Publications
Publications
- 2024
- HBS Working Paper Series
Moral Incoherence During Category Emergence: The Contentious Case of Connected Toys
By: Ryann Noe
Abstract
Through a longitudinal study of the emergence of connected toys – physical toys that interact with
digital devices – I build theory about moral incoherence: when competing views about the moral
worth of a category persist over time. During the course of their emergence, connected toys were
criticized by child-development experts and many parents for threatening children’s safety and
development, and for feeding children’s mounting “digital addiction.” Nevertheless, toymakers
and industry analysts continued to celebrate the category, and connected toys saw market growth.
My analysis reveals a process of moral jousting through which proponents and opponents jockey
to construct the moral worth of a nascent category. This joust need not be resolved for a category
to emerge and grow; instead, the category can persist in a state of moral incoherence, celebrated
by some and condemned by others. This paper contributes to the literature on market categories
by revealing that moral incoherence, unlike cognitive incoherence, may not imperil the emergence
of a nascent category. Rather, when activated, it can have generative repercussions for not only
the focal category, but also the broader categorical landscape.
Keywords
Technological Innovation; Technology Adoption; Moral Sensibility; Market Entry and Exit; Consumer Behavior
Citation
Noe, Ryann. "Moral Incoherence During Category Emergence: The Contentious Case of Connected Toys." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 24-071, May 2024.