MICHAËL BIKARD

Associate Professor of Strategy at INSEAD

ABOUT ME

I am an Associate Professor of Strategy at INSEAD. My research examines how innovation unfolds within its moment—the alignment of ideas with technological, social, and institutional conditions that shape their success and impact. I explore how timing and context shape the fate of ideas, and how innovators can respond to tilt the odds in their favor. For instance, my research on “idea twins”—scientific discoveries made by several teams at the same time—shows how identical ideas can meet very different fates depending on where they emerge. Before joining INSEAD, I served on the Strategy and Entrepreneurship faculty at London Business School and earned my PhD from MIT Sloan in the Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Strategic Management group.

Vita

Google Scholar

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RESEARCH

I study the circumstances under which ideas thrive or falter, and how these dynamics shape the performance of individuals and firms. To date, my research has primarily focused on (1) the role of context, (2) the role of timing, and (3) the organization of creative work.

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How Context Shapes Which Ideas Succeed

This stream investigates how social and institutional contexts shape the trajectory of new ideas. It shows that identical ideas can meet very different fates depending on who produces them and where they emerge—whether across gender lines, organizational boundaries, or geographic hubs. Together, these studies reveal how inequality, institutional norms, and attention structures influence whose ideas gain traction and whose remain invisible.

Key papers

Bikard, Michaël. 2018. “Made in Academia: The Effect of Institutional Origin on Inventors’ Attention to Science.” Organization Science, 29 (5):818-36. (Link)
Bikard, Michaël, and Matt Marx. 2020. “Bridging Academia and Industry: How Geographic Hubs Connect University Science and Corporate Technology.” Management Science, 66 (8): 3425-43. (Link)
Bryan K. Stroube, Keyvan Vakili, Michaël Bikard. 2025. The Misfit Bias. Organization Science 36(5):1676-1689. (Link)
Bikard, Michaël, Isabel Fernandez-Mateo, and Ronak Mogra. 2025. “Standing on the Shoulders of (Male) Giants: Gender Inequality and Science-Based Invention.” Administrative Science Quarterly, 70(3), 695-732. (Link)

TEACHING

TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION STRATEGY

Technology change and innovation affect every domain of business, changing the face of industry at an accelerating pace. Yet few leaders accurately understand these patterns, leading to failure that undermines companies, projects, and careers. This 7 double-session course explores the fundamental questions of technology and innovation in order to provide students the foundations to create and capture value in the changing technology environment.

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF SOCIETY, INDUSTRIES AND COMPANIES

Digitization is fundamentally changing society and business. Many industries are in the midst of transitioning from an analogue to a digital business model. New markets entrants threaten to extinguish the existing players. In addition, digitization radically changes the way companies are run. The purpose of the course is to create a deep understanding of how digitization is changing society, industries and companies - both from the perspective of existing players and of new entrants - and to develop strategies that help companies create rather than destroy value during this shift.

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OTHER MEDIA COVERAGE

Industry links boost research output

Nature Index, December 2017

Link

AI disruption hits the C-suite, forcing executives to adapt or fail

The National, September 2025

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GET IN TOUCH

INSEAD, Boulevard de Constance
77300 Fontainebleau, France

michael.bikard@insead.edu

+33 (0)1 60 72 91 03

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