Varying involvement in digitally enhanced employee-driven innovation
(2019) In European Journal of Innovation Management- Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to advance knowledge about the mechanisms behind, and the implications of, varying involvement in digitally enhanced employee-driven innovation (EDI) by studying how a firm integrates a web-based tool in the organization of its EDI process. Design/methodology/approach: Based on a qualitative in-depth interview study with managers and employees at one high-performing and one low-performing office of a global IT firm, a critical discourse analysis was performed. It explored how the EDI discourse was produced, distributed and consumed in relation to the web-based tool for collecting and selecting employee ideas. Findings: The results demonstrate that the production of the innovation discourse by the... (More)
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to advance knowledge about the mechanisms behind, and the implications of, varying involvement in digitally enhanced employee-driven innovation (EDI) by studying how a firm integrates a web-based tool in the organization of its EDI process. Design/methodology/approach: Based on a qualitative in-depth interview study with managers and employees at one high-performing and one low-performing office of a global IT firm, a critical discourse analysis was performed. It explored how the EDI discourse was produced, distributed and consumed in relation to the web-based tool for collecting and selecting employee ideas. Findings: The results demonstrate that the production of the innovation discourse by the top-level management, which emphasizes client satisfaction rather than employee engagement, restricts the employees’ utilization of the digital platform that distributes the discourse. However, at the high-performing office, employee participation is ensured because the local managers act as co-distributors of the digital tool. Research limitations/implications: The single case study design limits the generalizability of the results, but is nevertheless relevant for understanding the mechanisms and implications in similar contexts where web-based tools are used to enhance EDI processes. Practical implications: The study provides practical insights into the importance of local management’s active promotion of digital tools in order to ensure employee involvement. Originality/value: The study contributes to the EDI literature by identifying some mechanisms behind and the implications of varying employee involvement in digitally enhanced EDI processes.
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- author
- Bäckström, Izabelle LU and Lindberg, Malin
- organization
- publishing date
- 2019
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Critical discourse analysis, Digitalization, Employee participation, Employee-driven innovation, Managerial implications, Web-based tools
- in
- European Journal of Innovation Management
- publisher
- Emerald Group Publishing Limited
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85061750329
- ISSN
- 1460-1060
- DOI
- 10.1108/EJIM-01-2018-0008
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 4da413af-2fe9-4ed3-bef3-b3be5636e73a
- date added to LUP
- 2019-03-04 09:42:02
- date last changed
- 2022-04-25 21:26:32
@article{4da413af-2fe9-4ed3-bef3-b3be5636e73a,
abstract = {{<p>Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to advance knowledge about the mechanisms behind, and the implications of, varying involvement in digitally enhanced employee-driven innovation (EDI) by studying how a firm integrates a web-based tool in the organization of its EDI process. Design/methodology/approach: Based on a qualitative in-depth interview study with managers and employees at one high-performing and one low-performing office of a global IT firm, a critical discourse analysis was performed. It explored how the EDI discourse was produced, distributed and consumed in relation to the web-based tool for collecting and selecting employee ideas. Findings: The results demonstrate that the production of the innovation discourse by the top-level management, which emphasizes client satisfaction rather than employee engagement, restricts the employees’ utilization of the digital platform that distributes the discourse. However, at the high-performing office, employee participation is ensured because the local managers act as co-distributors of the digital tool. Research limitations/implications: The single case study design limits the generalizability of the results, but is nevertheless relevant for understanding the mechanisms and implications in similar contexts where web-based tools are used to enhance EDI processes. Practical implications: The study provides practical insights into the importance of local management’s active promotion of digital tools in order to ensure employee involvement. Originality/value: The study contributes to the EDI literature by identifying some mechanisms behind and the implications of varying employee involvement in digitally enhanced EDI processes.</p>}},
author = {{Bäckström, Izabelle and Lindberg, Malin}},
issn = {{1460-1060}},
keywords = {{Critical discourse analysis; Digitalization; Employee participation; Employee-driven innovation; Managerial implications; Web-based tools}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{Emerald Group Publishing Limited}},
series = {{European Journal of Innovation Management}},
title = {{Varying involvement in digitally enhanced employee-driven innovation}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/EJIM-01-2018-0008}},
doi = {{10.1108/EJIM-01-2018-0008}},
year = {{2019}},
}