Expert Interview: Knowledge and Innovation Management
In futures research, the “expert interview” method consists of targeted conversations with qualified specialists from different industries or disciplines in order to gain insights, opinions, and forecasts about current and future developments. By interviewing experts in a targeted way, subject-matter expertise, different perspectives, and deep understanding of relevant topics are collected to support strategic decisions and planning.
This qualitative research helps to obtain well-founded assessments of possible future scenarios and to identify risks and opportunities early on.
Expert Interview at a Glance
| Meaning and application: | To verify understanding of a given issue, hypotheses are formulated and their validity is checked through expert interviews. In face-to-face or telephone interviews, experts from different disciplines are questioned and their statements are evaluated. A report summarizes whether the hypotheses were rather confirmed or refuted and why. |
| How the analysis is conducted: | The evaluation is carried out by transcribing the experts’ statements and arguments from the interviews and then classifying them. Typical questions include: Was the hypothesis confirmed or refuted? Under what conditions? For what reasons? The results are then summarized in a report. |
| Strengths of the method: | Strengths include that the expert interview can be used flexibly for different use cases and provides qualitative statements from experts. |
| Weaknesses and challenges: | Key challenges include selecting suitable experts and formulating hypotheses carefully and thoughtfully. |
The Importance of Expert Interviews for Companies
Expert interviews are an established approach in empirical social research and have also become a recognized method in the business context for addressing and answering major future-oriented questions in a well-founded and structured manner.
They matter for companies because they provide access to specific expertise that forms a sound basis for strategic decisions. Directly interviewing qualified experts from relevant industries or disciplines enables companies to gain deep insights into current and future developments.
Using this instrument can help companies strengthen their competitive position, assess risks more accurately, and develop innovative solutions to business challenges.
9 Steps to Conduct Effective Expert Interviews
Conducting effective expert interviews requires careful planning and execution. The following guide includes nine steps for running a successful expert interview:
1. Define objectives
- Clearly define what information or insights should be gained through the interviews.
- Align the objectives with the company’s strategic needs and decision-making.
2. Select qualified experts
- Identify experts with relevant knowledge and experience related to the defined objectives.
- Consider diversity among experts to include different perspectives.
3. Prepare a question guide
- Develop a structured set of questions focused on the objectives.
- Use comprehensive prompts and ask open, clear, and precise questions to obtain detailed information.
4. Communication and outreach
- Clarify the purpose of the interview in advance and agree on an appropriate time frame.
- Communicate clearly about the interview process and how the information will be used and evaluated
5. Conduct the interview
- Create a relaxed atmosphere to encourage open and honest answers.
- Ask questions one by one and allow for detailed responses to develop a deep understanding.
- Keep an eye on the time and stick to the schedule to ensure efficiency.
6. Multi-channel interviews (if necessary)
- Use different communication channels such as in-person meetings, video conferencing, or phone calls—depending on availability and expert preferences.
7. Documentation:
- Record answers and insights thoroughly so the data can be analyzed and evaluated accurately later.
- Capture all relevant information—even if it does not directly answer the questions asked.
8. Collect feedback
- Give experts the opportunity to provide feedback on the interview process.
- This enables continuous improvement of the methodology.
9. Analysis and implementation
- Analyze the collected data to identify patterns, trends, and relevant insights.
- Derive concrete action steps from the interviews to improve the company’s strategic direction.
Effective expert interviews play a crucial role in providing robust information that helps companies make informed decisions and prepare for future challenges.
Key aspects for successful planning and execution
Regardless of the field or the interview partner, paying attention to the following six aspects ensures smooth execution and supports achieving the desired outcomes:
Transparente communication:
- Clearly communicate goals, expectations, and benefits for experts to foster understanding and motivation to participate.
Structured interview methods:
- Use structured interview guides to ensure relevant topics are covered and subjective bias is minimized.
Efficient planning:
- Plan interviews efficiently to make optimal use of time and ensure all key questions are addressed.
Clear data protection policies:
- Implement clear data protection rules to ensure confidentiality and strengthen trust.
Diverse invitations:
- Invite experts with different knowledge, experience, and cultural backgrounds to ensure a broad range of perspectives.
Flexibility and adaptation:
- Remain flexible in conducting interviews to accommodate expert availability and handle technical challenges.
Die erfolgreiche Bewältigung dieser Herausforderungen erfordert eine sorgfältige Planung, klare Kommunikation und die Bereitschaft, flexibel auf unvorhergesehene Umstände zu reagieren, um hochwertige Ergebnisse aus den Experteninterviews zu erzielen.
Innovation Management and Expert Interviews
Innovation management refers to the systematic steering and promotion of innovation processes in companies. By integrating expert interviews into innovation management practices, companies gain direct access to specialized knowledge, encourage creative ideas, and improve the validation of innovation concepts.
