Self-Fulfilling Prophecies and Innovation Success

Success in innovation management is largely tied to the psychology of winning and self-fulfilling prophecies. In this article, the concept of a self-fulfilling prophecy is defined as any positive or negative expectation about circumstances, events, or people that may affect a person’s behavior toward them in a manner that causes those expectations to be fulfilled. The author shares insights from interviews with four different companies, all of whom believe in the power of self-fulfilling prophecies and imagining success. Key attitudes towards success include persistence, managing distractions, maintaining imagination and creativity, and nurturing little creativity rituals.