity to share this award with my friends and co-authors, and it is particularly important to me now that Todd is no longer with us. Finally, I am honored to have my name appear alongside past winners of the award. Many of these individuals are thought leaders in our field, and I hope that someday my research will have the same level of impact as theirs.”

“I’m honored to receive the Holland Award from the Research-Technology Management alongside Todd and Wes. All three of us have aimed to publish academic work that impacts practitioners throughout our careers,” said Obal. “Thus, receiving an award from a journal that specifically focuses on bridging the gap between academia and practice is especially gratifying. Of course, this paper and award is bittersweet as Todd is no longer with us. However, I am encouraged that his work will continue to have an impact. Thank you again!”

Morgan, the third coauthor, died unexpectedly on April 19, 2023.

Background: Named after the IRI’s founder, the Maurice Holland Award is presented each year to the authors of the paper published in the previous year’s volume of Research-Technology Management that best exemplifies the journal’s values of significance to the field of R&D and innovation management, originality of new management concepts and excellence in presentation.

Obal is an associate professor of marketing, entrepreneurship and innovation at the Manning School of Business at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. He holds a Ph.D. from Temple University and an M.B.A. from the University of Massachusetts Boston, both in marketing. His research interests include the diffusion of new technologies, innovation/product development processes, customer cocreation in NPD, business-to-business relationship management, marketing strategy and digital marketing. His work has been published in various journals, including Research Policy, Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Product Innovation Management and Journal of International Marketing.

Morgan was an assistant professor of management at Cleveland State University. He completed his Ph.D. in business administration focusing on marketing strategy and entrepreneurship at Kent State University. His general research focused on new product development, innovation and strategic orientations of firms and how they impact competitive advantage. He examined how firms leverage resources and capabilities to integrate external knowledge and maximize its effectiveness for NPD. His primary focus was on small- and medium-sized enterprises, and he published many articles in journals such as Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, Research Policy and Journal of Business Research.

Friske is an associate professor of marketing at Missouri State University. He completed his Ph.D. in business administration with an emphasis in marketing at Texas Tech University. His broad research area remains marketing strategy, but he is particularly interested in the marketing-entrepreneurship interface and macromarketing. More recently, his research has focused on firm-level and environmental factors that influence the effectiveness of new product and service development strategies. His research appears in various peer-reviewed journals, including Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science and Journal of Macromarketing.

-NAM-
The National Association of Manufacturers is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs 13 million men and women, contributes $2.89 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and accounts for 53% of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the NAM or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org.

-Innovation Research Interchange-
Innovation Research Interchange (formerly the Industrial Research Institute) is an inclusive membership organization with hundreds of global members in private-sector companies, federally funded laboratories, universities and others. Founded in 1938, we lead and advance the field of innovation management by creating contemporary practices. Some of the world’s most widely adopted models—such as “open innovation,” “front end of innovation” and “stage-gate”—were born from the work of our members. We value strength in cooperation and partner with other organizations at the forefront of developments in innovation management, creating a hub for all to convene and contribute in an experimental, noncompetitive and noncommercial environment. For more information, visit www.iriweb.org.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 30, 2024	CONTACT: NAM Media Relations

Innovation research Interchange Announces Annual Award Finalists Washington, D.C. – The Innovation Research Interchange—the innovation division of the National Association of Manufacturers—announced today that Michael Obal, Todd Morgan and Wesley Friske are the winners of the 2023 Maurice Holland Award for their paper “Is ‘Cutting-Edge’ Good? Assessing Product Newness Factors in Technologically Turbulent Environments.” “In innovation, novelty generates the most attention but does not always translate into better value for the company and customers. This article tells readers when and to whom novel new products matter and why companies need to strike the right balance to ensure better new product performance,” said Research-Technology Management Editor-in-Chief Yat Ming Ooi. “I would like to thank the Innovation Research Interchange and the Board of Editors at Research-Technology Management for selecting our paper for the prestigious Maurice Holland Award. RTM is a leading academic journal for innovation-related research, and thus having an opportunity to publish an article in RTM is a significant accomplishment in its own right,” said Friske. “From a personal perspective, I am also grateful for the opportunity to share this award with my friends and co-authors, and it is particularly important to me now that Todd is no longer with us. Finally, I am honored to have my name appear alongside past winners of the award. Many of these individuals are thought leaders in our field, and I hope that someday my research will have the same level of impact as theirs.” “I’m honored to receive the Holland Award from the Research-Technology Management alongside Todd and Wes. All three of us have aimed to publish academic work that impacts practitioners throughout our careers,” said Obal. “Thus, receiving an award from a journal that specifically focuses on bridging the gap between academia and practice is especially gratifying. Of course, this paper and award is bittersweet as Todd is no longer with us. However, I am encouraged that his work will continue to have an impact. Thank you again!” Morgan, the third coauthor, died unexpectedly on April 19, 2023. Background: Named after the IRI’s founder, the Maurice Holland Award is presented each year to the authors of the paper published in the previous year’s volume of Research-Technology Management that best exemplifies the journal’s values of significance to the field of R&D and innovation management, originality of new management concepts and excellence in presentation. Obal is an associate professor of marketing, entrepreneurship and innovation at the Manning School of Business at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. He holds a Ph.D. from Temple University and an M.B.A. from the University of Massachusetts Boston, both in marketing. His research interests include the diffusion of new technologies, innovation/product development processes, customer cocreation in NPD, business-to-business relationship management, marketing strategy and digital marketing. His work has been published in various journals, including Research Policy, Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Product Innovation Management and Journal of International Marketing. Morgan was an assistant professor of management at Cleveland State University. He completed his Ph.D. in business administration focusing on marketing strategy and entrepreneurship at Kent State University. His general research focused on new product development, innovation and strategic orientations of firms and how they impact competitive advantage. He examined how firms leverage resources and capabilities to integrate external knowledge and maximize its effectiveness for NPD. His primary focus was on small- and medium-sized enterprises, and he published many articles in journals such as Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, Research Policy and Journal of Business Research. Friske is an associate professor of marketing at Missouri State University. He completed his Ph.D. in business administration with an emphasis in marketing at Texas Tech University. His broad research area remains marketing strategy, but he is particularly interested in the marketing-entrepreneurship interface and macromarketing. More recently, his research has focused on firm-level and environmental factors that influence the effectiveness of new product and service development strategies. His research appears in various peer-reviewed journals, including Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science and Journal of Macromarketing. -NAM- The National Association of Manufacturers is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs 13 million men and women, contributes $2.89 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and accounts for 53% of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the NAM or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org. -Innovation Research Interchange- Innovation Research Interchange (formerly the Industrial Research Institute) is an inclusive membership organization with hundreds of global members in private-sector companies, federally funded laboratories, universities and others. Founded in 1938, we lead and advance the field of innovation management by creating contemporary practices. Some of the world’s most widely adopted models—such as “open innovation,” “front end of innovation” and “stage-gate”—were born from the work of our members. We value strength in cooperation and partner with other organizations at the forefront of developments in innovation management, creating a hub for all to convene and contribute in an experimental, noncompetitive and noncommercial environment. For more information, visit www.iriweb.org.