Organizational Innovativeness Research Articles

Merging Worklife Organizational Innovation and Educational Programs: Promoting Continuous Adaptations to the Global Economy

AbstractThis essay honors the accomplishments of Morten Levin both by analyzing some of the key innovative educational programs he created and by extending the elements of that analysis to two other cases, that of Aker Solutions and the Mondragon Cooperatives. We acknowledge that the relationship between higher education institutions and manufacturing-service-public sector organizations is multiplex and has undergone multiple transformations over the decades. It is also affected by the national political economy and the scope and diversity of the higher education sector itself. Creating sustained and yet dynamic relations among these actors in service of both higher education and the efficacy and innovativeness of worklife organizations is a significant challenge which all the cases we present have addressed with some success. What the efforts have in common is a democratizing action research built on an ethos and worldview of the benefits of collaboration and co-creation, and organizational capabilities built on Actor Network strategies to promote collaboration and innovation as a way of adapting to the rapidly changing world conditions effectively. We argue that there are many more such examples in existence and that a key role for action research is to document them, show how more collaborative and adaptive organizational processes are possible and show how neoliberal New Public Management is an authoritarian “wrong turn” with dire consequences. Ultimately, this essay is an argument against the “iron cage” view of bureaucracy as always coercive and stultifying and show that it is not bureaucracy but the authoritarian approaches to creating coercive bureaucracies that destroy organizational collaborations and innovation.

Do schools have hindrance of quality to promote innovativeness? Examining the role of empowering leadership and stakeholder involvement

PurposeSchools provide high priorities to offer innovative curricular and cocurricular programs, and leaders make necessary efforts to promote enablers and overcome disablers for sustaining their innovativeness. With the background of quality management and stakeholder theories, the present study examines the interplay of hindrances to quality between empowering leadership, stakeholder involvement and organizational innovativeness.Design/methodology/approachResponses of 157 American school principals collected through the Teaching and Learning International Survey 2018 by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development were used and analyzed to test the proposed hypotheses.FindingsResults show that empowering leadership behaviors of school principals support promoting organizational innovativeness, and involvement of stakeholders with the school activities also promotes organizational innovativeness. Interestingly, when American schools faced a high level of hindrance to providing quality education to their students, principals’ high level of empowering leadership behaviors promoted organizational innovativeness.Originality/valueThis is the first time in the literature that the interplay between empowering leadership, stakeholder involvement and hindrance of quality education has been examined to promote organizational innovativeness.

Unlocking Organizational Innovativeness: Exploring the Role of Entrepreneurial Orientation and Financing in an Emerging Economy

Organizations and small startups play a significant role in improving the economic progress of newly industrialized countries. Their contribution to economic growth depends mainly on their innovativeness. Based on the resource-based view theory, this study seeks to understand how these enterprises use internal and external resources to uncover opportunities for innovative practices. Specifically, we examine entrepreneurial orientation (innovativeness, autonomy, risk-taking, competitive aggressiveness and proactiveness) and external financing for ventures. Through a comprehensive survey encompassing 200 ventures in Pakistan, this study reveals the significant impact of three dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation (innovativeness, risk-taking, and competitive aggressiveness) and entrepreneurial finance on organizational innovativeness. This finding is important because it contributes to the growing body of literature on entrepreneurial finance and shows how financing influences innovativeness in startups, thus advancing knowledge within this field. Although the study uses a small sample, it serves as a launch pad for further studies to explore different forms of capital and their unique effects on organizational innovativeness

Strengthening Person Organization Fit and Innovative Work Behavior Through Psychological Capital and Leader-Member Exchange

