Discussing the motivation of knowlede workers to engage in employee driven innovation - the influence of trust in organisation processes

Abstract: Title: Discussing the motivation of knowledge workers to engage in employee driven innovation – the influence of trust in organisational processes Date of the seminar: June 3rd 2014 Course: Master Corporate Entrepreneurship and Innovation Internship and degree project (Master thesis 15 ECTS) Authors: Sam Hobbs & Julien Véron Supervisor: Håkan Lagerquist Keywords: Motivation, trust, employee driven innovation, knowledge workers, innovation, organisational processes Thesis purpose: The purpose of this thesis to establish both what determines knowledge workers’ trust in organisational processes, as well as the influence of such trust on their motivation to engage in employee driven innovation. Both of these areas have been underexploited and thus the authors seek to close gaps within literature. Insights into these two areas can advise organisations in how to design organisational processes so as to maximise employee trust, as well as how to increase the motivation of employees to engage in innovative behaviour. Methodology: This qualitative research employed a case study design which sought to inductively develop new theory. The authors interned as thesis workers in the Apps, Services and Development Department of Sony Mobile in Lund, Sweden. Following familiarisation with the organisation through informal discussions and observations, the authors undertook a preliminary literature review. Through this review organisational processes were recognised as an important means by which employees can engage in innovation. Following this a more thorough literature review was conducted which established the authors’ theoretical framework, after which the authors gathered empirical data through semi-structured interviews with managers and employees working within the department. This empirical data was then examined against the theoretical framework in order to generate the authors’ conclusions, both in terms of contributing new theory and providing practical implications for managers and organisations. Theoretical perspectives: The authors were inspired and influenced by previous literature when undertaking the thesis: knowledge workers (Newell et al., 2009; Drucker, 1959), trust (Mayer et al., 2009, Costa, 2003; Colquitt et al., 2007, motivation (Ettinger, 2007; Jayawarna et al., 2013) and employee driven innovation (Roderkerken, 2011; Kristansen & Bloch-Poulsen, 2010). Such literature enabled the authors to identify four factors of trust – integrity (Killinger, 2010), fairness (Janssen, 2000; Lawler, 1968), credibility (Lyman, 2003) and control (Jayawarna et al., 2013, Coyle-Stapiro & Shore, 2007; Nemeth & Staw, 1989). The authors could then ascertain exactly what factors inspired employed trust in organisation processes. After this the authors could then establish the influence of such trust on motivation to engage in innovative behaviours, with Ettinger (2007) dividing motivation into three distinct stages – initial motivation, motivation in the face of adversity and motivation to work with high intensity. Thus the authors were enabled to establish what form of motivation is influenced by employee trust in organisational processes. Conclusions: The researchers concluded that trust of knowledge workers in organisation processes is largely determined by the extent to which such processes hold integrity, fairness and credibility. Credibility – that is the likelihood that a process will enable successful development of an idea – was observed to be of particular importance for workers who were strongly focused on the potential benefits that could arise from a successful development of an innovative idea. Workers were also found to be more trusting of processes which held some form of human interaction. This trust in organisational processes was established to have an influence upon the initial motivation of workers to engage in developing innovative ideas. However such trust was found to have little influence on their motivation to persist with a project in the face of difficulty or to develop an idea with high intensity. Organisations aware of these findings can seek to strengthen the degree of integrity, fairness and credibility in their processes so as to gain the trust of knowledge workers, which can then have a positive impact on their motivation to engage in employee driven innovation.