Exploring Innovation Behaviors: The Desired Actions for Individuals, Teams, and Organizations

Abstract: Several tools and practices have been developed in the innovation management field to support individuals and organizations in their innovation journeys. It is of high interest to understand how the actions and decisions of people affect the innovation process, both on a micro and macro level. The actions of individuals, teams, and upper management in organizations directly or indirectly affect innovation. It becomes interesting to understand such behaviors. The aim of this master’s thesis is to explore and compile a list of human behaviors that drive innovation on three levels: individual, team, and organization. This qualitative study was conducted in Sweden using semi-structured interviews with experienced professionals in the innovation management field. The research also includes defining and understanding key terms that are necessary for exploring and identifying innovation behaviors and offers analogies to support this understanding. An extensive literature review is used to find the initial set of innovation behaviors, and the analysis is developed. The key findings of this research reveal innovation behaviors in 11 categories of individual innovation behaviors, 5 categories of team innovation behaviors, and 6 categories of organizational innovation behaviors. Each category is developed in detail and a list of innovation behaviors is prepared. The implications of this thesis are twofold. Firstly, an extensive theoretical base is developed to understand innovation behaviors in a unified framework. Several new innovation behaviors are identified in empirical results that were not found in the scientific literature. This thesis also provides an actionable base for ‘how to innovate’ questions. Secondly, the results can be used by professionals on a practical level. Individuals, teams, and organizations can educate themselves about innovation behaviors and adopt them during their innovation projects. The upper management in companies can use these innovation behaviors to develop a culture that is supportive of innovation and take innovation-abling actions for their organizations. Innovation professionals can use these behaviors as a tool to support their teams in taking better actions for innovation. Furthermore, researchers can advance the understanding of factors influencing innovation and develop advanced tools and practices as a guide to innovation.