Work process-related lead userness as an antecedent of innovative behavior and user innovation in organizations

TY - JOUR

T1 - Work process-related lead userness as an antecedent of innovative behavior and user innovation in organizations

AU - Wu, Chia huei

AU - de Jong, Jeroen P.J.

AU - Raasch, Christina

AU - Poldervaart, Sabrine

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2020 The Author(s)

PY - 2020/7

Y1 - 2020/7

N2 - Recent studies have identified that employees can be lead users of their employing firm's products, and valuable sources of product innovation, residing within organizational boundaries. We extend this line of thought by recognizing that employees can be lead users with regard to internal work processes. We define work process-related lead userness (WPLU) as the extent to which employees experience unsatisfied process-related needs ahead of others, and expect high benefits from solutions to these needs. We hypothesize a positive association with user innovation in the workplace, evidenced by the development of tools, equipment, materials and methods. We test a moderated mediation model delineating how and when WPLU is related to user innovation within organizational boundaries. Drawing on survey data from 104 employees and 13 supervisors in a forensic services organization, we find that WPLU contributes to user innovation via engagement in innovative work behavior, especially when employees have higher self-efficacy (perceived capability to overcome obstacles) and lower job autonomy (situational constraints on the job).

AB - Recent studies have identified that employees can be lead users of their employing firm's products, and valuable sources of product innovation, residing within organizational boundaries. We extend this line of thought by recognizing that employees can be lead users with regard to internal work processes. We define work process-related lead userness (WPLU) as the extent to which employees experience unsatisfied process-related needs ahead of others, and expect high benefits from solutions to these needs. We hypothesize a positive association with user innovation in the workplace, evidenced by the development of tools, equipment, materials and methods. We test a moderated mediation model delineating how and when WPLU is related to user innovation within organizational boundaries. Drawing on survey data from 104 employees and 13 supervisors in a forensic services organization, we find that WPLU contributes to user innovation via engagement in innovative work behavior, especially when employees have higher self-efficacy (perceived capability to overcome obstacles) and lower job autonomy (situational constraints on the job).

KW - Innovative work behavior

KW - Job autonomy

KW - Self-efficacy

KW - User innovation

KW - Work process-related lead userness

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85104720552&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.respol.2020.103986

DO - 10.1016/j.respol.2020.103986

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85104720552

SN - 0048-7333

VL - 49

JO - RESEARCH POLICY

JF - RESEARCH POLICY

IS - 6

M1 - 103986

ER -