This study investigates the interrelationships among Psychological Capital, Leader-Member Exchange (LMX), Person-Organization Fit (POF), and Innovative Work Behavior (IWB) within the context of the construction industry in Makassar. The research aims to determine the direct and indirect effects of Psychological Capital and LMX on POF and, subsequently, on IWB among employees. Specifically, the study poses the following research questions: (1) Does Psychological Capital influence Person-Organization Fit among construction company employees? (2) What is the impact of Leader-Member Exchange on Person-Organization Fit in this setting? (3) How do Psychological Capital and Leader-Member Exchange directly affect Innovative Work Behavior? (4) Do Psychological Capital and Leader-Member Exchange indirectly influence Innovative Work Behavior through Person-Organization Fit? The significance of this research lies in its potential to enhance understanding of key human resource constructs and their interplay, which could inform the development of HR management practices. Moreover, the findings are expected to provide actionable insights for construction companies aiming to foster a culture of innovation among their workforce. The methodology encompasses the collection of primary data from 397 employees across various construction companies, employing proportional stratified random sampling to select 199 respondents based on the Slovin Formula with a 5% precision level. Path analysis is conducted using the AMOS 24 software to analyze the data. The anticipated outcomes of this research include the establishment of significant relationships between Psychological Capital and both Person-Organization Fit and Innovative Work Behavior, as well as between Leader-Member Exchange and Person-Organization Fit. Furthermore, the study seeks to explore whether Psychological Capital and Leader-Member Exchange can enhance Innovative Work Behavior mediated by Person-Organization Fit. The results aim to contribute both theoretically to academic discourse and practically as a resource for organizational development in the construction sector.

Organizational Innovativeness: The Role of Innovation Adoption Capability

Organizations develop capabilities to manage activities and generate value for their customers. This study focuses on the adoption capability of innovation adopting organizations. Adoption capability is a complex, and multidimensional concept that includes a high level of uncertainty, making it difficult to measure. This study attempts to find a systematic methodology to measure the innovation adoption capability of firms, through which management can monitor and evaluate a firm’s strengths and weaknesses in each capability dimension compared with competitors, predict their future needs for improvements, and plan necessary activities to stay competitive in the market. The proposed model considers multiple quantitative and qualitative adoption capability dimensions simultaneously and utilizes a relatively comprehensive set of adoption capability elements by developing 35 items and classifying them into six dimensions. This study uses the fuzzy weighted aggregated sum product assessment (WASPAS) method as a multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) approach. The model is applied to three competing firms in the consumer electronics sector, and the results are discussed.

Harnessing Organisational Learning for Enhanced Innovativeness

This study explores the interplay between organizational learning (OL) and organizational innovativeness (OI) within the automotive sector. Drawing on a sample of 120 employees, it employs causal and cross-sectional methods to examine how OL predicts OI and whether these dynamics vary by employee designation and gender. Findings reveal a significant positive relationship between OL and OI, with OL explaining 97.4% of the variance in OI. The study underscores the critical role of continuous learning in fostering innovation and maintaining competitive advantage in dynamic industries.

Assessing the nexus of Generative AI adoption, ethical considerations and organizational performance

Numerous enterprises employ Generative AI (GenAI) for a plethora of business operations, which can enhance organizational effectiveness. The adoption might be driven by multiple factors influencing the business landscape. Additionally, numerous ethical considerations could impact the deployment of GenAI. This unique study investigated how organizations adopt GenAI and its effects on their performance. Further, this research utilized institutional theory and ethical guidelines for AI design to develop a research framework examining how organizations adopt GenAI and its impact on their performance. A survey of 384 managers from information technology (IT) and information technology-enabled services (ITeS) companies was conducted. Data analysis was done using PLS-SEM to examine and validate the proposed model. The study outcome reveals that institutional pressures, i.e., coercive, normative and mimetic forces, influence the use of GenAI in organizations. It was also found that fairness, accountability, transparency, accuracy and autonomy influence the use of GenAI. Also, the results divulge that the use of GenAI influences organizational performance and is moderated by organizational innovativeness. This study provides insights to developers of GenAI, senior management of companies, the government and IT policymakers by highlighting the institutional pressures and ethical principles influencing the use of GenAI.

School Heads’ Leadership Styles: Impact on Organizational Innovativeness and Performance of Public Elementary Schools in the New Normal

This study determines the impact of school heads’ leadership styles on organizational innovativeness and performance of public elementary schools in Cebu City Division in the new normal. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was utilized to investigate the linear causal relationships among the variables. Moreover, the study found that transformational leadership of the school head is not related to the organizational innovativeness of the school. However, transactional, and instrumental leadership influence the organizational innovativeness of the schools. On one hand, participative leadership only promotes product innovation, while supportive leadership augments management innovation directly. Lastly, product innovation of the school impacts the school’s performance.

