Managers’ support for workplace innovation in the public sector: Wedged between expectations and conditions

Lidman, Linda; Gustavsson, Maria; Eriksson, Anna

doi:10.46364/ejwi.v7i1.927

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Upper management's resistance to support the innovations at the unit has equally significant negative symbolical effects, as the priority of innovation in the unit has positive symbolical effects. This resembles research results by Lidman et al. (2022) , who find that regarding innovation, first line managers are expected to work according to an exploration logic, while upper management work according to an exploitation logic.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Nurturing innovative culture in a healthcare organisation – Lessons from a Swedish case study

Andersson

Linnéusson

Holmén

et al. 2023

JHOM

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PurposeHealthcare organisations are often described as less innovative than other organisations, since organisational culture works against innovations. In this paper, the authors ask whether it has to be that way or whether is possible to nurture an innovative culture in a healthcare organisation. The aim of this paper is to describe and analyse nurturing an innovative culture within a healthcare organisation and how culture can support innovations in such a healthcare organisation.Design/methodology/approachBased on a qualitative case study of a healthcare unit that changed, within a few years, from having no innovations to repeatedly generating innovations, the authors describe important aspects of how innovative culture can be nurtured in healthcare. Data were analysed using inductive and deductive analysis steps.FindingsThe study shows that it is possible to nurture an innovative culture in a healthcare organisation. Relationships and competences beyond healthcare, empowering structures and signalling the importance of innovation work with resources all proved to be important. All are aspects that a manager can influence. In this case, the manager's role in nurturing innovative culture was very important.Practical implicationsThis study highlights that an innovative culture can be nurtured in healthcare organisations and that managers can play a key role in such a process.Originality/valueThe paper describes and analyses an innovative culture in a healthcare unit and identifies important conditions and strategies for nurturing innovative culture in healthcare organisations.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Nurturing innovative culture in a healthcare organisation – Lessons from a Swedish case study

Andersson

Linnéusson

Holmén

et al. 2023

JHOM

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show abstract

“…At the core of workplace innovation lies the potential convergence of performance improvement and the quality of working life (Kibowski et al, 2019;Uusiautti, 2016). Especially in the public sector, which was the case in our research, there is a need for new methods to foster an innovative and evolving culture and practices, with leadership playing a significant role in this regard (Lindman et al, 2022).…”

Section: Implications For Practicementioning

confidence: 83%

The Correlation between Work Engagement and the Positive Organizational PRIDE Index Provides Perspectives on Workplace Development

Haapakoski,

Wenström,

Uusiautti

2024

EJWI

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In the rapidly changing world of work, more research is needed on the impact of organization-level factors on personal-level work engagement and the mediating mechanisms between them. In this study, we adopted an organization-level perspective to work engagement, applying the positive organizational PRIDE theory as the research framework. The purpose of this research was to investigate the levels of work engagement among employees working in the public sector in North Finland and their association with the positive organizational PRIDE index. The following research question guided the research: What is the relationship between the PRIDE index and work engagement? This was a quantitative survey-based study, in which the data were collected through an online survey. The data collection occurred between October 6, 2020, and February 3, 2021, among public organization employees (N=606 respondents). The factors of PRIDE were analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA). Further, the analysis focused on the connections between background factors and PRIDE and work engagement. A t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to determine the statistical significance between different groups. The results of this study indicated that there was at least a moderate correlation between all PRIDE index elements and work engagement, and each element of the index was associated with work engagement. When considering the entire index, the correlation was strong. Based on the results of this study, we recommend that the observation, identification, and utilization of strengths be systematically supported through leadership and organizational practices.

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“We had to become everything”: employee innovation due to COVID-19 in the Italian public healthcare system

Manfrini,

Bäckström

2024

IJPSM

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PurposeCOVID-19 has profoundly shaped human interactions, and, within public healthcare systems, care relations. Through the lens of social suffering, this study explores how employee innovation is shaped by the pandemic crisis and different managerial approaches in the context of public geriatric care in Northeast Italy.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts a qualitative methodology. A total of 29 semi-structured, open-ended interviews were conducted with 23 healthcare professionals involved in geriatric care, with managerial and without managerial positions. Observation was integrated as auxiliary research to further capture on an operational level the interactions among the actors involved.FindingsThe COVID-19 crisis significantly shaped employee innovation for healthcare professionals, as the suffering it provoked in the system motivated and urged them to engage in innovative initiatives. Where employees’ engagement in innovation was recognized by the management, it was found that the suffering was mitigated, and creativity and solidarity emerged in the innovation process. Where top-down approaches did not recognize employees’ efforts and innovative initiatives, need-driven innovation and greater tensions came forward, enhancing the overall suffering in care relations and resulting in some employees considering leaving their profession.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is based on a single case study.Practical implicationsThis study further highlights the employee participation in innovation as a crucial practical implication for sustaining the quality of public care and assistance. A practical implication emerging from this study suggests that “ordinary” healthcare professionals’ engagement in innovative initiatives and in their operationalization should be encouraged by the organization. In a system as complex as the public healthcare one, valuing the bottom-up, clinical inputs appears fundamental if innovation is to move away from mere technological adaptation to embrace a more comprehensive process, involving the professionals who are engaging in innovative endeavors. From a managerial point of view, adopting an approach that recognizes, supports and provides coordination to employee innovation seems instrumental to nurture an environment where employee voices feel heard, and creativity, solidarity and overall positive collaboration can occur. Thus, another significant practical implication includes the retention of healthcare professionals in the public sector in times of crisis.Originality/valueWith the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the necessity to explore the “human side” of innovation and its connection to emerging human needs during a crisis is growing. This study focuses on employee participation in innovation processes due to COVID-19, thus contributing to the employee-driven innovation (EDI) literature. Through the lens of social suffering, it scrutinizes the interactions between bottom-up perceptions and responses and top-down strategies in a public healthcare setting. Hence, this study addresses two major gaps present in EDI literature, for the most part focused on the private sector and on the managerial structures, tools and interventions.

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Managers’ support for workplace innovation in the public sector: Wedged between expectations and conditions

Cited by 4 publications

References 45 publications

Nurturing innovative culture in a healthcare organisation – Lessons from a Swedish case study

Nurturing innovative culture in a healthcare organisation – Lessons from a Swedish case study

The Correlation between Work Engagement and the Positive Organizational PRIDE Index Provides Perspectives on Workplace Development

“We had to become everything”: employee innovation due to COVID-19 in the Italian public healthcare system

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