Everyday Innovation: How to enhance innovative working in employees and organisations

The imperative to promote innovative working remains strong in all sectors despite the current economic climate. However, although these aspirations exist, many working practices that promote innovation are not being readily adopted by organisations.

Download the Everyday Innovation report (PDF 1.1Mb)

When comparing sectors, this is particularly prevalent in public sector organisations. Here, some working practices may actually inhibit innovative working.

Similarly, whilst the employee characteristics and behaviours that enhance innovative working (such as motivation for change, openness to ideas and original problem solving) can be clearly identified and measured, there is limited evidence that organisations are actively integrating the research evidence into corporate HR policy and practice.

Leadership capability, organisational culture, and organisational values are among the most important organisational factors and initiatives that enhance innovative working. Although there is a growing awareness of this, there is a persistent gap between what we know about these factors and how they are put into practice; how to enhance innovative working continues to be the most significant challenge for organisations. This report uses several practical examples to show how to promote everyday innovative working at the employee, group, leader and organisational levels.

Published
December 2009

Author
Professor Fiona Patterson, Dr Maura Kerrin, Geraldine Gatto-Roissard and Phillipa Coan

See also

Chartered Management Institute report summary

Interim report (PDF 0.84Mb) and interim executive summary (PDF 0.34Mb)