More or the same? Radical, disruptive, discontinuous, and breakthrough innovation
通过分析4407篇文献和60篇经典贡献，发现“激进”“颠覆性”“突破性”等创新标签定义混乱，常缺失或不一致。提出一个基于新颖性和影响两个维度的创新轨迹分类法，帮助学者理清概念、比较研究结果。
Abstract This paper addresses the conceptual ambiguity in the literature on exceptional innovations, labeled “radical,” “disruptive,” “breakthrough,” or “discontinuous.” A bibliometric analysis of 4407 articles shows that different labels are used by papers with shared theoretical foundations and thematic orientation. An in-depth analysis of 60 seminal contributions shows that definitions are (I) not always provided, (II) inconsistent within labels, and (III) not distinctive across labels. This complicates the exploration of the literature and the comparison of results. Definitions, when provided, agree on the existence of two underlying dimensions—novelty and impact—but disagree on how the labels relate to these dimensions. To advance conceptual clarity, we propose a typology of innovation trajectories that treats novelty and impact as distinct concepts and clarifies how and when novelty relates to impact.