The relationship between innovation and creative climate: A quantitative study on the effects of creative climate dimensions on individual innovation behaviour

Abstract

The aim of the research is to define which type of statistical relationship exist between the independent variables of creative climate and the dependent variable of innovation output on the individual level, and therefore defined as individual innovation behaviors. The research is assessed through quantitative study and the tool chosen to collect the data is a survey, whose aim is to measure how companies manage creative climate within their organizations and which type con effects this has on the individuals’ innovation behaviors. Both innovation behaviors and creative climate dimensions are defined through the literature review of academic papers about the topics, and the data collected are analyzed through the fractional logistic regression model. 17 independent variables were selected for the model: age, gender, tenure, business line, immigrant, challenge, freedom, trust, conflict, idea support, idea time, debate, risk taking, management support, diversity, play/humor and innovation perception. From the analysis of the data collected, an interesting insight has emerged, since some of dimensions of creative climate seem to have counterintuitive effects that at first sight can be hard to read. The results obtained from the variables of conflict, debate, idea support and risk taking seems to indicate that a more challenging environment is positively related to the innovative behaviours of the individuals. The insight offers the chance for future researcher to investigate which are the other elements and latent variables that can influence higher levels of individual innovation behaviour apart from creative climate dimensions, such as incentives and awards, R&D expenditure.