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Professor Christoph Hienerth

Chair of Entrepreneurship and Creativity

Chairholder

Phone: +49 (0)261 6509 261
Email: christoph.hienerth[at]whu.edu

Chairholder

Phone: +49 (0)261 6509 261
Email: christoph.hienerth[at]whu.edu

Professor Christoph Hienerth was appointed to the Chair of Entrepreneurship and Creativity at WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management in June 2012. He holds a doctoral degree (equivalent to a PhD) from WU Vienna, where he also completed his post-doctoral degree (Habilitation) as an assistant professor at the Department for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. From 2006 to 2012 he held a tenured position as Associate Professor at Copenhagen Business School, Department for Innovation and Organizational Economics. Professor Hienerth had various research visits and fellowships at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard Business School (HBS), McGill University, and George Washington University.

His research has been published in leading international and national refereed journals such as Research Policy, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, Journal of Product Innovation Management, Long Range Planning, Journal of Organizational Design, Family Business Review, Zeitschrift für Betriebswirtschaft (ZfB). His work, both in research as well as in teaching has won several awards. Professor Hienerth has gained expertise in corporate entrepreneurship through several industry projects with international companies such as Schindler, Deutsche Telekom, Palfinger, Bayer, MAN, LEGO, Fujitsu, Siemens VDO, SAS, Grundfos and Coloplast. He has given keynotes and was scientific advisor for governmental institutions in several countries such as Sweden, Denmark, Finland, UK, Czech Republic.

 

Research Focus

  • Identification and development of opportunities
  • Entrepreneurship in open and user innovation settings
  • Entrepreneurial risk and uncertainty
  • Corporate Entrepreneurship
  • Business ecosystems and new business models
  • Social Entrepreneurship

Publications

Journal of Business Research

A perfect match?

Schröder, A., Schlereth, C., Hienerth, C., Kellermanns, F. (2025), A perfect match? How entrepreneurs evaluate and decide on venture capital firms, Journal of Business Research, Vol. 200, 115621.

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Venturing

Riar, F., Hienerth, C., Berg Jensen, M. (2021), Digital due diligence activities and goal setting in equity crowdfunding: exploring the differences between novice and experienced investors, International Journal of Entrepreneurial Venturing, Vol. 13 (1), pp. 1-26.

International Journal of Project Management

Keinz, P., Hienerth, C., Gemünden, H., Killen, C., Sicotte, H. (2021), Guest editorial: special issue - Managing open and user innovation by projects: sensing, seizing and transforming, International Journal of Project Management, Vol. 39 (2), pp. 97-101.

International Journal of Project Management

Keinz, P., Hienerth, C., Gemünden, H., Killen, C., Sicotte, H. (2018), Call for papers: special issue - Managing open and user innovation by projects: sensing, seizing and transforming, International Journal of Project Management, Vol. 36 (8), pp. 1109-1111.

Journal of Product Innovation Management

Hienerth, C., Lettl, C. (2017), Perspective: understanding the nature and measurement of the lead user construct, Journal of Product Innovation Management, Vol. 34, pp. 3-12.

Journal of Product Innovation Management

Hienerth, C., Lettl, C., Keinz, P. (2014), Synergies among producer firms, lead users, and user communities: the case of the LEGO producer-user ecosystem, Journal of Product Innovation Management, Vol. 31, pp. 846-866.

Research Policy

Hienerth, C., Hippel, E., Berg Jensen, M. (2014), User community vs. producer innovation development efficiency: a first empirical study, Research Policy, Vol. 43, pp. 190-201.

Journal of Product Innovation Management

Berg Jensen, M., Hienerth, C., Lettl, C. (2014), Forecasting the commercial attractiveness of user-generated designs using online data: an empirical study within the LEGO user community, Journal of Product Innovation Management, Vol. 31 (Supplement S1), pp. 75-93.

Journal of Organization Design

Designing the organization for user innovation

Keinz, P., Hienerth, C., Lettl, C. (2012), Designing the organization for user innovation, Journal of Organization Design, Vol. 1, pp. 20-36.

