Elizabeth S. Guernsey
UNC Health Care, USA
Title: Organizational factors that enhance and inhibit organizational innovation
Biography
Biography: Elizabeth S. Guernsey
Abstract
Organizations that enhance innovation create a culture of ongoing staff development, learning and creativity. Learning is shared and encouraged throughout the organization. Studies have shown a direct relationship between organizational learning, innovation and enhanced business improvement (Jimenez Jimenez, 2011). In addition, research indicates that organizational learning, “allows the company to develop capabilities that enhance innovation and that innovation is what positively affects performance” (Jimenez Jimenez, 2011, p. 409).
The factors that may contribute or prohibit enhanced adoption of an innovative culture of an organization are size, age, industry and environmental instability (Jimenez Jimenez, 2011). Research indicates that larger, mature companies have greater resources and funding to support organizational learning and innovative efforts (Jimenez Jimenez, 2011). Industry variability and diverse internal cultures have been shown to impact innovation. The connection between innovation and organizational learning has been shown to impact the agility of an organization to navigate and sustain during times of turbulent environments and economic down-turns (Jimenez Jimenez, 2011). It has been found that in order to succeed, “in Schumpeterian environments organizations must be able to cope with increasing complexity and high-speed change” (Jimenez Jimenez, 2011, p. 410).