Mainstreaming Innovation in Europe. Findings on Employee Innovation and Workplace Learning from Belgium

Stan De Spiegelaere, Guy Van Gyes and Geert Van Hootegem

MPRA Paper from University Library of Munich, Germany

Abstract: The EU is striving for an ‘Innovative Union’. Various case studies already hinted that the involvement of various types of employees is crucial for the organisational innovativeness. Using data from a large scale Belgian employee level survey in five industries, this article focuses on the question how ‘mainstream’ innovation is in Belgian firms and how this coincides with forms of workplace learning. Innovation mainstreaming here refers to the inclusion of various occupational groups in the innovation process. Findings suggest that innovation in most sectors, is an ‘elite driven’ process with only a limited involvement of lower level employees. Moreover, genuine employee-driven innovations are a rarity. Nevertheless, the research also finds that workplace learning (job training and in-work learning opportunities) are potentially strong levers for employee innovation for all types of employees. Specifically providing in-work learning opportunities to technical workers could make innovation more mainstream in Europe.

Keywords: Employee Driven Innovation; Innovation Mainstreaming; Innovative Work Behaviour; Workplace Learning (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D23 D8 D83 O31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-eur, nep-hrm, nep-ino, nep-knm and nep-ppm
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pra:mprapa:43406

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