Title: A systematic review on the role of human resources for process innovation

Authors: Ann-Kathrin Hirzel

Addresses: University of Rostock, Institute of Business Administration, Ulmenstrasse 69 18051 Rostock, Germany

Abstract: While it is apparent from the innovation literature that the human resources are a key element of innovation, existing studies on process innovation have insufficiently explained how companies can use their human resources to the become process innovators. Employing a resource-based perspective, this study provides a systematic review of literature on process innovation covering a period from 1977 to 2016. The findings are synthesised into a conceptual framework showing personal factors of the employees and human-resource-related organisational capabilities to realise process innovation successfully. Eight personal factors (management commitment, managerial business ties, managers' mindset, transactional leadership style, employees' organisational trust, employees' level of creativity, IT competencies, employees' process-orientation) and five human-resource-related organisational capabilities (employee empowerment, organisational learning, process representation, knowledge management, project management) are revealed through this systematic review. Implications for the theory and management practice, as well as recommendations for the future research, are provided.

Keywords: process innovation; resource based view; RBV; human resources; systematic literature review.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBE.2017.092222

International Journal of Business Environment, 2017 Vol.9 No.4, pp.279 - 300

Received: 08 Jun 2017
Accepted: 08 Jun 2017

Published online: 11 Jun 2018 *

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