Emerald Management Review:
Management innovation

Abstract:

Purpose - To study the nature of management innovation through the ideas that have emerged in the literature over the years.

Design/methodology/approach - The extent to which the literature has traditionally focused on technological innovation, at the expense of management innovation, is discussed to provide the basis for the study which investigated management innovation and the processes through which it occurs. Focuses on the specific actions individuals inside or outside the company might undertake that lead to the emergence of 'management innovating' as a way of capturing the potentially critical role of human agency in the process. Addresses what management innovation is and how management innovation can be defined in a useful and rigorous way that emphasizes its distinctiveness, while isolating the processes through which management innovation comes about.

Findings - Four perspectives are identified from the literature as being key features of management innovation: institutional perspective; fashion perspective; cultural perspective; and rational perspective.

Research limitations/implications - Future research may be directed towards: sequencing of management innovation activities; the role of internal and external change agents; management innovation and management fashion; management innovation and company performance; and the role of academia in management innovation.

Originality/value - Provides a very clear and well-written first step towards a systematic and grounded process theory of how management innovation transpires.

Keywords:

Article Type:

Literature review

Reference:

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