Achieving green product and process innovation through green leadership and creative engagement in manufacturing

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saira Begum ◽  
Enjun Xia ◽  
Fayaz Ali ◽  
Usama Awan ◽  
Muhammad Ashfaq
Keyword(s):  
Transformational Leadership ◽  
Creative Process ◽  
Product Innovation ◽  
Process Innovation ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Green Product ◽  
Green Process ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Product And Process Innovation ◽  
Product And Process

PurposeThe aims of this study were three-fold: to determine the impact of green transformational leadership on creative process engagement, green product innovation and green process innovation; to examine the association of creative process engagement with green product and process innovation and to identify the mediating influence of creative process engagement in the association between green transformational leadership and green process and product innovation.Design/methodology/approachData was collected through a survey questionnaire from 291 middle- and lower-level managers and employees through simple random sampling in four high-tech manufacturing industries situated in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen in China. We examined the data through structural equation modeling using partial least squares to test the study hypotheses.FindingsThe findings unveiled that green transformational leadership and creative process engagement positively influence green product innovation and green process innovation. Similarly, green transformational leadership is positively linked with creative process engagement. The findings further revealed that creative process engagement mediates the impact of green transformational leadership on green process and product innovation. Hence, our findings provide strong support for the role of green transformational leadership and creative process engagement in improving green process and product innovation.Research limitations/implicationsOur sample is limited to China and collected from high-tech manufacturing industries.Practical implicationsDrawing on the componential theory of creativity, the authors suggest that organizational leaders, specifically those who practice green transformational leadership, should increase creative process engagement among subordinates, as it is a crucial intangible resource for green process and product innovation.Social implicationsWe suggest that a combination of green transformational leadership and creative process engagement improves green process and product innovation as well as the environmental performance of a business by eliminating all forms of hazardous material and waste.Originality/valueThis work is one of the earliest empirical studies to evaluate the influence of green transformational leadership on fostering green product and process innovation and the mediating impact of creative process engagement on the linkage among green transformational leadership, green product and process innovation within the manufacturing context.

scholarly journals Transformational leadership and employee voice for product and process innovation in SMEs

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-89
Author(s):  
Muhammad Athar Rasheed ◽  
Khuram Shahzad ◽  
Sajid Nadeem
Keyword(s):  
Transformational Leadership ◽  
Product Innovation ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Process Innovation ◽  
Employee Voice ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Product And Process Innovation ◽  
Product And Process ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This study aims to investigate the impact of transformational leadership on the innovation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through employee voice behaviors. Drawing from the upper echelon theory, it is hypothesized that employee voice is the mediating mechanism through which transformational leadership affects the process and product innovation in SMEs. Design/methodology/approach Data was collected from 169 SMEs of Pakistan through an online self-administered questionnaire. The proposed hypotheses were tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings Findings confirm that transformational leadership positively affects both process and product innovation in SMEs and employee voice behavior mediates between these relationships. Originality/value This research contributes to both theoretical and practical domains by providing evidence that encouraging employees to raise their voice positively impacts product and process innovation and transformational leadership is a potential organizational factor to shape employee voice and process and product innovation. To the best knowledge, this is the first study that investigates the mediating role of employee voice between transformational leadership and process and product innovation in SMEs and developing country’s context.

scholarly journals Influences of Organizational Factors on Organizational Capability for Innovation: An empirical Study from Vietnamese Firms

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Transformational Leadership ◽  
Product Innovation ◽  
Organizational Factors ◽  
Process Innovation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Collaborative Culture ◽  
Innovation Capability ◽  
Organizational Capability ◽  
Product And Process Innovation ◽  
Product And Process

Given the key role of organizational factors for improving firm’s innovation capability, the purpose of this study is to explore the level of influence of organizational factors namely transformational leadership (TL), human resource management (HRM) practice and collaborative culture on two aspects of organizational innovation capability namely product and process innovation. The paper has developed a proposal research model and applied Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to test research hypotheses using data collected from 168 participants in 51 Vietnamese firms. The findings of this study confirm the significant impacts of key organizational factors on firm’s capabilities for product and process innovation. Especially, the empirical findings reveal that TL has a greater impact on process innovation. In contrast, collaborative culture has more significant influence on product innovation. The findings of this study have significantly contributed to increasing the insight of the link between key organizational factors and specific aspects of innovation capability. Moreover, it provides a specific and effective pathway for Vietnamese firms to pursuit and foster each specific aspect of organizational capability for innovation. Keywords: Transformational Leadership, HRM Practice, Collaborative Culture, Product Innovation, Process Innovation, Innovation Capability

scholarly journals Market knowledge impacts on product and process innovation: Evidence from travel agencies

