The influence of friendship and communication network density on individual innovative behaviours: a multilevel study

Understanding the relationship between networks, startup risk-taking behaviour, and digitalization: the role of ecosystem coopetition

Technology that develops rapidly has profoundly affected the business field and reshaped some behaviours of corporations, and the discussion on startup risk-taking behaviour in the new era is still insufficient. Based on social network theory and social capital theory, this article studies how social networks and entrepreneurial ecosystems support startup risk-taking behaviour. This article cuts into this issue through the perspective of coopetition. Based on 737 responses, this article employs regression and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis to explore the relationships between networks, ecosystem coopetition, and risk-taking behaviour. Results indicate that networks and coopetition may stimulate startup risk-taking behaviour, and coopetition may weaken the impacts of networks. There are replacement effects between different characteristics of networks, and there are several configurations, which may lead to high-level risk-taking. This article may help us understand startup risk-taking behaviour in the digital era and the positive impacts of ecosystems.

Shared leadership and team creativity: a team level mixed-methods study

Purpose

This paper aims to conduct two studies to investigate shared leadership and team creativity (TC) in leaderless short-term project teams (STPTs).

Design/methodology/approach

To answer the research question, this paper used a multi-level mixed-methods design. This paper analyzed video recordings, transcripts of STPTs’ collaboration and self-report surveys from an international engineering competition. In Study 1, this paper attempted to connect relation-oriented shared leadership (ROSL) and task-oriented shared leadership (TOSL) with TC by coding video recordings. In Study 2, this paper further investigated the proposed positive relationship between shared leadership and TC by surveying a sample of 166 students in 51 teams.

Findings

In Study 1, this paper found that shared leadership covaries with TC following a similar behavioral pattern. In Study 2, multi-level structural equation modeling results suggested that both TOSL and ROSL are positively correlated with TC.

Originality/value

In this mixed-methods multi-level research, this paper found that when the team’s shared leadership increases, their TC activity becomes frequent. This paper confirmed the qualitative finding by quantitatively investigated the relationship between shared leadership and creativity at the team level.

From Job Resources to Idea Implementation: A Moderated Sequential Mediation Model

Considering the motivational path of the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, this study investigates a multistep process by which contextual job resources might have an indirect effect on idea implementation. Among 187 shop floor employees of a manufacturing company, we found support for a model whereby job control has an indirect effect, over a 5-month time frame, on idea implementation through employee work engagement and personal initiative. In addition, we found that the indirect effect of job control on idea implementation is stronger when employees have a higher conformity orientation. Support was not found for the hypothesized indirect effect of coworker social support on idea implementation. Our findings support the usefulness of the JD-R theory for understanding how increased idea implementation occurs at work, especially when the additional factors of personal initiative and employee conformity orientation are integrated into the model.

Personal Initiative, Passive-Avoidant Leadership and Support for Innovation as Antecedents of Nurses' Idea Generation and Idea Implementation

PURPOSE

This study aims to explore the role of individual (work engagement, personal initiative), group (transformational, transactional, passive-avoidant leadership) and organisational factors (support for innovation climate) in fostering the two components of nurses' innovative behaviours, idea generation and idea implementation.

DESIGN AND METHOD

A cross-sectional study was conducted in an Italian public hospital, in two departments that had been created by merging other departments. A self-report questionnaire was completed by 118 nurses. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses.

FINDINGS

Respondents reported a high frequency of idea generation followed by idea implementation. Personal initiative and passive-avoidant leadership were significantly and positively related to nurses' idea generation and idea implementation. Support for innovation was positively related to idea implementation. Transactional and transformational leadership did not show any relationships with the two innovative work behaviours.

CONCLUSIONS

This study shows that nurses' innovative work behaviour is a complex and multi determined behaviour, influenced by individual, group, and organisational factors. It also shows that low levels of passive-avoidant leadership may contribute to innovation.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Healthcare policies and strategies are needed to support a leadership style that allows space for autonomy, and that, together with support for innovation and personal initiative, facilitates nurses' idea generation and idea implementation.