Title: The role of organisational climate factors in facilitating workplace innovation

Authors: Kathryn Von Treuer; Adela J. McMurray

Addresses: School of Psychology, Deakin University, Burwood Campus, Burwood, VIC, 3125, Australia. ' RMIT Business, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476V, Melbourne 3001, Australia

Abstract: A firm's ability to be adaptable, entrepreneurial and innovative may assist them to maintain, or achieve competitive advantage. We investigated the relationship between organisational climate and innovation in a consulting firm. Analyses of the 98 returned surveys showed significant relationships between organisational climate subscales of autonomy, worker cohesion and innovation with workplace innovation. Co-worker cohesion and pressure (negatively) predicted organisational innovation. Autonomy, innovation, cohesion and recognition predicted innovation climate. Autonomy and innovation predicted individual innovation while cohesion predicted team innovation. The results of the linear regressions revealed that organisational innovation, was the most significant model emerging, accounting for 40% of the variance. The study concluded that organisational strategies encouraging autonomy and co-worker cohesion were conducive to workplace innovation.

Keywords: organisational climate; co-worker cohesion; workplace innovation; adaptability; entrepreneurial factors; innovative factors; entrepreneurialism; competitive advantage; consulting firms; subscales; autonomy; worker cohesion; co-workers; co-worker pressure; organisational innovation; recognition; innovation climate; individual innovation; team innovation; linear regression; organisational strategies; small and medium-sized enterprises; SMEs; entrepreneurship; innovation management.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEIM.2012.048078

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, 2012 Vol.15 No.4, pp.292 - 309

Accepted: 07 Oct 2011
Published online: 31 Jul 2014 *

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