Case studies can support definitions of workplace innovation in practice

Abstract

Many practitioners find it problematic to understand and describe workplace innovation (WPI). Whereas there are well-known definitions of WPI, these remain highly abstract. We argue that, for practitioners, case examples of WPI best practices can be a valuable addition to these definitions. In this respect, based on our practical experience with WPI and the cases that resulted from the Eurofound study (Eurofound, 2015), we propose the following criteria for a case to be a good example for practical purposes. First, the company that serves as a case should have implemented good workplace innovation practices that have resulted in or theoretically promise to result in positive outcomes for the organization and for the quality of work. Second, the case description has to provide actionable information about the WPI practices. Third, the narrative of the case has to be inspiring and provide possibilities for stakeholders to identify with it. We present a number of the Eurofound cases that are informative and inspiring for practitioners while also presenting actionable information.