How Governance Paradigms and Other Drivers Affect Public Managers Acceptance of Innovation Practices

Abstract

With this research, we integrate the determinants driving the decisions of public managers towards opting for an innovation practice to achieve public goals. After our exploratory analysis dealing with those determinants on a sample of 227 Spanish public managers, we formed a behavioral model that can answer to a large extent – R2: .85 – the question what influences the use of a more conventional, linear innovation practice, or a more complex, circular, collaborative practice to change, update or create public services. Using parametric and non-parametric tests we can see for the first time how the connection of determinants like Governance Paradigm, Effort Expectancy, Habit or Performance Expectancy work and influence managers and innovators behavior. Also, we present what dynamics influence Behavioral Intention and Usage and how different manager groups – more prone to conventional practices or leaning towards citizen involvement – behave towards the acceptance and use of innovation tools. Still, this is an exploration of this very novel field, and our analyses have detected certain determinants that are not relevant for every managerial group in the public innovation context when they should be, most specifically social influences.