Algorithmic responsibility without accountability: Understanding data‐intensive algorithms and decisions in organisations

AbstractSocial science research has been concerned for several years with the issue of shifting responsibilities in organisations due to the increased use of data‐intensive algorithms. Much of the research to date has focused on the question of who should be held accountable when ‘algorithmic decisions’ turn out to be discriminatory, erroneous or unfair. From a sociological perspective, it is striking that these debates do not make a clear distinction between responsibility and accountability. In our paper, we draw on this distinction as proposed by the German social systems theorist Niklas Luhmann. We use it to analyse the changes and continuities in organisations related to the use of data‐intensive algorithms. We argue that algorithms absorb uncertainty in organisational decision‐making and thus can indeed take responsibility but cannot be made accountable for errors. By using algorithms, responsibility is fragmented across people and technology, while assigning accountability becomes highly controversial. This creates new discrepancies between responsibility and accountability, which can be especially consequential for organisations' internal trust and innovation capacities.

Organizational Culture and Individual Innovativeness among Employees Working in an MNC

Abstract: This study aims to explore the relationship between different organizational culture types (Adhocracy, Clan, Hierarchy, and Market) based on the Competing Values framework and individual innovativeness of employees working in an MNC. The data was collected from 150 participants who were employed in MNC. The questionnaires used in the study were OCAI scale (Cameron & Quinn, 2006) and Individual Innovativeness Scale (Hurt et al., 1977). Results revealed that Adhocracy, Clan, and Hierarchy were not significantly correlated with individual innovativeness. However, a significant correlation was found between Market culture and Individual Innovativeness. Furthermore, using simple linear regression it was found that market-oriented organizational culture influence individual innovativeness among employees. These findings provide insights into the potential of market culture to stimulate innovativeness among employees.

Does Age Matter for Innovative Behavior? A Mediated Moderation Model of Organizational Justice, Creative Self-Efficacy, and Innovative Behavior Among IT Professionals

Does Age Matter for Innovative Behavior? A Mediated Moderation Model of Organizational Justice, Creative Self-Efficacy, and Innovative Behavior Among IT Professionals

Leader spirituality and organizational innovativeness as determinants of transformational leadership and project success: behavioral and social learning perspectives

PurposeWe examine the relationships among leader spirituality, organizational innovativeness, transformational leadership style and project success. Integrating principles of behavioral learning and social learning theories, we argue that spiritual leadership style is positively linked to project success, and this relationship is mediated by transformational leadership. Furthermore, the relationship between leader spirituality and transformational leadership is moderated by organizational innovativeness.Design/methodology/approachData are collected from 180 individuals working in seven large project-based organizations from the telecom sector in Pakistan. The individuals comprise engineers, functional managers, dedicated project managers and individuals who have led and/or worked in project teams. Data are analyzed using variance-based structural equation modeling.FindingsResults suggest that the relationship between spiritual leadership style and project success is positive and is partially mediated by transformational leadership. Furthermore, organizational innovativeness positively moderates the spiritual leadership and transformational leadership relationship.Originality/valueResearch calls for examining the relationship between leadership styles and project success. We address this call through examining the role of spiritual leadership style (which is rather ignored in project management literature) for project success. Furthermore, we take a novel evolutionary approach of integrating different leadership styles and indicating determinants as well as contingencies to leadership development.

The Influence of Creative Problem-Solving on the Longevity of Small and Medium Enterprises

This research modeled the influence of critical thinking, creative thinking, organizational innovativeness, creative problem-solving abilities (CPS), and internal business performance factors on the longevity of small and medium enterprises. A total of 105 manufacturing and 99 construction small and medium enterprises (SMEs) were compared using a survey. Inferences were drawn using structural equation modeling. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that latent variables within the creative problem-solving model overall demonstrated moderate ability to predict longevity. However, the creative problem-solving structural equation models for both sectors showed that creative thinking strongly increased critical thinking, which increased SMEs’ longevity. For the manufacturing sample, creative thinking also increased organizational innovation, which increased longevity. The stronger manufacturing sector also demonstrated more significant paths and larger beta coefficients overall. Respecifying the structural model by introducing the business performance measure increased the size of the model coefficients. Creative problem solving, however, only exerted a weak direct influence on longevity for both sectors. Creative thinking skills strengthened critical thinking, which in turn increased the longevity of SMEs. More emphasis on creative thinking could also improve innovation skills and longevity. Better creative thinking could also improve creative problem solving. Optimizing business performance factors (sales growth, after-tax return on assets, profits after tax, market share, liquidity, customer loyalty, and image) appeared necessary for this process to be most effective. SME managers need creative thinking, critical thinking, innovative thinking, and creative problem-solving abilities. Identifying such creative problem-solving skills and leveraging them can enhance the competitive performance and longevity of individual SMEs.

