Organising employee-driven innovation in high-tech organisations

Abstract

In today's knowledge-intensive economy, innovation has become essential for securing a competitive advantage, assisting firms in thriving, and ensuring their survival. Corporations have realised that experts are just some of the ones responsible for innovation. Employee involvement in developing innovation processes thus represents a significant cultural shift from established company practices. This realisation has led to the emergence of employee-driven innovation (EDI). There is academic work that studies different contributing factors to EDI. Management practices and leadership are crucial for implementing EDI initiatives by creating a supportive environment, encouraging innovation, and providing autonomy and guidance to employees. Recent work looks into creativity and employee work behaviour. There is also work around digital EDI, and some studies look into the organisation of EDI.

However, organisations still struggle with implementing EDI. This research aims to identify key factors and practices that effectively organise EDI within high-tech organisations. The qualitative and inductive study used semi-structured interviews to generate theory and draw general conclusions. The target population includes change managers, senior managers, and employees in high-tech organisations. Twelve people from different organisations in The Netherlands participated in the study. I recorded, transcribed and anonymised the video interviews. These anonymised documents were further used for coding to identify emergent themes.

The results provide valuable insights into the participants' understanding, perception, and outcomes of EDI initiatives. Initially, they showed limited awareness of EDI, but after being informed, they recognised its importance in leveraging the creative potential of all employees. The participants discussed examples of EDI initiatives, highlighting the use of digital platforms, collaborative sessions, competitions, and off-site activities to foster innovation. They acknowledged various benefits of EDI, such as cross-functional collaboration, diversity of thought, self-leadership, and persistence. However, their definition of success varied, with some focusing on idea integration while others emphasised factors like customer satisfaction or alignment with organisational priorities. Challenges associated with EDI were also identified, including organisational resistance, managing the number of ideas generated, and the lack of clear definitions for innovation and success.

This study fills a research gap by offering practical insights into organising and implementing EDI effectively. The findings emphasise the importance of creating an innovative environment, recruiting individuals with specific characteristics, and organising EDI activities that are engaging and connected to daily work experiences. The highlights include leadership advocacy, fostering a supportive culture, and recognising employee efforts. The study proposes a shift in the assumption that all employees are willing to innovate and suggests integrating EDI into daily work routines. Theoretical implications indicate introducing an idea selection phase in the EDI process. Practical implications include balancing business and creativity, providing incentives, managing time effectively, promoting collaboration, and establishing transparent criteria for idea selection. The study proposes an EDI intervention framework that serves as a roadmap for organisations, emphasising idea generation, selection, implementation, cultural enablement, and transparent processes. Overall, this study contributes to understanding EDI and provides recommendations for fostering a culture of innovation.