This research investigates the relationship between the innovative work behavior and the support from the organization towards innovation processes. The support for innovation is an important variable in the context of studies on innovation into organization. Support means: support for their members in functioning independently in the pursuit of new ideas (Kanter, 1983; Siegel & Kaemmerer, 1978), and a tolerance for diversity among their members (Siegel & Kaemmerer, 1978). When we talk about Innovative Work Behavior, we refer to the definition based on West and Farr (1989) and West (1989); IWB is defined here as the intentional creation, introduction and application of new ideas within a work role, group or organization, in order to benefit role performance, the group, or the organization. Following Scott and Bruce (1994), we conceive IWB in the workplace as complex behavior consisting of a set of three different behavioral tasks: idea generation, idea promotion, and idea realization. Literature of the recent years shows the efforts of several authors to understand each stage in its specificity, identifying each prior and subsequent specific (Axtell, 2000; Janssen, 2000). In this line of research, for this study a questionnaire has been given to 190 subjects, of organizations cooperative, of a region Italy’s, who are working in different fields. The research supposes a positive relationship between the different stages of IWB and the different types of support to innovation. Specifically the stage of idea generation needs strong support from the immediate superior (Antoni, 2004), and the stage of idea promotion and idea realization, they also need support from the organization all (Scott & Bruce, 1994; Vandenberghe, 2002). The results confirmed a real influence, especially by the support of organization, versus all tasks of innovative work behavior. The research shows that effective activities to support the innovative behavior, must be carried out in different directions, by the superior and the organization, because the concept of innovation is the basis for the progress of organization. These results are a further confirmation of the importance of support for innovation into work environment so that individuals feel free to show innovative behavior.
Different types of support for innovation, for different stages of innovative work behavior
LA TORRE, Diego;PICCI, patrizia;BATTISTELLI, Adalgisa
2009-01-01
Abstract
This research investigates the relationship between the innovative work behavior and the support from the organization towards innovation processes. The support for innovation is an important variable in the context of studies on innovation into organization. Support means: support for their members in functioning independently in the pursuit of new ideas (Kanter, 1983; Siegel & Kaemmerer, 1978), and a tolerance for diversity among their members (Siegel & Kaemmerer, 1978). When we talk about Innovative Work Behavior, we refer to the definition based on West and Farr (1989) and West (1989); IWB is defined here as the intentional creation, introduction and application of new ideas within a work role, group or organization, in order to benefit role performance, the group, or the organization. Following Scott and Bruce (1994), we conceive IWB in the workplace as complex behavior consisting of a set of three different behavioral tasks: idea generation, idea promotion, and idea realization. Literature of the recent years shows the efforts of several authors to understand each stage in its specificity, identifying each prior and subsequent specific (Axtell, 2000; Janssen, 2000). In this line of research, for this study a questionnaire has been given to 190 subjects, of organizations cooperative, of a region Italy’s, who are working in different fields. The research supposes a positive relationship between the different stages of IWB and the different types of support to innovation. Specifically the stage of idea generation needs strong support from the immediate superior (Antoni, 2004), and the stage of idea promotion and idea realization, they also need support from the organization all (Scott & Bruce, 1994; Vandenberghe, 2002). The results confirmed a real influence, especially by the support of organization, versus all tasks of innovative work behavior. The research shows that effective activities to support the innovative behavior, must be carried out in different directions, by the superior and the organization, because the concept of innovation is the basis for the progress of organization. These results are a further confirmation of the importance of support for innovation into work environment so that individuals feel free to show innovative behavior.
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