Wim Biemans and co-author win 2024/25 Schulze Publication Award

Associate Professor Wim Biemans and Professor Avinash Malshe (University of St. Thomas) have won the 2024/25 Schulze Publiction Award in the category ‘Research Insight’. They received the award for their article ‘The Right Digital Tools Help Remote Teams Innovate’, which was published on EIX.org.

Wim Biemans is Associate Professor of Marketing and Innovation at the Faculty of Economics and Business and Avinash Malshe is Professor of Marketing at the Opus College of Business of the University of St. Thomas (US). In their article, they explore how marketing and sales personnel use digital tools during the process of innovation ideation. Biemans and Malshe adopted a qualitative research approach wherein they studied 32 business-to-business (B2B) companies to explore how they use digital tools during the innovation ideation process.The companies in their sample represent a diverse range of European countries, industries and firm sizes.

Biemans and Malshe found that the ideation process includes three distinct stages—idea generation, assessment, and development. Each stage is characterized by specific objectives and activities, reflecting its unique role within the innovation funnel. With their research, Biemans and Malshe define key challenges that remote teams encounter during innovation ideation in marketing and sales settings, and provide strategies for leveraging digital tools to address these challenges through best practices. Their findings can help managers of all kinds of teams understand how to use digital tools effectively for innovation ideation in hybrid work environments. By offering detailed insights and actionable recommendations. Biemans and Malshe go beyond generic advice like "ideation should always be done in person," which overlooks the complexities and nuances of hybrid work contexts. 

The Shulze Publication Awards and EIX

The EIX-article is a shorter version of their paper previously published in Industrial Marketing Management, titled ‘How marketing and sales use digital tools for innovation ideation’. Each year, the Schulze Publication Awards celebrate the authors of the most impactful articles published on EIX and FamilyBusiness.org. These awards recognize exceptional thought leadership, clarity of perspective, and the ability to bridge research and practice, inspiring entrepreneurs, educators, and family business leaders worldwide. Entrepreneur & Innovation Exchange (EIX) is a free peer-reviewed resource on entrepreneurship and innovation for entrepreneurs, innovators, and those who support them such as investors, advisors, and educators. Philanthropically funded by the Schulze Family Foundation, EIX shares the best research on the practice of entrepreneurship and makes it relevant and accessible to both aspiring and practicing entrepreneurs.

Questions? Please contact Wim Biemans.