The impact of organizational culture on employee innovativeness
Ngo, Phuong (2018)
Ngo, Phuong
Turun ammattikorkeakoulu
2018
All rights reserved
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2018061413866
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2018061413866
Tiivistelmä
The purpose of this thesis is to study the influence of organizational culture on employees’ innovative work behaviors. Employee innovativeness is considered as a key determinant which contributes to an organization’s capabilities to innovate. A large body of literature has examined a variety of factors impacting employee innovativeness which encompass individual-, job-, team- and organizational level factors. Among the organizational level factors, organizational culture emerges as a pervasive contributor to employees’ innovative efforts. Therefore, this research was set out to gain an in-depth comprehension of the elements of organizational culture that enhance or hinder employee innovativeness.
The thesis consists of two mains parts: literature review and empirical research. In the literature review, the theoretical aspects of employee innovativeness and organizational culture were presented and analyzed. First, the definitions of employee innovativeness, how it works in an organization and factors influencing employee innovativeness was explained respectively. Subsequently, the definitions of organizational culture was unearthed while the theories of organizational culture dimensions by Hofstede (2011), Schein (1985,2010) and Martins (2003) are shed light on. After evaluating the relationship between organizational culture and employee innovativeness, the literature review concluded with the author’s theoretical framework of cultural dimensions which was used as background for later data collection.
For the empirical part, a qualitative method was employed. Primary data of the research were gathered by conducting semi-structured interviews with executives from different industries. The framework of the interviews is formulated based on the organizational cultural dimensions concluded in the literature review chapter.
The key findings of the research are to affirm the impact of organizational culture on innovative work behaviors and indicate five elements of organizational culture that positively influence employee innovativeness. They include (1) an innovation-oriented strategy, (2) customer focus, (3) organizational structure, (4) managerial support and (5) a collaborative climate. By effectively coordinating these elements in organizational culture, firms can cultivate their employee innovativeness deliberately and systematically.
The thesis consists of two mains parts: literature review and empirical research. In the literature review, the theoretical aspects of employee innovativeness and organizational culture were presented and analyzed. First, the definitions of employee innovativeness, how it works in an organization and factors influencing employee innovativeness was explained respectively. Subsequently, the definitions of organizational culture was unearthed while the theories of organizational culture dimensions by Hofstede (2011), Schein (1985,2010) and Martins (2003) are shed light on. After evaluating the relationship between organizational culture and employee innovativeness, the literature review concluded with the author’s theoretical framework of cultural dimensions which was used as background for later data collection.
For the empirical part, a qualitative method was employed. Primary data of the research were gathered by conducting semi-structured interviews with executives from different industries. The framework of the interviews is formulated based on the organizational cultural dimensions concluded in the literature review chapter.
The key findings of the research are to affirm the impact of organizational culture on innovative work behaviors and indicate five elements of organizational culture that positively influence employee innovativeness. They include (1) an innovation-oriented strategy, (2) customer focus, (3) organizational structure, (4) managerial support and (5) a collaborative climate. By effectively coordinating these elements in organizational culture, firms can cultivate their employee innovativeness deliberately and systematically.