Guest Editorial: Cognitive Biases and Heuristics in the New Product Development Process—A Call for More Empirical Evidence

This guest editorial introduces the Special Issue "Cognitive Biases and Heuristics in the New Product Development Process—A Call for More Empirical Evidence" on cognitive biases and heuristics in the new product development (NPD) process, focusing on the limited empirical attention these phenomena have received. It outlines how various biases—such as overconfidence, anchoring, and the planning fallacy—affect decisions throughout the NPD process, often under conditions of uncertainty and incomplete information. The Special Issue brings together studies examining the influence of intuitive judgments, emotional reasoning, and mental shortcuts on innovation practices and outcomes. It also considers how these cognitive tendencies interact with organizational routines and strategic choices. The editorial closes by identifying directions for future research to improve decision quality and foster conditions for innovation.