The Roles of Perceived Safety Climate and Innovativeness in the Performance of Sport and Recreation Organizations

The recent COVID-19 pandemic created an unpredictable environment regarding the safety operations of sport and recreation organizations. This study was designed to examine how safety climate and organizational innovativeness could promote preferred organizational behavior outcomes in college campus sport and recreation centers. A total of 227 sport and recreation employees were recruited through the National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association. With the collected data, we employed structural equation modeling to assess the research hypotheses. The results indicated that safety climate and innovativeness positively influenced job engagement, therefore leading to enhanced safety compliance and employee innovativeness, which ultimately resulted in higher levels of organizational performance. Peer safety compliance was also found to be a moderator in the relationship between job engagement and safety compliance. In this study, the authors offer new insights into sport organizational performance by emphasizing safety and innovation.

Assessment of Organisational Knowledge Management and Innovativeness in Medium-Scale Manufacturing Firms

While the drive towards profit is a distinctive and the most dominating objective of every business, environmental issues are currently putting growing pressure on organisational models. This paper examined the implication of knowledge management- acquisition, distribution, and utilization- on innovativeness in selected manufacturing firms in north-central Nigeria. Data was gathered through the use of structured questionnaire. Multiple regression technique was employed to test the research hypothesis. The study established knowledge management to have a significant effect on organizational innovativeness and recommended that the management of entrepreneurial firms should look at adopting team-focused approaches especially for task implementation to facilitate idea sharing and performance.

Approaches to Assessing the Creative Climate and Potential for Innovativeness of Educational Organizations

The paper provides an overview of selected methods and instruments for assessing the innovative capacity of organizations in general while raising questions about their potential application to schools. The premise is that diagnostics would be pointless if it were not accompanied by a strategy as well as a tool at the fingertips of school managers or leaders because the forms in which innovative potential can be manifested in a school are various. Innovation is not merely an object of transfer and exchange, but a matter of organizational climate which needs to be nurtured. Thus, the paper argues that the research of potential for innovativeness should be conducted by assessing the creative climate instead of organizational innovative culture; and suggests that organizational microclimate in the educational organization should be accompanied by efforts to foster, and respectively – assess – the team‘s competencies related to generating and implementing local innovative solutions. Whatever strategies, approaches, and skill sets the managing team chooses or has access to, these can only be effectively applied if 1) the settings (givens and constraints) are well understood and are taken into account; and 2) there is an awareness of the differences between traditional management and innovation management, which is associated with facilitating processes rather than leading them. The latter is covered elsewhere and not addressed here.

SEM-neural network analysis for mobile commerce adoption in Vietnamese small and medium-sized enterprises

PurposeUnderstanding the adoption of m-commerce in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is critical for their sustainable development. This study aims to investigate the adoption of m-commerce in Vietnamese SMEs, leading to the identification of the critical determinants and their relative importance for m-commerce adoption.Design/methodology/approachAn integrated model is developed by combining the diffusion of innovation theory and the technology–organization–environment framework. Such a model is then tested and validated using structural equation modeling and artificial neural networks in analyzing the survey data.FindingsThe study indicates that perceived security is the most critical determinant for m-commerce adoption. It further shows that customer pressure, perceived compatibility, organizational innovativeness, perceived benefits, managers’ IT knowledge, government support and organizational readiness all play a critical role in the adoption of m-commerce in Vietnamese SMEs.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study can lead to the formulation of better strategies and policies for promoting the adoption of m-commerce in Vietnamese SMEs. Such findings are also of practical significance for the diffusion of m-commerce in SMEs in other developing countries.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first attempt to explore the adoption of m-commerce in Vietnamese SMEs using a hybrid approach. The application of this approach can lead to better understanding of the relative importance of the critical determinants for the adoption of m-commerce in Vietnamese SMEs.

