No abstract

Successfully implementing new ideas is one of the hardest parts of innovation for organizations, hindered by a plethora of barriers. Employee voice can help to overcome them, e.g. by additional elaboration or by pointing out potential problems with the implementation step. Particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME), such widespread participation is important to compensate for their limited resources for innovation. This study explores employee voice and related communication processes as a key enabler for innovation processes. Drawing on iterative action research (AR) principles, we first examined employee voice and silence at a textile manufacturing SME in two AR cycles using a mixed methods research design. Findings from our interviews, observations, and surveys show simultaneous availability of ideas for change or known problems, and the absence of organizational structures and processes that systematically capitalize on this valuable input.Based on our data, we derive propositions for priorities and principles for interventions that target employee voice and silence, so that companies can determine whether communication issues hamper innovation, where these issues originate, and how to address them.