Title: Shop assistants as instigators of innovation: analysis of 26 innovation initiatives in 17 Dutch supermarkets

Authors: Tjip De Jong; Suzanne G.M. Verdonschot; Joseph W.M. Kessels

Addresses: Kessels & Smit, The Learning Company, Maliebaan 45, 3581 CD, Utrecht, The Netherlands. ' Kessels & Smit, The Learning Company, Maliebaan 45, 3581 CD, Utrecht, The Netherlands. ' Department OP&HRD, University of Twente, Post box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands

Abstract: Many organisations work on innovation and change processes in order to be successful in the knowledge economy. There can be recognised various assumptions underlying these change efforts. These assumptions appear not always to be effective. In this paper, we study these assumptions and propose alternative assumptions to change and innovation. We conclude that in successful supermarkets shop assistants adopt innovative and entrepreneurial behaviour that leads to a variety of sustainable improvements in their work environment; in the innovation initiatives we saw that uniform working procedures that are designed by the headquarters do not contribute to innovation. In some cases it even hindered the innovation initiatives; innovative behaviour requires personalised learning processes fuelled by intriguing questions, the felt need for urgency to improve, and active experimenting with developing a new practice. Sharing innovative initiatives across other supermarkets is not self-evident.

Keywords: knowledge economy; organisational change; organisational learning; strategy management; organisational performance; social innovation; appreciative inquiry; innovation management; shop assistants; innovation instigators; shops; food retailers; retail trade; supermarkets; Holland; Netherlands; underlying assumptions; innovative behaviour; entrepreneurial behaviour; sustainable improvements; work environments; uniform procedures; working procedures; company headquarters; personalised processes; learning processes; intriguing questions; urgency; active experimenting; new practices; initiative sharing; C1000; Schuitema; strategic change management.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSCM.2012.045829

International Journal of Strategic Change Management, 2012 Vol.4 No.1, pp.32 - 51

Published online: 31 Dec 2014 *

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