A mapping study of employee innovation: proposing a research agenda

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to systematically explore the current understanding of the role of non-R&D and non-managerial employees in different phases and types of innovation, and to propose avenues for future research. Design/methodology/approach By conducting a mapping study and applying a critical discourse analysis, the phenomenon of “ordinary” employee innovation is explored across various fields, such as human resource management, psychology, economics, strategy, marketing and technology management. Proposals for future research are suggested based on the theoretical framework of dynamic capability, with the aim of further integrating employee innovation in the innovation management domain. Findings The findings illuminate five main themes that form the employee innovation discourse across various academic disciplines, namely, employee innovative work behavior, firm innovation performance, employee innovation processes, frontline service employees and management tools for employee innovation. Originality/value Unlike prior studies in the field of innovation management, this study specifically focuses on the employees without innovation-specific functions in organizations, or “ordinary” employees. Concerning the methodological lens of critical discourse analysis, the authors suggest forming the employee innovation discourse in an inclusive manner. Based on the theoretical lens of dynamic capability, a research agenda is proposed in which employee innovation research makes additional use of innovation processes and types, and takes into account the interactive processes and strong empirical evidence for relevant management tools.

Innovative Behaviors, Employee Creativity, and Sustainable Competitive Advantage: A Moderated Mediation

“…In contrast to manufacturing firms, (high customer-contact) service organizations heavily rely on their workforce, and their critical importance in the overall service delivery process has been emphatically acknowledged. Precisely, employees' frequent interactions with customers constitute a well-known source of information [7]. As such, their impact on service organizations' daily progress and incremental innovation is non-negligible, especially given customers' ever-changing expectations and growing demands that are prone to the hospitality industry [2,7].…”

“…Precisely, employees' frequent interactions with customers constitute a well-known source of information [7]. As such, their impact on service organizations' daily progress and incremental innovation is non-negligible, especially given customers' ever-changing expectations and growing demands that are prone to the hospitality industry [2,7]. Employee innovative behavior (hereafter IB) refers to "an initiative from employees concerning the introduction of new processes, new products, new markets or combinations of such into the organization" [8] (p. 8).…”

“…Despite the growing scholarly interest in service innovation research (for review and meta-analysis see [6,[13][14][15]), this relatively burgeoning stream of inquiry remains understudied, and there are several calls for extending the extant state of literature, especially pertaining employee IB [3,7]. Limited research has investigated the determinants of employee innovative behaviors in the hospitality sector to date [3,16].…”

Toward Employee-Driven Digital Innovation in Public Organizations Through the Use of Action Design Research

“…Many have the misperception that the public sector does not engage in innovation practices, and at least not through the involvement of ordinary employees. However, the fact that public organizations do not have traditional R&D units, can emphasize the advantages employee-driven digital innovation can create [16]. Therefore, there seems to be a greater need to include these activities into the daily activities of these organizations.…”

Challenges to the Promotion of Employee-Driven Innovation in State-Owned Enterprises: Two Cases from the Automotive Sector in China

“…The notion of EDIs originated from the theory of continuous improvement (CI) and high-involvement innovation (HII) that have been widely applied in firms in Japan and Scandinavia countries [24,25]. The concept of EDIs emphasizes the engagement of "ordinary workers", who are not managers or R&D personnel in innovation activities [26,27]. Employees possess valuable tacit knowledge accumulated at the workplace such as working experiences and in-depth understanding of routines [28].…”