High involvement in innovation (HII) is a strategy that allows frontline employees to participate in the innovation process and enrich their work. It also provides them with a sense of purpose and a variety of challenges. In addition to being good for productivity, HII can be a great way to reward frontline employees.
Positive correlation between high intrapreneurial skills and involvement in innovation
Researchers have documented a positive correlation between high intrapreneurial skills and innovation involvement. Their research also suggests that intrapreneurship is a key to innovation success. While intrapreneurship affects innovation outputs in a relatively small way, it has a powerful effect on the outcomes of innovation.
The role of intrapreneurs in an organisation is increasingly critical as organisations seek to become more future-proof. These individuals are able to identify opportunities, conceive of clever solutions and mobilise the resources to make their vision a reality. As the landscape shifts due to the introduction of Artificial Intelligence, automation of work, and the outbreak of diseases like COVID 19, intrapreneurs must continually evolve to stay ahead of the competition.
Intrapreneurial skills include self-motivation, creativity, and persistence. They should be related to goals and results and should be aligned with job satisfaction and commitment. Moreover, they should be motivated and passionate about exploring new horizons. Employees who have these qualities are more likely to participate in innovations and make a positive contribution to their organizations.
Employees’ level of commitment to innovation is also important for the success of intrapreneurship. In health care, health practitioners need to have a strong conviction in themselves to come up with innovative solutions to problems. Choosing teams according to their propensity to innovate and their cognitive style can make a huge difference in task outcomes.
Entrepreneurial skills are closely related to the degree of self-efficacy and involvement in innovation. The higher an individual’s self-efficacy, the greater the likelihood that he or she will be a successful entrepreneur.
Exclusion of Eastern European countries from high involvement in innovation
In many Eastern European countries, social innovation is underdeveloped and underfunded. In addition to a lack of social support, these countries lack the entrepreneurial culture and experience necessary to make social innovations successful. These barriers to innovation hinder their progress. To address these problems, a social innovation policy and a supportive regulatory environment are essential.
The economic situation in Eastern Europe is not always as prosperous as in Western Europe, but China has a strong hand in the region. For example, China has stakes in the Port of Piraeus in Greece, and it has invested in Romania. However, as Romania has become disillusioned with Chinese investments, the country has resisted Beijing’s efforts to influence the country’s politics and economy.
In the latest European Innovation Scoreboard, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and the Netherlands have emerged as the EU’s leaders. Estonia and Moldova are the only countries in emerging Europe that have consistently high innovation levels. The rest of the region is mostly focused on traditional R&D activities and technologically driven projects. Overall, the EU’s innovation performance has risen 8.8 per cent over the last five years, but it has remained relatively low, with Romania suffering the most.
While the growth of Chinese investment in Southeastern, Central, and Eastern Europe may be beneficial for the region, it could also undermine political stability and complicate EU consensus on important issues. In this article, we discuss the implications of these developments for four Southeastern, Central, and Eastern European countries.
Workplace innovation contribution to productivity
The EUWIN report notes that workplace innovation is an important area of policy for the EU to foster. It calls for governments to take the lead in stimulating this area, and social partners must cooperate with governments to increase research and capacity building. The report also emphasizes the importance of direct support to businesses. Examples of such support include the recently adopted European Social Partner Framework Agreement on Digitalisation and the Horizon 2020 project.
High involvement models of work represent a major shift from the industrial HRM model, which was influenced by the rise of management control during the Industrial Revolution. This approach supported ‘just-in-time’ production at the plant level and was associated with less autonomy and flexibility among workers. In addition, this model was associated with weak sick leave provisions.
High involvement in workplace innovation is critical to fostering innovative productivity. However, creating a culture that fosters employee ideas is no simple task. Many aspects of workplace culture must be considered, including the delegation of decision-making, the definition of roles and behaviours in line-management, and the example set by leaders.
Studies have shown that high involvement management practices have positive impacts on employee outcomes and company performance. Moreover, high involvement management can contribute to employee well-being. Employees who are involved in workplace innovation are likely to work smarter. This is in line with the demand-control model, which asserts that the higher the level of discretion, the lower the stress level.
In addition to contributing to greater productivity, workplace innovation contributes to the growth of the economy. It is important to remember that failure to create good jobs has costs for communities and society. In addition to low productivity, communities suffer from poor social outcomes and social strife. Unfortunately, private employers fail to take these externalities into account.
Impact of workplace innovation on quality of working life
High involvement in workplace innovation practices have been shown to enhance productivity and quality of working life. These practices aim to increase participation and support continuous improvement. They were evaluated by a study conducted by the Finnish Workplace Development Programme TYKES. The research was based on organizational practices and a self-assessment survey.
High involvement in workplace innovation aims to enhance the creativity of teams and to improve the climate of involvement. Moreover, high-involvement processes foster greater collaboration, better leadership and a better workplace culture. However, the concept of high-involvement working is not absolute. There are always certain limits to what employees can do, including ensuring workplace safety and ethics.
Moreover, greater employee involvement may lead to higher levels of stress and fatigue. Prolonged exposure to excessive pressure can impair one’s health and undermine the scope to learn. Further, people working under high pressure are more likely to adopt what they already know, rather than try out new ideas. They also lack time for reflection and experimentation.
High-involvement management practices benefit both employees and firms. However, such practices are difficult to implement in an institutional setting. These practices require significant investment, especially on a long-term basis. A good example of such a workplace innovation practice is in the retail trade industry.
High-involvement management tends to be more beneficial for firms than it is for workers. It can increase the workload and speed of work, which may reduce employees’ control over their own jobs. It may also lead to higher rates of sick leave, absenteeism, and occupational accidents.