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kuan-Yang Chen ◽  
Levent Altinay ◽  
Po-Yuan Chen ◽  
You-De Dai
Keyword(s):  
Product Innovation ◽  
Process Innovation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Market Knowledge ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Travel Agencies ◽  
Product And Process Innovation ◽  
Product And Process ◽  
Knowledge Depth ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between the attributes of market knowledge (depth/breadth) and particular types of (process/product) innovation. The mediating mechanism of ambidextrous (exploratory/exploitative) capabilities is also investigated. Design/methodology/approach Data from 153 travel agencies from two phases of data collection in Taiwan were analyzed using the structural equation modeling method. Findings Market knowledge depth directly and positively impacts product and process innovation. Market knowledge breadth indirectly and positively impacts product and process innovation. Ambidextrous capabilities affect process and product innovation and mediate the effect of market knowledge breadth on the two innovations. Research limitations/implications This study provides different theoretical views, such as dynamic capability and organizational learning, to supplement the explanation of knowledge-based theory in the relationship between market knowledge and innovation. Practical implications This study encourages firms to accumulate market knowledge depth and breadth and facilitate ambidextrous capabilities for innovation. Originality/value Seldom has research explored the relationships between the attributes of market knowledge and types of innovation simultaneously to extend the input-process-output context. This study has done so and forwards the possibility that ambidextrous capability is critical mechanism.

scholarly journals Employees’ proactive behavior and innovation performance

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 866-888 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mercedes Segarra-Ciprés ◽  
Ana Escrig-Tena ◽  
Beatriz García-Juan
Keyword(s):  
Product Innovation ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Process Innovation ◽  
Innovation Performance ◽  
Proactive Behavior ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Product And Process Innovation ◽  
Proactive Behaviors ◽  
Product And Process ◽  
Formal Controls

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the degree to which employees’ proactive behavior contributes to innovation performance in firms operating in high-technology sectors. Despite the benefits of these behaviors for individuals and organizations, few studies have analyzed the contextual conditions that enable firms to capture their value in order to improve innovation performance. Drawing on the interactionist perspective, the authors also examine the extent to which informal and formal controls, such as perceived support for innovation and innovation process formalization, can facilitate the contribution of proactive behaviors to improve innovation performance (product and process innovation). Design/methodology/approach Based on an empirical study with a sample of 173 firms operating in chemical and information technology service sectors, hierarchical regression analysis was used to test the relationship between employees’ proactive behavior and innovation performance, and the moderating effects of informal and formal controls. Findings The results reveal a positive and significant association between proactive behaviors and product and process innovation performance. Both control mechanisms positively moderate the association between proactive behavior and product innovation, but no moderating role was found for process innovation. Moreover, rather than inhibiting innovation performance, innovation process formalization is positively associated with innovation. More specifically, a curvilinear relationship was found, which implies that when the level of formalization is high, it is able to improve product and process innovation. Practical implications The findings suggest that managers should consider proactive behavior in selection processes and performance management, and should cultivate a climate to support innovation and establish formal controls for innovation as a way to channel employees’ initiatives into product innovation. Originality/value This study contributes to the theoretical and managerial understanding of the extent to which proactive employees and organizational controls are able to enhance innovation in a technologically dynamic context.

Cooperation and competition among subsidiaries in a business group: their impacts on innovation

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Donghong Li ◽  
Zhenning Yang ◽  
Pengcheng Ma ◽  
Hang Chen
Keyword(s):  
Business Group ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Process Innovation ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cooperation And Competition ◽  
Group Cooperation ◽  
Group Competition ◽  
Product And Process Innovation ◽  
Product And Process

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to document the relationship between intra-group coopetition and subsidiaries' innovation performance and the moderating impact of the intensity of external competition.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 75 subsidiaries in China through a questionnaire survey of their R&D and general managers. The total number of individual respondents was 205. We tested our hypothesis by using ordinary least squares regression.FindingsIntra-group cooperation was found to promote a subsidiary's performance in product and process innovation. Intra-group competition was found to have a U-shaped relationship with product and process innovation. Intra-group cooperation strengthens the U-shaped relationship between intra-group competition and process innovation.Research limitations/implicationsThis study involved firms from more than one industry. Studies of specific industries might reach more specific conclusions. And all of the data were self-reported by the managers of the firms concerned. Future studies would be well-advised to consider more objective data describing pairs of parent firms and subsidiaries.Practical implicationsSubsidiaries ought to build their internal networks to cooperate with each other. That can bring significant advantages in terms of information and synergy in innovation. Subsidiaries are also suggested to take full advantage of the opportunities that intra-group competition brings.Originality/valueThis study is the first one to explore coopetition phenomenon in the context of business group. By taking Chinese business group subsidiaries as the research samples, this research not only extends the coopetition research but also reveals that cooperation and competition are co-existed and exert influence in subsidiaries.

