Innovation energy: The stimulus converting employees' innovation properties into innovative work behaviour

Abstract

Anticipating the post‐Covid‐19 period, the need for innovation remains urgent, with the innovative work behaviour (IWB) exhibited by employees being a crucial aspect. Since Scott and Bruce (1994) wrote about this behaviour, many IWB‐related factors have been found. In this study, we distinguished various employees' personal innovation properties as IWB‐related factors: creativity, psychological empowerment, optimism and work‐contextual factors like room for autonomy, leadership, multidisciplinary innovative teamwork and external contacts. In our qualitative research within two innovative Dutch companies (Philips and Topicus), we interviewed 49 employees, most with a high degree of IWB, and their 22 managers to uncover the relation between the factors and IWB. Earlier research provided rich information about IWB and its factors, mostly from an organizational viewpoint. Our research focuses on the employees themselves, who are showing IWB. We assumed at the start of our research that in addition to these factors, there must be an overall energetic stimulus, because innovation is a process with many obstacles. Therefore, we introduce the concept of innovation energy, which converts employees' innovation properties into innovative work behaviour. This outcome can be used in further research and in the managerial and HRM practice.

Innovar en periodismo deportivo. Aportes desde una perspectiva interdisciplinar

“…Los resultados empíricos de Stieler y Henike (2022) respaldan la propuesta de Floco et al (2022) de que, por un lado, la autonomía y la inclusión fomentan la participación de los empleados y la construcción de comunidad, mientras que, por otro, el control parece necesario para garantizar resultados innovadores. Además de la autonomía y la inclusión, Van Essen et al (2022) añaden otras variables que contribuyen al desarrollo del comportamiento innovador en el trabajo: creatividad, empoderamiento psicológico, optimismo y factores contextuales de trabajo como espacio para la autonomía, liderazgo y trabajo en equipo.…”

“…Hyunkyu et al (2021) y Korsgaard Andersen et al (2022 se apoyaron en el estudio de caso y el estudio de caso múltiple, respectivamente, al igual queBattistella et al (2022). Stieler y Henike (2022) optó por la observación participante durante un período de tres años en una empresa alemana, mientras queVan Essen et al (2022), Floco et al (2022,Alam (2022) y Mesambia (2022) utilizaron las entrevistas semiestructuradas.…”

Five innovation energy mechanisms need strategic and operational HRM involvement—An abductive case study at Saxion University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands

“…Between all these factors, there is a mutual relationship with the innovation energy of these employees. This innovation energy has a converting role in changing the individual innovation properties into IWB [17] . Dorenbosch [22] described four stages of IWB: problem recognition, idea generation, idea promotion, and idea realisation.…”

“…Diverse factors which influence IWB were identified, defined, and hypothesised [10][11][12][13][14][15][16] . However, besides management effort, more attention is needed for IWB, which is the result of the engaged employee itself showing this behaviour using an energetic power called innovation energy [17] . In our research, we are not only interested in the influence of the environment on employees with IWB but also in the influence of these employees on their environment.…”

“…The present case study gives insight into how innovation energy fulfils a conversion role between personal innovation properties, as the intra-personal mechanism, and shows IWB. Innovation energy is also related to four work-context mechanisms: autonomy work-design, having external contacts, innovative teamwork, and supportive leadership [17] .…”