Workplace Innovation Research Articles

Flexible paths to innovation: mitigating commuting’s impact on creative deviance

PurposeThis study aims to investigate how long commutes negatively affect employees’ creative deviance at work, exploring the mediating role that impaired work–life balance plays in linking commute to restricted creative deviance, as well as examining whether access to flexible work arrangements can alleviate commuting’s detrimental indirect effects.Design/methodology/approachThis study employed a three-wave survey methodology conducted over monthly intervals with 246 participants in China’s Pearl River Delta region. Rigorous screening ensured a demographically diverse sample.FindingsCommuting time negatively affects creative deviance, both directly and indirectly through work–life balance. Flexible work arrangements mitigate the adverse effects of long commutes on work–life balance, subsequently weakening the indirect effect of commuting time on creative deviance through work–life balance.Practical implicationsA holistic approach is suggested for organizations aiming to foster a supportive and ethical work environment, which involves a combination of organizational policies, leadership practices and individual actions to promote both creativity and employee welfare.Originality/valueThis research breaks new ground by identifying commuting time as a key factor influencing creative deviance in the workplace, mediated by work–life balance. It integrates transportation research with organizational behavior, applying an ethics of care perspective to challenge traditional paradigms. The study’s interdisciplinary approach, bridging multiple fields, provides a novel, holistic view of how non-work factors impact workplace innovation.

Strategi Manajemen Konflik Dalam Meningkatkan Kinerja Dosen Di Perguruan Tinggi

This study aims to analyze effective conflict management strategies in improving the performance of lecturers in higher education. Workplace conflicts often affect productivity, teaching quality, and job satisfaction among lecturers. Using a descriptive qualitative approach, this research examines how strategies such as mediation, open communication, and collaboration can create a conducive working environment. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with lecturers and university leaders, as well as observations and document analysis. Data analysis was conducted using triangulation. The results show that effective conflict management strategies can improve lecturer productivity, enhance the quality of peer interactions, and foster workplace innovation. Well-managed conflicts not only reduce tension but also increase job satisfaction and motivation.

Optimizing healthcare employee performance: a serial mediation model.

The study investigates the serial mediation of psychological ownership and workplace innovation in the nexus between organizational leadership and employee performance among healthcare workers in Ghana. Six hundred and thirty-seven samples were selected using convenience sampling technique. The data gathered using self-reported questionnaire were analyzed using SEM-PLS. The findings reveal that organizational leadership directly improves healthcare employee's psychological ownership, workplace innovation and employee performance. Psychological ownership and workplace innovation separately and serially mediate the relationship between organizational leadership and healthcare employees' performance. The study highlights the significant influence of organizational leadership, psychological ownership and workplace innovation on the performance of healthcare employees. Healthcare organizations ought to allocate resources toward leadership development strategies to foster a favorable work atmosphere that promotes innovation and enables employees to assume ownership of their tasks and contribute to continuing enhancement, ultimately leading to enhanced performance. This research is a pioneering study on serial mediation of psychological ownership and workplace behavior in the association between organizational leadership and performance in healthcare settings in Ghana.

INNOVATION LEADERSHIP AND WORKPLACE INNOVATIVE BEHAVIOUR: AN EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF LEADERSHIP DYNAMICS AMONG IT ENGINEERS IN VIETNAM

In recent decades, the economic context and competitiveness have required the development of new competencies and skills at all levels of management. The purpose of this study was to determine the level of development of engagement and knowledge sharing perceived by a group of employees and to assess their relationship to leadership and innovative behaviour. This was an experimental-type, intergroup comparison study that described how work engagement, knowledge sharing, leadership, and innovation behaviour of a group of 395 engineers at an IT company in Vietnam were manifested. The Innovation Leadership Scale (ILS-16) and the Workplace Innovation Behaviour Scale (WIB) were used to design this study. The results of this study could be an important contribution to the development of leadership empowerment programs and innovative work behaviour. Prospects for future research are to analyse other variables related to leadership and innovation behaviour, such as, for example, communication, to stimulate innovative behaviour of IT engineers, and to build a multiple regression model of such a relationship.

A Research Agenda for Workplace Innovation: The Challenge of Disruptive Transitions. Edited by Peter R. A.Oeij, StevenDhondt, Adela J.McMurray, Edgar Elgar Publishing: Cheltenham, 2023, 978‐1‐80088‐193‐8, hardback, £115.49, pp. 304.

A Research Agenda for Workplace Innovation: The Challenge of Disruptive Transitions. Edited by Peter R. A.Oeij, StevenDhondt, Adela J.McMurray, Edgar Elgar Publishing: Cheltenham, 2023, 978‐1‐80088‐193‐8, hardback, £115.49, pp. 304.

Unpacking the dynamics of workplace innovation among nurses: The synergistic relationship between psychological ownership and high-performance work systems

ABSTRACT The study investigated the influence of high-performance work systems on the relationship between psychological ownership and workplace innovation among nurses in the health sector of Ghana. A sample of 327 nurses was selected using convenience sampling technique. The data obtained from self-reported questionnaires were evaluated using partial least squares structural equation modelling. The results indicate that psychological ownership and high-performance work systems positively influence workplace innovation, and high-performance work systems enhance the nexus between psychological ownership and workplace innovation. The findings suggest that the management of health care entities should focus on creating a workplace culture that cultivates psychological ownership among employees and implements high-performance work systems to foster workplace innovation.