scholarly journals Utilities: Innovation and Sustainability

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1085 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrique Loredo ◽  
Nuria Lopez-Mielgo ◽  
Gustavo Pineiro-Villaverde ◽  
María García-Álvarez
Keyword(s):  
Product Innovation ◽  
Process Innovation ◽  
Water Utilities ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Playing Field ◽  
Process Innovations ◽  
Search Processes ◽  
Relevant Role ◽  
Product And Process Innovation ◽  
Product And Process

Pro-market reforms have disrupted the playing field and strongly affected the innovative behavior of electricity, gas and water utilities. Beyond a significant reduction in sectoral R&D investments, very little is known about how these firms accomplish their innovation strategies in this new scenario. Given this gap in the literature, the first aim of this paper is to identify the internal determinants of both the product and process innovation of utilities in a liberalized environment. Additionally, there is another external force that is also disrupting the specific landscape of utilities: the sustainability challenge. Therefore, the second aim of this paper is establishing whether sustainability-orientation is a driver of innovation in the utilities industries. The empirical study is carried out on a panel of 82 Spanish electricity, gas and water utilities over the period 2005–2012 (Technological Innovation Panel dataset (PITEC)). The main findings are: (i) the acquisition of disembodied knowledge does not play a relevant role for utilities; (ii) non-formal search processes are central to product innovation; (iii) some markets for technology –external R&D and technology embedded in equipment—are determinant factors for process innovation; (iv) sustainability orientation increases the likelihood of generating both, product and process innovations. These firm-level results are novel contributions to the field of utility management.

Bridge and redundant ties in networks: the impact on innovation in food SMEs

2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 355-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ghasem Shiri ◽  
Loïc Sauvée ◽  
Zam-Zam Abdirahman
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Research ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Process Innovation ◽  
Innovation Activity ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Product And Process Innovation ◽  
Product And Process ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of networks diversity on innovation activity of firms. It aims to review the structural issue in innovation networks and to distinguish different structures of networks for product and process innovation through an empirical research. Design/methodology/approach – Using a data set of 348 European agri-food firms, the authors study the impact of bridge and redundant ties on product and process innovation of firms. This is an empirical research based on an online survey in five European countries. Findings – The finding shows that bridge ties (measured by the number of heterogeneous networks in which firm participate) always facilitate product innovation in firms. The authors found also that a high number of heterogeneous ties in term of partners (simultaneous presence of redundant and non-redundant ties) motivate both product and process innovation in firms. Furthermore, the authors found a positive impact of network competence on process innovation. Research limitations/implications – The measures of bridge ties and redundant ties are indirect measures. This choice is a willing choice. Direct measurement of bridge and redundant ties always requires in-depth interviews with firms managers and thereby are limited by the number of observations. Originality/value – Research on innovations networks are dominated by case studies and researches with limited number of observations. Studying the networking behaviour, particularly the tie selection, of a wide range of firms brings additional knowledge in this field of research.

PERCEIVED COMPETITION AND INNOVATIVE INTENTIONS IN DUTCH SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES

2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (04) ◽  
pp. 687-707 ◽  
Author(s):  
JEROEN P. J. DE JONG
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Product Innovation ◽  
Bargaining Power ◽  
Process Innovation ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Complex Relationship ◽  
Product And Process Innovation ◽  
Buyer Power ◽  
Product And Process ◽  
Competitive Forces

This paper explores the complex relationship between competition and innovation by analyzing survey data of 2,281 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Netherlands. We develop and test hypotheses on the relationships between three dimensions of perceived competition (internal rivalry, supplier power and buyer power) and firms' intentions to engage in product and process innovation. Moreover, we analyze if firms' strategic attention for innovation is a moderating variable. We find that specific innovative intentions relate to different perceptions of competitive forces. Intentions to engage in process innovation correlate with the perceived bargaining power of suppliers, while intended product innovation correlates with perceived buyer power and internal rivalry between incumbent firms in the market — but the correlation with internal rivalry is significant only when firms report no strategic attention for innovation.

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