This integrative approach enables companies to draw effectively on expert advice to develop innovative solutions and strengthen their competitiveness.
Using Expert Interviews in Innovation Strategy
Expert interviews play a key role in corporate innovation strategy because they provide a direct source of deep expertise and well-founded insights. Targeted exchanges with specialists from relevant industries or disciplines help companies adapt their innovation strategy effectively to challenges:
Identify trends and opportunities
Expert interviews help companies recognize emerging trends and market opportunities early by gathering specialists’ perspectives on current developments and future potential.
Validate innovation ideas
Companies can validate innovation ideas through expert feedback to ensure concepts are relevant and marketable.
Market validierung
Expert interviews can support precise market validation to ensure that innovative products or services resonate with target groups.
Technological advancement
In innovation-driven industries, expert interviews can help understand the state of technology and potential progress, supporting R&D strategy design.
Early identification of challenges
Dialogue with experts can reveal obstacles early and enable strategies to overcome them.
Networking and cooperation
Expert interviews foster relationships with specialists and enable potential partnerships or access to external know-how for joint innovation projects.
Risk assessment
Expert input helps assess risks and uncertainties related to innovation projects, enabling proactive risk mitigation.
Systematically integrating expert interviews into innovation strategy supports a more informed and evidence-based approach that can ultimately lead to successful and sustainable innovations.
Challenges and Solutions in Expert Interviews
Every expert interview can involve specific challenges and corresponding solutions. Keeping the following points in mind helps ensure effective use of the method:
Recruiting participants
- Challenge: Recruiting qualified experts can be difficult, especially if they have limited time.
- Solution: Plan early, communicate goals clearly, and offer potential incentives to make participation more attractive.
Bias and one-sided views
- Challenge: Experts may have biases or one-sided perspectives.
- Solution: Select a diverse group of experts and use a structured interview method to obtain more objective information.
Time constraints
- Challenge: Limited expert time can reduce the depth of the discussion.
- Solution: Plan efficiently, communicate clearly, and focus on the most important questions.
Technological challenges
- Challenge: Technical problems during virtual interviews can affect interaction.
- Solution: Run tests beforehand, provide technical support, and use reliable communication platforms.
Confidentiality and data protection
- Challenge: Sensitive information may be shared during interviews.
- Solution: Use clearly defined data protection policies and secure communication channels.
Lack of diversity
- Challenge: A lack of diversity in expert perspectives.
- Solution: Invite experts with different backgrounds and experience to ensure broad variety.
Futures Research and Expert Interviews
Futures research aims to manage uncertainty about future developments by using various methods for analysis and forecasting. Expert interviews play a decisive role because direct exchanges with qualified specialists provide deep insights and well-founded assessments that help reduce uncertainty and support strategy on an informed basis.
Combining futures research and expert interviews enables companies to prepare for potential scenarios and respond flexibly to change.
Integrating Expert Knowledge into Corporate Strategy
Integrating expert knowledge into corporate strategy involves the systematic inclusion of qualified specialists in strategic decision-making processes. By taking into account diverse perspectives and well-founded expert insights, an organization-wide alignment with current and future developments can be achieved.
This integrative approach strengthens strategic alignment, fosters innovation processes, and enables companies to respond proactively to challenges.
The Role of Technology and Trends in Expert Interviews
The role of technology in expert interviews is crucial for the efficiency, scope, and flexibility of this research approach. Technology enables:
- Virtual execution: Video conferencing and online meeting platforms allow expert interviews to be conducted regardless of geographical location, facilitating global participation and reducing travel costs.
- Flexible scheduling: Technological tools make it possible to adapt interview times to experts’ availability, improving planning and increasing participation rates.
- Recording and documentation: The ability to digitally record interviews facilitates subsequent analysis and transcription, enabling more precise evaluation and use of the collected data.
- Interactive elements: Technological platforms can integrate interactive features such as polls, collaborative document editing, and virtual whiteboards to enhance collaboration during interviews.
- Data security and confidentiality: Advanced technologies help ensure compliance with data protection and security standards to safeguard confidential information, which is particularly important when sensitive topics are discussed.
- Automation and analysis: Artificial intelligence and data analytics tools can support automatic transcription, pattern recognition, and the extraction of relevant information, making the analysis process more efficient.
- Hybrid formats: Technology enables hybrid interview formats that combine physical and virtual elements to maximize flexibility and engagement.
Appropriate use of technology thus optimizes the entire expert interview process, improves efficiency, and expands the reach of this research approach.
