The Psychology of Innovation in Organizations

This book presents a dynamic model of the interactions between organizational innovation systems' key components: product, person, process, and press.

David H. Cropley (Author), Arthur J. Cropley (Author)

9781107459175, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 22 July 2015

260 pages, 28 b/w illus. 30 tables
22.8 x 15.1 x 1.5 cm, 0.38 kg

'This engaging, incisive book first covers the basics of what any leader, consultant, or researcher needs to know about innovation and then offers specific and practical ways for implementing and nourishing it. This is required reading for anyone who wants to build or maintain the creativity within their organization.' James C. Kaufman, Neag School of Education, University of Connecticut

In today's highly competitive market, organizations increasingly need to innovate in order to survive. Drawing on a wealth of psychological research in the field of creativity, David H. Cropley and Arthur J. Cropley illustrate practical methods for conceptualizing and managing organizational innovation. They present a dynamic model of the interactions between four key components of creativity - product, person, process, and press - which function as building blocks of innovation. This volume sheds new light on the nature of innovative products and the processes that generate them, the psychological characteristics of innovative people, and the environments that facilitate innovation. It also fills a significant gap in the current literature by addressing the paradoxical quality of organizational innovation, which may be both helped and hindered by the same factors. The authors demonstrate that with proper measurement and management, organizations can effectively encourage individuals to produce and take advantage of novel ideas.

1. Understanding innovation: a reorientation
Part I. Basic Concepts: 2. Products: what does innovation lead to?
3. Process: how are innovative ideas formed?
4. Person: the personal resources that support innovation
5. Press: where the innovation happens?
Part II. Managing Innovation: 6. Paradox: the contradictions of innovation
7. Measuring the building blocks of innovation
8. Innovation and organizational performance
9. Managing the paradoxes of innovation
10. General conclusions.

Subject Areas: Organizational theory & behaviour [KJU], Psychology [JM]