Network Building Capabilities for a Sustainable and Circular Economy

This research introduces a novel integrated model that affiliates the innovative capacity of circular start-ups, as seen through their network-building capabilities, with the influential attribute of top management support as outlined in the T-O-E theory. The investigation employs a quantitative research methodology based on a random sampling technique for the entire research population. The structural equation model, utilizing SMARTPLS, is used on a dataset comprising 231 manufacturing-based circular start-ups and their franchises in India. The findings reveal significant direct and indirect relationships between network-building capabilities and the innovation function of circular start-ups. The study highlights the pivotal role of top management support, following the T-O-E framework, as a complete mediator between network-building capabilities and organizational innovativeness. This inquiry establishes that effective networking and other factors confer a competitive edge upon firms. Furthermore, it contributes to the literature on the circular economy within emerging markets, offering insights applicable across various sectors like IT, hospitality, aviation, pharmaceuticals, and more. The study's implications extend to future researchers and policymakers, advocating for adopting a multi-level perspective to foster and ensure the innovativeness of circular start-ups in diverse industries.

Perceived Technological Innovativeness, Entrepreneurial Proactiveness, and Performance in Established Women-Led Companies

The contribution of women as corporate executives to their companies’ entrepreneurial outcomes is significant, as they can often enhance critical aspects of organizational innovativeness and proactiveness. This research investigated the effect of perceived technological innovativeness (PTI) on perceived entrepreneurial proactiveness (PEP) and, subsequently, the effect of PEP on the perceived company performance (PCP) of established firms with females in their top management teams. An examination of a judgmental sample of 83 female executives employed in Greek firms with over €10 million annual turnover showed that PTI had a significant and positive effect on PEP, and subsequently, PEP had a significant and positive effect on PCP. Apart from corroborating existing literature about the positive impact of entrepreneurial proactiveness on company performance, the study indicated that, according to the perceptions of female executives, entrepreneurial proactiveness acts as a bridge between technological innovativeness and company performance. Thus, it appeared that when a company is characterized by (or fosters the advancement of) technological innovativeness, it encourages creative thinking and focuses on opportunity identification and exploitation. This proactive approach to technological innovativeness enables the organization to improve its performance by staying ahead of its competitors, adapting to the dynamic environment, anticipating future market trends and exploiting opportunities.

Impact of Entrepreneurial Activities on Organisational Innovativeness of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Osun State, Nigeria

Purpose. The entrepreneurial activity has requirements that distinguish it from other professional activities, especially managerial activities and other requirements associated with recognizing business opportunities and engaging in innovative activity. Meanwhile, Entrepreneurial activities have been identified in the literature as drivers of SMEs’ growth and development. The study determined the mechanisms by which entrepreneurial activities impact the organisational innovativeness of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Osun State, Nigeria. Design/Methodology/Approach. This study adopted a survey research design. The population of this study consisted of three thousand and seven (3007) Owners/Managers of registered SMEs in Osun State, Nigeria. The sample size of three hundred and fifty-three (353) for the study was arrived at using the Taro Yamane formula for sample size. This study employed a simple random sampling technique for the selection of respondents across all the three senatorial districts in Osun State. The primary data used for the analyses were collected from the respondents through the use of a structured questionnaire, and responses were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Finding and Implication. Two hypotheses were proposed and tested. The first hypothesis revealed a significant impact of creativity at (R2 = 0. 982, β = 0.1.004, t = 90.701, p< 0.05) on SMEs organisational innovativeness and the second hypothesis revealed a significant impact of knowledge transfer at (R2 = 0.993, β = 0.1.012, t = 144.459, p< 0.05) on organisational innovativeness. Therefore, policymakers may be encouraged to develop and support policies that promote a creative culture and facilitate knowledge-sharing mechanisms among SMEs. Limitations. The study focuses only on entrepreneurs’ creativity, without recognizing the employee creativity. The study was also constrained by the cross-sectional and singlerespondent nature of the study. Originality. The claim about measuring performance with organisational innovativeness remains unclear to SMEs in Nigeria because most of the researches were carried out among large enterprises.