Journal of Product Innovation Management

Exploring how peer communities enable lead user innovations to become standard equipment in the industry

Hienerth, C., Lettl, C. (2011), Exploring how peer communities enable lead user innovations to become standard equipment in the industry: community pull effects, Journal of Product Innovation Management, Vol. 28 (Supplement), pp. 175-195.

Long Range Planning

Hienerth, C., Keinz, P., Lettl, C. (2011), Exploring the nature and implementation process of user-centric business models, Long Range Planning, Vol. 44 (2018-06-05), pp. 344-374.

IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management

Exploring how lead users develop radical innovation

Lettl, C., Hienerth, C., Gemünden, H. (2008), Exploring how lead users develop radical innovation: opportunity recognition and exploitation in the field of medical equipment technology, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, Vol. 55, pp. 219-233.

Journal of Business Research

A perfect match?

Schröder, A., Schlereth, C., Hienerth, C., Kellermanns, F. (2025), A perfect match? How entrepreneurs evaluate and decide on venture capital firms, Journal of Business Research, Vol. 200, 115621.

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Venturing

Riar, F., Hienerth, C., Berg Jensen, M. (2021), Digital due diligence activities and goal setting in equity crowdfunding: exploring the differences between novice and experienced investors, International Journal of Entrepreneurial Venturing, Vol. 13 (1), pp. 1-26.

International Journal of Project Management

Keinz, P., Hienerth, C., Gemünden, H., Killen, C., Sicotte, H. (2021), Guest editorial: special issue - Managing open and user innovation by projects: sensing, seizing and transforming, International Journal of Project Management, Vol. 39 (2), pp. 97-101.

International Journal of Project Management

Keinz, P., Hienerth, C., Gemünden, H., Killen, C., Sicotte, H. (2018), Call for papers: special issue - Managing open and user innovation by projects: sensing, seizing and transforming, International Journal of Project Management, Vol. 36 (8), pp. 1109-1111.

Journal of Product Innovation Management

Hienerth, C., Lettl, C. (2017), Perspective: understanding the nature and measurement of the lead user construct, Journal of Product Innovation Management, Vol. 34, pp. 3-12.

Journal of Product Innovation Management

Hienerth, C., Lettl, C., Keinz, P. (2014), Synergies among producer firms, lead users, and user communities: the case of the LEGO producer-user ecosystem, Journal of Product Innovation Management, Vol. 31, pp. 846-866.

Research Policy

Hienerth, C., Hippel, E., Berg Jensen, M. (2014), User community vs. producer innovation development efficiency: a first empirical study, Research Policy, Vol. 43, pp. 190-201.

Journal of Product Innovation Management

Berg Jensen, M., Hienerth, C., Lettl, C. (2014), Forecasting the commercial attractiveness of user-generated designs using online data: an empirical study within the LEGO user community, Journal of Product Innovation Management, Vol. 31 (Supplement S1), pp. 75-93.

Journal of Organization Design

Designing the organization for user innovation

Keinz, P., Hienerth, C., Lettl, C. (2012), Designing the organization for user innovation, Journal of Organization Design, Vol. 1, pp. 20-36.

Journal of Product Innovation Management

Exploring how peer communities enable lead user innovations to become standard equipment in the industry

Hienerth, C., Lettl, C. (2011), Exploring how peer communities enable lead user innovations to become standard equipment in the industry: community pull effects, Journal of Product Innovation Management, Vol. 28 (Supplement), pp. 175-195.

Long Range Planning

Hienerth, C., Keinz, P., Lettl, C. (2011), Exploring the nature and implementation process of user-centric business models, Long Range Planning, Vol. 44 (2018-06-05), pp. 344-374.

IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management

Exploring how lead users develop radical innovation

Lettl, C., Hienerth, C., Gemünden, H. (2008), Exploring how lead users develop radical innovation: opportunity recognition and exploitation in the field of medical equipment technology, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, Vol. 55, pp. 219-233.

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