Learning employee-driven innovating

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce a workshop process to enhance the learning of employee-driven innovating (LEDI) and to evaluate in multiple ways the practical effects of the LEDI process, which aimed to enhance the employee-driven innovation practices at workplace level in a public organisation. Although front-line employees are increasingly encouraged to participate in innovation, organisations lack multi-level knowledge on the practices, outcomes and effects of participation. Design/methodology/approach – A six-month development process (LEDI) was conducted to empower front-line hospital support service workers to learn to innovate and to apply this in the services they provide. The process consisted of different themes: future visions, current services, creating new services and evaluations of ideas and innovation embryos. The multi-method evaluation of the process included pre-evaluation of the generated innovation ideas, a developmental evaluation of the selected innovation embryos, a follow-up evaluation of the innovation ideas and an evaluation of the organisational level effect via a quantitative survey. Findings – The intervention process had positive effects on employee participation and learning to innovate. The conclusion of the four evaluations is that the LEDI process developed a new kind of agency among employees and enabled significant improvements to services. The evaluation of the organisation-level effect revealed that the process had also improved the views regarding preconditions for development. Originality/value – The intervention method is a practical application of employee-driven innovation conception that is validated as practical and effective at workplace level. The process is a viable method for enhancing workers’ innovation-related learning in service organisations. The novelty of the method is based on the multi-disciplinary combination of approaches that consist of theories of practice-based innovation, expansive learning and emphatic human-centred service design.

Conceptualising employee involvement in service innovation: an integrative review

“…Co-determining innovation in situated innovation activities Only three articles represent the idea of co-determination in employees' situated innovation processes (Chang et al, 2018;Hasu et al, 2014;Hughes et al, 2018). These studies assume that employees can follow up and influence innovation processes in cooperation with managers, but the impact of these innovation processes is limited to the employees' work practices (e.g.…”

“…These studies assume that employees can follow up and influence innovation processes in cooperation with managers, but the impact of these innovation processes is limited to the employees' work practices (e.g. Chang et al, 2018;Hasu et al, 2014). In addition to these articles, we identified some studies that address co-determination in systemic and situated processes and frame frontline employees as innovators acting on problems or possibilities that occur when co-creating value during service encounters (e.g.…”

Individual Innovation Competence: A Systematic Review and Future Research Agenda

“…(European commission 2017) Learning for innovation is thus a central element in European policymaking in developing education (European Commission, 2012, 2013OECD, 2004OECD, , 2008Tether, Mina, Consoli, & Gagliardi, 2005;Toner, 2011). High expectations is being placed on the cooperation and networking between individual people, employees, entrepreneurs and even students as sources of innovation (Høyrup, Bonnafous-Boucher, Hasse, Lotz, & Moller, 2012;Kesting & Ulhøi, 2010;Hasu, Honkaniemi, Saari, Mattelmä ki, & Koponen, 2014;Miettinen, 2013;Hippel, 2005). Young people are expected to be prepared to collaborate in solving future problems and producing innovations in areas that presently do not exist (Sawyer, 2006(Sawyer, , 2012(Sawyer, , 2014Zang, Hong, Scardamalia, Teo, & Morley, 2011).…”

Work(er)-driven innovation

“…They do not arrive in work practice as discrete and fully formed. They are incremental, discontinuous and nurtured by effort and circumstance (Bessant, 2003;Hasu et al, 2014). Limiting understandings of innovation to only those changes that demonstrate high levels of scope and impact may hinder their initial identification and the opportunity they may represent.…”

“…The economic development focus on innovation as a characteristic of enhanced organisational performance (Sawyer and Bunderson, 2013;Keeley et al, 2013;Lazonick, 2005) has led to the promoting of greater levels of employee participation in innovation processes (CoA, 2015;NEC and OSTP, 2015;OECD, 2009). This increased participation has been conceptualised as employee-driven innovation(EDI; Kesting and Ulhøi, 2010;Hoyrup, 2012;Hasu et al, 2014). However, EDI could be argued to have hindered understandings of the creative and transformative nature of work and the value of the work and learning practices that workers engage in as part of their routine occupational practices.…”