Creativity and Innovation Management最新文献

The inherent uncertainty of the innovation process, amplified by the complexity of the Anthropocene, means that marketers are likely to be subject to decision-making biases that can affect sustainable product innovation. In parallel, new approaches to sustainability and innovation management are emerging, aiming to mitigate such biases and accelerate the sustainable transition. Yet, research into the critical role of individual decision-making in innovation management is still in its early stages. Drawing on the theoretical fields of behavioural strategy, innovation management and sustainability, and using 19 case studies, our research reveals the existence of three profiles of marketers based on their attitude towards sustainable innovation: ‘conservatives’, ‘progressives’ and ‘transformers’. We demonstrate that these profiles are linked to specific decision-making biases and explore how these biases shape the sustainability level of a new product. From a theoretical perspective, by bridging sustainability and innovation management through the lens of behavioural strategy, this paper improves our understanding of why fundamental differences in sustainable innovation processes and outcomes exist. Our research contributes to the existing literature on the topic by developing a typology of marketers towards sustainable innovation, and by identifying new cognitive biases in marketing practices. It reveals which biases hinder sustainable innovation and which ones positively influence the sustainability of new products.

Gamification has emerged as a significant tool for enhancing employee motivation, engagement and performance. While previous research has predominantly focused on gamification in single organisations, this study investigates how gamification may contribute to strategic alignment in outsourcing contexts. Drawing on an in-depth case study of a 3-year gamification initiative implemented by a global telecommunications company to engage employees from its outsourcing partners, the paper explores how gamification was used to align employees' behaviours with organisational objectives. The research combines semistructured interviews with employees in diverse roles and direct observation of the gamification platform. The findings reveal that participants generally perceived gamification as useful for alignment purposes and viewed its effectiveness as influenced by the fit between game design elements and strategic goals, workplace dynamics and employee roles. The study highlights the role played by middle managers, who acted as translators, facilitators or blockers and interorganisational bridgers—conceptualized as gamification brokers. These roles were seen as key to how the gamification initiative was designed, translated and integrated into business operations, and how it was experienced and enacted across organisations. The study proposes a conceptual model that suggests how gamification systems, contextual factors and managerial brokerage may influence employee engagement and alignment outcomes in outsourcing. This grounded model offers a foundation for future studies. Practical guidance is provided for designing inclusive, adaptable and ethically sound gamification strategies in outsourcing contexts.

Innovation is a cornerstone of organisational success and, in some cases, survival. As innovation is a decidedly human activity, understanding social contexts and socio-psychological conditions that may motivate or hinder employees' innovation efforts is critical. To this end, we conducted three studies to investigate the relationship and effects of perceived workplace dignity on employees' innovative work behaviour. In Study 1 (N = 192), we surveyed employees about their perceptions of workplace dignity and their self-reported innovative work behaviour. In Study 2 (N = 128), we used a scenario-based vignette experiment in which we randomly assigned participants to work environments that differed in the use of dignity rules and had them report their innovative work behaviour intentions. In Study 3 (N = 106), we conducted an experiment within an online crowd innovation contest in which dignity was manipulated between conditions. Then, using ratings issued by a panel of independent judges, we compared the quality of participants' ensuing innovation ideas. Collectively, these studies provide preliminary evidence that workplace dignity may indeed amplify innovation such that employees may be more likely to engage in innovative work behaviour, persist in innovation pursuits via idea championing and generate better quality ideas when they work in environments infused with dignity.

Today's grand challenges have to be discussed comprehensively, addressing the current design and the redesign of social and economic ecosystems. Tackling grand challenges requires a step into the unknown, a situation that is well-characterised today as strongly different in nature from uncertainty and requires specific types of management. This opens the door to radical changes in ecosystems' configurations (new values, new interdependencies and new independencies). Hence, our call for papers for this special issue asked about (re)designing ecosystems to face grand challenges. The papers of this special issue analyse a great variety of empirical situations (energy, organised crime, wind-energy–air quality). They elaborate extensively on how one can manage the complex intertwined processes that lead to exploring both new products/services associated with grand challenges and new collaborations in the ecosystem, enabling the commitment of new players in new partnerships. This editorial highlights three pivotal constructs deriving from the contributions: (A) ‘generativity enhancer’ as a critical type of action/actor in the redesign of the ecosystem; (B) creative preservation as a critical factor shaping performance; and (C) necessary methods for creating/sparing effective multiple local design spaces. Building on the constructs, it concludes by discussing the (re)design of ecosystems as creative evolution and how to manage it.

In response to growing pressures for environmental sustainability and technological advancement, this study examines how firms can effectively integrate green and digital innovations within ambidextrous strategies to enhance performance. Using fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) on a sample of 175 German manufacturing and service firms, the study identifies configurations that balance exploration and exploitation with digital and green innovation initiatives in different operational contexts. The findings emphasize that success hinges not on isolated elements but on their strategic integration into a coherent innovation framework. High-performing firms in dynamic environments emphasize digital innovation, while those in stable settings prioritize green innovation, and both require alignment with the firm's underlying innovation strategy. However, success depends on firm-specific factors: Smaller firms benefit from specialized innovation strategies, while large firms, particularly manufacturing firms, achieve resilience by combining green and digital innovation. Service firms gain competitive advantage by adapting their innovation focus to environmental shifts. The study demonstrates that innovation effectiveness results from context-specific, integrated approaches rather than one-size-fits-all strategies.

This study explores how individual factors—both stable traits (education) and more dynamic states (job satisfaction)—interact with organisational culture (individualism vs. collectivism) to influence innovative work behaviours (IWBs). Drawing on the Interactionist Approach to Organisational Creativity, we propose and test a theoretical model using survey data from 200 employees across 15 Italian organisations. The moderated model is analysed using SPSS PROCESS regression. Results show that education and job satisfaction both positively predict IWBs. Moreover, the effect of job satisfaction on IWBs varies depending on the type and level of organisational culture. Our findings offer two main contributions for research and practice. First, they suggest that contextual factors, such as organisational culture, significantly shape the influence of proximal individual variables like job satisfaction, while exerting minimal influence on more stable traits such as education. Second, they point to a more nuanced and multifaceted role of organisational culture than traditionally acknowledged in the literature. Specifically, collectivism appears to act as lever that amplify or reshape individual-level processes related to innovation under certain conditions. These insights provide practical guidance for organisations seeking to foster IWBs by aligning cultural values with employee motivations and experiences.

This study investigates how incumbent firms can actively foster sustainability transitions by strategically engaging across regime and niche levels when developing sustainable innovations. Drawing on an embedded case study of a leading Italian textile company involved in eight sustainable innovation projects, we identify four strategies—namely, Joining, Scouting, Engaging and Bridging—that enable incumbents to develop transition capacity. Unlike conventional innovation efforts, sustainable innovation demands longer timelines, broader stakeholder engagement and the ability to manage systemic complexity. Our findings challenge the traditional multilevel perspective (MLP) view of incumbents as passive regime defenders, instead portraying them as dynamic actors capable of supporting niche experimentation and building bridges across levels. We show that incumbents leverage internal innovation labs, trusted intermediaries and direct partnerships with niche actors to explore, absorb and maintain radical sustainable innovations. Additionally, we highlight the crucial role of intermediaries who must engage with the niche to prevent reinforcing existing lock-ins. Even ‘failed’ collaborations generate valuable learning spillovers that contribute to organisational resilience and innovation capability over time. This study enriches the MLP framework by offering a more dynamic view of regime–niche interactions and provides actionable insights for firms seeking to navigate the grand challenge of sustainability through proactive innovation strategies.