A stakeholder perspective on public sector innovation

Linking the target groups of innovations to the inclusion of stakeholder ideas

Bibliographic Data

ID9963546
AuthorsJan Boon (0000-0003-0580-0069, University of Antwerp, corresponding author), Jan Wynen (0000-0003-1456-968X, University of Antwerp), Chesney Callens (0000-0002-9872-6410, University of Antwerp)
Year2021
Volume89
Issue2
Pages330-345
Publication date2021-10-04
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Review of Administrative Sciences (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0020-8523 • E-ISSN: 1461-7226
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/00208523211043704
OpenAlexW3203771896
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited38

Public sector innovation scholarship has not yet systematically explored how the target context (or output phase) of innovations impacts the early phases of innovation processes. This study theorizes and tests whether innovating organizations are more sensitive to ideas from particular stakeholder groups depending on the target group of said innovation. Using a large-scale dataset from the Australian Public Service, the results show that innovations with external target groups are more likely to be built on ideas from external stakeholders (compared with internal stakeholders) and—within the group of internal stakeholders—on ideas from managers (compared with non-managerial employees). Practical and scholarly implications are discussed. Points for practitioners: Innovations benefit from the inclusion of internal and external stakeholder ideas, both substantively (appropriate knowledge leads to better end products) and symbolically (innovations need to be deemed legitimate, and receive support from the actors that will be primarily impacted by the innovation). Innovating organizations need to be aware of the perceptions of the stakeholders affected by the innovation, and properly sense, capture and translate the ideas of those stakeholders in the innovation process

Business · Context (archaeology · Economics · Inclusion (mineral · Knowledge management · Open Innovation · Perspective (graphical · Political science · Process (computing · Public relations · Public sector · Scholarship · Service (business · Service innovation · Sociology · Stakeholder · Environmental Sustainability in Business · Management and Organizational Studies · Marketing · Service and Product Innovation

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