Bedfellows? Managerial Optimism and Optimistic Alignment in Collaborative Innovation
研究了供应链协作创新中管理者乐观态度（一致或分歧）对创新效率的影响，发现一致乐观可转移创新负担，但分歧乐观在特定条件下能实现双赢，为管理者选择合作伙伴提供参考。
In practice, firms' managers are key decision-makers and are often plagued by optimistic bias. In collaborative innovation, this optimism manifests in both alignment and divergence among parties, which affects the efficiency and stability of collaborative innovation. However, the conditions and mechanisms underlying these effects remain unclear. To explore this issue, we consider a collaborative supply chain in which the supplier and the downstream manufacturer are realistic or optimistic. Our paper demonstrates the positive promotion of managerial optimism in innovation and shows that optimistic managers can innovate even when the profit in the supply chain is negative. Moreover, aligned optimism allows the supplier to shift the burden of innovation and cost to the manufacturer, increasing the manufacturer's innovation level. However, compared to aligned optimism, divergent optimism can lead to win-win outcomes under certain conditions. Furthermore, our findings suggest that when the optimism bias in consumer innovation preference is high, the supplier should choose a collaborator with an aligned attitude. Similarly, when the bias is moderate, the manufacturer should make the same choice. In both cases, aligned attitudes help synchronize decisions, which can benefit both firms due to higher innovation levels and reasonable prices.