Numerous narrative reviews related to innovation in work organizations have been published, yet very few quantitative reviews have been conducted. The present meta-analysis investigates the relationships between four predictor types (individual differences, motivation, job characteristics, and contextual influences) and individual-level workplace innovation. Results indicated that individual factors, characteristics of the job, and factors of the environment were moderately associated with phases of the innovation process. Implications for future research opportunities are discussed.
Keywords:Innovation, meta-analysis, personality, climate, motivation, leadership
Meta-Analysis of Individual Innovation 4Predictors of Individual-Level Innovation at Work: A Meta-AnalysisThe importance of innovation for organizational success has been increasingly noted in the conceptual and empirical literature of the organizational sciences (e.g., Agars, Kaufman, & Locke, 2008; Anderson, De Dreu, & Nijstad, 2004;West, 2002). In response to the emergence of innovation as a critical factor in creating and maintaining organizational competitiveness, a wide array of individual, job, and environmental factors have been examined in relation to employee innovation. Although numerous narrative reviews of work-related innovation have been published (e.g., Egan, 2005;Mumford, 2003;Patterson, 2002;Shalley & Gilson, 2004;Shalley, Zhou, & Oldham, 2004;Zhou & Shalley, 2003), little attention has been given to quantitative reviews. Baas, DeDreu, and Nijstad (2008) conducted a meta-analysis on mood and creativity; however, the majority of the included studies were laboratory experiments with student participants. With the exception of one meta-analysis of organizational level innovation (Damanpour, 1991), a second examining personality and creativity for artists and scientists
