Abstract
Although existing studies highlight that innovation reflects pre-existing social norms and beliefs,
few studies have examined how gender expectations can shape the adoption of innovations. To
address this gap, I focus on artistic innovations – new materials and/or techniques that an artist
did not previously use – in the context of the arts and crafts movement in Britain from 1888 to
1931. I understand gender expectations as the ways people expect men or women to behave
according to society’s ideals of masculinity or femininity, which place societal pressure on
individuals to meet these expectations. I investigate a mechanism, innovation accountability,
through which such expectations shape artistic innovations. Innovation accountability is an
individual strategy to counteract perceived deviance from gendered expectations by making one's
innovation look gender-appropriate. I test this mechanism using an AI (Artificial Intelligence)-
aided content analysis of artwork presented at the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society’s triennial
exhibitions. I find that women adopting innovations perceived as masculine tended to highlight
their dependency on men, especially their husbands, and God. In contrast, men adopting
innovations perceived as feminine tended to meet gendered expectations by stressing historical
relevance. The findings complement current understandings of the ways individuals make sense
of their innovations and the mechanism of variation in innovation adoption, using the lens of
gender.
few studies have examined how gender expectations can shape the adoption of innovations. To
address this gap, I focus on artistic innovations – new materials and/or techniques that an artist
did not previously use – in the context of the arts and crafts movement in Britain from 1888 to
1931. I understand gender expectations as the ways people expect men or women to behave
according to society’s ideals of masculinity or femininity, which place societal pressure on
individuals to meet these expectations. I investigate a mechanism, innovation accountability,
through which such expectations shape artistic innovations. Innovation accountability is an
individual strategy to counteract perceived deviance from gendered expectations by making one's
innovation look gender-appropriate. I test this mechanism using an AI (Artificial Intelligence)-
aided content analysis of artwork presented at the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society’s triennial
exhibitions. I find that women adopting innovations perceived as masculine tended to highlight
their dependency on men, especially their husbands, and God. In contrast, men adopting
innovations perceived as feminine tended to meet gendered expectations by stressing historical
relevance. The findings complement current understandings of the ways individuals make sense
of their innovations and the mechanism of variation in innovation adoption, using the lens of
gender.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | The 39th European Group for Organization Studies Colloquium |
| Number of pages | 20 |
| Publication status | Published - 8 Jul 2023 |
| Event | The 39th European Group for Organization Studies Colloquium - Cagliari, Italy Duration: 6 Jul 2023 → 8 Jul 2023 |
Conference
| Conference | The 39th European Group for Organization Studies Colloquium |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | Italy |
| City | Cagliari |
| Period | 6/07/23 → 8/07/23 |