Creativity and Innovation Management最新文献

The exploration of opportunities is a major precondition for idea generation. Despite its relevance, theoretical approaches to innovation have paid scant attention to its conceptualization, measurement, antecedents and outcomes. To fill this void, this paper adopts a behavioural approach to delve into the micro-foundations of this early stage of the innovation process by introducing and operationalizing the construct of individual exploratory behaviours (IEBs), which are the actions undertaken by individuals to boost idea generation through opportunity search. After reviewing earlier research on the exploratory stage of the ideation process, we propose and validate IEBs as an original multidimensional construct encompassing three behavioural components (questioning the status quo, sensing the environment and experimenting). Results from structural equation modelling corroborate IEBs' positive relationship with idea generation and radical innovation as outcomes and with risk-taking and self-confidence as antecedents. Our research adds to the literature by focusing the attention on the critical role of the beginning of the innovation process and analysing its different components according to a behavioural perspective, which is an aspect that has been neglected in favour of its cognitive/psychological dimension. In so doing, this research provides a formalization of the unstructured process of opportunity exploration and preliminary evidence of the relationship between IEBs and organizational innovative performance. The findings offer insights for both educational and organizational settings that can adopt IEBs in their assessment and development processes to boost individuals' ability to promote innovation at the organizational level.

Previous studies on the link between organisational identification and creativity have reported contradictory results, that is, both positive and negative effects. This may be because existing research has focused on mediating and moderating variables as antecedents of creativity, thus ignoring differences in capability in the creative problem-solving process. This study challenges this contradiction by exploring when organisational identification at a team level pertains to creative problem-solving process. Referring to the creative problem-solving process represented by design thinking, we propose a model with problem-finding and problem-solving capabilities as dependent variables, including the moderating effect of team reflexivity. Based on survey data from 350 Japanese employees, this study finds that team identification positively associates with the problem-finding capability when team reflexivity is high and is independent of team reflexivity in problem-solving capability. This study argues that there are different antecedents influencing problem-finding and problem-solving capabilities in creative problem-solving. Furthermore, it was empirically suggested that finding problems about what one should do in the context of social dynamics is more closely related to one's identity than resolving problems for technologies and solutions.

This study explores the orchestration of hackathons targeting the creation of new ideas and innovation. We employed a qualitative case study approach with data collected from hackathon organizers, partners, and solvers at multiple events organized by Ultrahack, a Finnish hackathon organizer. We initially conceptualized hackathon orchestration as a form of coordination that requires brokering in social networks. Building on this background, we empirically identify three types of orchestration mechanisms: orchestration as relational brokering, orchestration as contextual configuring, and orchestration as legitimacy building. We analyse how these mechanisms contribute to the benefits perceived by hackathon solvers and partners. Our study contributes to the academic discourse on orchestration mechanisms in hackathons and offers insights for practitioners managing hackathons and innovation contests, especially from the point of view of third-party orchestrators.

The role of standardised innovation management systems (SIMS) in fostering organisational innovation has been largely overlooked in the literature. This study addresses this gap by investigating the certification, maintenance and decertification of SIMS. Using a descriptive and inductive methodology, the research analyses primary data from 94 Portuguese organisations with certified SIMS. The findings reveal a strong prevalence of internal motivations for certification, low implementation obstacles and significant benefits, suggesting that these firms have successfully internalised the SIMS standard into their innovation management processes. Maintenance motivations are also strong, particularly internal ones, which align well with the critical success factors for sustaining certification. The benefits of maintaining SIMS are substantial, particularly internal benefits, as initial external motivations for certification often evolve into internal maintenance motivations. Decertification motivations and propensity are weak among the sample firms. Expectations of negative performance impacts following potential decertification are also low, likely because these organisations have effectively internalised the SIMS standard. This study is the first to explore the maintenance and decertification of SIMS, providing evidence that SIMS can deliver substantial benefits, be efficiently maintained and continuously enhance innovation and competitiveness. As a result, most organisations exhibit little interest in decertification. The findings offer significant contributions to research and provide actionable insights for practitioners, suggesting that innovation management systems can indeed be standardised with considerable benefits.

This study explores the potential of game-based practices in enhancing organizational innovation, particularly in the context of remote work. Specifically, we examine how collaborative practices within digital gaming environments can inform and enhance the creation of social capital in remote settings and further facilitate collaborative innovation processes. Existing research predominantly focuses on the use of game-based formats aimed at enhancing idea generation, crowdsourcing, and design processes. However, our research extends this by investigating the sustained application of game-based practices to foster deeper relationships and cultivate a culture of learning in remote work environments. We present insights from a qualitative study involving 28 interviews with technology professionals equipped with gaming backgrounds. Overall, our results reveal three sets of game-based practices that hold promise in supporting innovative collaboration in online settings: (1) Rich use of platforms and expressions to achieve interactional sensitivity, (2) Using games as boundary objects to enable idea flows and candid encounters and (3) Routinizing reflective practices and aligning motivations to cultivate learning cultures. Our study highlights the role of game-based practices in meeting the diverse interactional needs of online collaboration, reducing hierarchical barriers, enabling idea flows and cultivating a learning culture through collective accountability and feedback.