Future Trends in the Application of Expert Interviews
- Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR): Use of VR and AR for immersive expert interview experiences.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI): Use of AI to automate interview transcription, pattern recognition, and analysis of expert statements.
- Blockchain technology: Enhancing the security and integrity of expert interview data through blockchain.
- Real-time translation: Advances in translation technologies enable seamless conversations with experts regardless of language barriers.
- Participatory online platforms: Integration of interactive platforms for continuous exchange and discussion with experts.
- Sensor and biometric technology: Inclusion of sensor-based data and biometric measurements for deeper analysis of expert responses.
- Advanced analytics tools: Progress in data analytics tools for faster and more accurate evaluation of expert interviews.
- Mobile applications: Development of mobile apps for more convenient and spontaneous expert interviews.
- Hybrid interview formats: Further development of hybrid formats combining physical and virtual elements to maximize flexibility.
- Ethics and data protection: Growing emphasis on ethical guidelines and data protection standards in conducting expert interviews.
- Predictive analytics: Use of predictive analytics to identify future topics and expert developments.
These trends indicate that the application of expert interviews will increasingly be shaped by innovative technologies to enhance efficiency, security, and interactivity.
Frequently asked questions and answers
Identifying the right experts for an interview requires a targeted approach:
1. Define clear objectives:
Determine the precise goals and thematic scope of the interview in order to specify the required fields of expertise and qualifications.
2. Research and network analysis:
Review academic publications, industry reports, and professional networks to identify experts with relevant expertise and experience. Also analyze their online presence and reputation.
3. Outreach and invitation:
Send clear and targeted invitations to the identified experts, clearly communicating the relevance of the topic, the objectives of the interview, and potential benefits of participation.
To ensure quality and objectivity in expert interviews, various techniques can be applied:
1. Structured interview guides:
Use predefined and structured questions to ensure that all relevant topics are covered and that interviews remain comparable.
2. Standardized processes:
Establish clear and standardized procedures for expert selection, interview conduct, and data analysis to ensure consistency and objectivity.
3. Triangulation:
Use multiple data sources and methods to verify and validate findings, for example by combining expert interviews with other research techniques.
4. Diversity of experts:
Ensure that selected experts represent a broad range of perspectives and experiences to achieve a balanced view of the topic.
5. Clear communication:
Clarify the interview objectives, research context, and use of collected data in advance to minimize misunderstandings and foster collaboration.
6. Moderator effectiveness:
A trained moderator can contribute to high-quality and objective results through clear and precise questioning, active listening, and effective facilitation.
7. Recording and transcription:
Record and transcribe interviews to ensure accurate documentation and to base analysis on reliable data.
8. Peer review:
Have the results of expert interviews reviewed by other researchers or professionals to minimize bias and strengthen the validity of interpretations.
9. Researcher reflexivity:
Researchers should reflect on and document their own assumptions, biases, and influences on the interview process to promote objectivity.
Combining these techniques supports the assurance of quality and objectivity in expert interviews, leading to robust and reliable results.
Expert interviews contribute significantly to innovation by:
1. Accessing specialized expertise:
Direct interaction with experts from relevant fields enables the generation of innovative ideas and solution approaches grounded in deep domain knowledge.
2. Validating innovation ideas:
Expert interviews allow innovation concepts to be tested and validated through professional feedback, helping to identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement.
3. Promoting collaboration:
Collaboration with experts encourages interdisciplinary exchange, introduces new perspectives, and creates an environment conducive to the development of innovative approaches and solutions.
Depending on the research question and field of study, it is highly appropriate for students to conduct expert interviews and incorporate the findings into bachelor’s theses, master’s theses, or dissertations to support qualitative research. Interviews may be conducted face-to-face or via email.
Sources
- Gordon, T. J., & Glenn, J. C. (2003). Futures research methodology. Millennium Project of the American Council of the United Nations University, New York.
- Van der Heijden, K. (2011). Scenarios: the art of strategic conversation. John Wiley & Sons.
- Schwartz, P. (1996). The art of the long view: paths to strategic insight for yourself and your company. Crown Business.
- Lindgren, M., & Bandhold, H. (2009). Scenario Planning-Revised and Updated: The Link Between Future and Strategy. Springer
- Ringland, G. Scenario Planning Managing For The Future. Gill Ringland foreword by Peter Schwartz.
- Richards, H. J., & Pherson, R. H. (2010). Structured analytic techniques for intelligence analysis. Cq Press.
- van‘t Klooster, S. A., & van Asselt, M. B. (2006). Practising the scenario-axes technique. Futures, 38(1), 15-30
- Kosow, H., & Gaßner, R. (2008). Methoden der Zukunfts-und Szenarioanalyse: Überblick, Bewertung und Auswahlkriterien. IZT.