Workplace innovation and work value ethics: The mediating role of leadership in Asian SMEs

Research on the correlations between design leadership, work values and ethics, and workplace innovation is lacking, especially in non-Western regions. This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of design leadership in the relationship of work values and ethics with workplace innovation in Asian small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Five hypotheses were established to explore the proposed model. Data were obtained from 995 SMEs in Japan, Thailand, China, and Vietnam and were examined using partial least squares analysis. The findings indicated a correlation between work values and ethics and design leadership, with the latter influencing workplace innovation across its four dimensions. This demonstrated the significant association between work values and ethics and workplace innovation. Design leadership was also shown to fully mediate the relationship between work values and ethics and workplace innovation in Asian SMEs. This study provides a deeper understanding of the emerging literature on the associations of design leadership, work values and ethics, and workplace innovation. It emphasizes the importance of design leadership and its correlations with various aspects of workplace innovation and work values and ethics, which have not received adequate attention in the existing literature. Asian SME entrepreneurs can improve the innovation capabilities of their organizations by focusing on and implementing design leadership behaviors, which may thereby help their organizations establish a competitive advantage and promote long-term sustainability.

The future of work: a symbiotic balance of technology and interpersonal skills

PurposeThe article explores the evolving nature of the workplace, emphasising the importance of soft skills alongside technological proficiency for organisational success and employee retention.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative approach to examine the role of soft skills in the contemporary workplace, drawing insights from the ADP People at Work 2023 report and expert opinion to highlight the significance of interpersonal competencies in driving collaboration, innovation and employee loyalty.FindingsThe findings underscore the pivotal role of soft skills in fostering cohesive work environments, enhancing employee engagement and mitigating turnover rates. It emphasises the need for organisations to prioritise the development of soft skills through recruitment, training and performance management initiatives to achieve sustained success in a dynamic business landscape.Originality/valueThe article contributes to the existing literature by synthesising insights from various sources to advocate for the integration of soft skills into organisational practices. It highlights the strategic imperative for HR leaders to embed soft skills into recruitment processes, training initiatives and performance management practices to nurture a culture of resilience, innovation and collective success in the modern workplace.

Review Article: Quality and Workplace Innovation

Review Article: Quality and Workplace Innovation

The Future of Workplace Innovation: EUWIN International Conference

The Future of Workplace Innovation: EUWIN International Conference

MOTIVATING FOR INNOVATING: EXAMINING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN REGULATORY FOCUS AND WORKPLACE INNOVATION

Understanding employee motivation is central to fostering workplace innovation (WPI) within firms for enhanced quality of working life and work performance. This research examines the relationship between WPI and the promotion and prevention orientations for motivation proposed by regulatory focus theory (RFT). Survey responses from 309 service industry employees and partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) aid in empirically assessing this relationship. Survey results indicate a positive relationship between the promotion focus of RFT and the dimensions of WPI, but not the prevention focus. The study also finds empirical support for the relationship between regulatory focus and the innovative climate of service industry firms. Guided by these findings, this study encourages managers to savvily work on workplace climate-based development and promotion-based organisational designs for initiatives and action plans that foster WPI.

Reviewing workplace innovation as a plea for a practical approach

AbstractWorkplace innovation (WPI) approaches share the ‘advancement’ of work as a commonality, that is, the notion of good jobs and its relation with good business performance. How WPI approaches contribute to the advancement of work is discussed in this ‘narrative review’ of the WPI literature, which intends to provide direction to future study and implementation of advanced work. A human‐centric theoretical position is chosen with regard to WPI, good work and well‐performing organisations. The heart of the review is investigating the roots of WPI and its historical development along the lines of four different research streams: sociology and organisation research, safety science and organisation research, economic strategy and human resources research, and psychology and behavioural research. These streams are evaluated from their contribution to advanced work, ‘good jobs’. In this review of WPI as a plea for a practical approach, we conclude how the streams connect to the conceptualisation of WPI and human‐centricity, discuss the implications for practice and some limitations, and make recommendations for future research.

The Relationship Between Intelligent Leadership, Organizational Culture And Workplace Innovation.

The Relationship Between Intelligent Leadership, Organizational Culture And Workplace Innovation.

APA names Guillermo Corea first chief business innovation and growth officer

The American Psychological Association (APA) has named Guillermo Corea as its first chief business innovation and growth officer, responsible for developing and leading new revenue generation strategies for the association and its affiliated APA Services Inc. Corea has more than 25 years of experience in business development, marketing, partnerships and strategic management. “APA welcomes Guillermo to this critical new position, which will involve identifying and diversifying revenue for the association, alliance building and business development,” APA CEO Arthur C. Evans Jr., Ph.D., said in announcing the appointment. “He brings a stellar record that includes launching new operations and expanding revenue streams in his prior positions.” Corea most recently served nine years with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), first as director of digital media and business devel‐opment and later as managing di‐rector, workplace innovation lab and venture capital. While there he launched an impact investment vehicle, new business lines and products, and he expanded SHRM's e‐commerce revenue.

Organisational cynicism and self-efficacy predicting professionalism among teachers in Oyo State, Nigeria

The 21st century teachers have been affected by globalization, technological innovation and diversity in workplace thus affecting their professionalism. Teachers who develop unconcern attitudes and suffer neglect are likely to have their performance at work affected. Therefore, this study examined organizational cynicism and self-efficacy as predictors of professionalism among teachers in Oyo State, Nigeria. Cross-sectional survey design was adopted while purposive sampling technique was used to select one Local Government Area for the study. Data were collected from 300 teachers using validated scales and analysed using t-test of independent means and multiple regressions analysis to test three hypotheses at a p < 0.05 level of significance. The result revealed that organizational cynicism and self-efficacy significantly influenced professionalism among teachers. Also, organizational cynicism and self-efficacy jointly and independently predicted professionalism among teachers. Finally, organizational cynicism and self-efficacy independently predicted professionalism among study participants. The study concluded that organisational cynicism and self-efficacy are strong predictors of professionalism among teachers. Therefore, government agencies and other stakeholders should work together to improve teachers’ professional skills.

무엇이 일터혁신의 산업안전 효과를 조절하는가?: 인적자원관리와 기술혁신을 중심으로

This study conducts an empirical study on whether HRM and automated technology
 moderate the impact of workplace innovation on occupational injury and illness, using the
 manufacturing sample of the 6th-8th rounds of Workplace Panel Survey(2015-2019)
 collected by Korea Labor Institute. Conjecturing that the inconsistent safety effects of
 workplace innovation in the previous studies are due to the varying characteristics of
 workplace innovation practices, we draw the following hypotheses: HRM and automation
 rate moderates negatively the effect of workplace innovation on occupational injury and
 illness. Besides, we explore the effects of workplace innovation, HRM, and automated
 technology on occupational injury and illness. We estimate panel-data fixed effects models.
 Their dependent variables are simple and recognized occupational injury and illness rate,
 and their main independent variables are workplace innovation, HRM, automation rate, and
 their interaction terms. The results of this study indicate the following: HRM moderates
 positively the reducing effect of workplace innovation on occupational injury and illness,
 and automation rate partially moderates it positively. Workplace innovation does not have
 a significant reducing effect on occupational injury and illness, while HRM and automation
 rate partially have significantly negative and positive ones respectively. Finally the results
 are summarized and interpreted, and their implications are discussed.

WITHDRAWN: Sustaining Employees’ Creativity through the Organizational Justice: The Mediating Role of Leadership Styles

Research on organizational justice and leadership styles has been conducted widely in workplace since a few decades. But, integration of creativity, innovation and sustainability in learning workplace is emerging quickly due to the rapid change and digitalization of learning environments. This research aims to investigate the employee creativity (EC) at Dhofar University through organizational justice (OJ) and mediating role of leadership styles (LS). OJ was tested through its four dimensions namely: distributive, procedural, interpersonal and informational justice and LS included transformational, democratic, transactional, lassies faire and strategic styles. Data was collected from 220 of academics and employee at Dhofar University and analyzed by SPSS and Amos 23 version. Results reveal that three dimensions of OJ including distributive, interpersonal and informational have positive significant impact on EC but procedural has negative significant impact on EC. Furthermore, four styles of leadership transformational, democratic, transactional and strategic has also positive and significant effect on EC while lassies faire has negative and insignificant impact on EC. Finally, the mediating role of LS enhances relationship between OJ and EC partially and positively. This research contributes to the literature and practice by using LS as mediators to improve creativity and maintain continuous sustainability.

Leveraging a Diverse Collaboration in Tertiary Education to Develop Capability for Workplace Innovation

Recent developments in tertiary education are demonstrating teaching and learning methods to develop students’ capability for employee-led Workplace Innovation. In this article, we describe an international collaboration to develop shared learning resources and activities in workplace innovation for adaptation in diverse tertiary education contexts. We are intentionally seeking out additional collaborating institutions that differ in mission, size, location and student demographics, to leverage our team’s diversity and encourage innovation.
 When shared learning resources and activities are to be used in a diverse contexts, some core principles underlying instructional success must also be shared in order to ensure adaptations do not remove key properties. We outline four instructional principles underlying the learning design and illustrate how these principles are applied in our current learning resources. 
 We then describe some of the ways that these shared resources have been adapted for different tertiary education environments. We also discuss some of the benefits emerging from the collaboration, including how the inclusion of new resources targeting specific work domains and the transfer of new teaching and learning ideas across contexts.
 We conclude by describing some of the ways we are also collaborating with workplace partners, to ensure that our graduates have the capabilities needed to contribute to workplace innovation practice and to help advance the workplace innovation capability of their own employees.

Workplace Innovation

The article reviews two new books in the context of the wider literature.

Learning from Differences: Workplace Innovation, Digitalisation and Working Lives in South Korea

Learning from Differences: Workplace Innovation, Digitalisation and Working Lives in South Korea