Does Where You Stand Depend on Where You Sit? A political perspective on the public sector innovation process

Public sector innovation research has mainly examined innovation adoption inside government organizations by focusing on either the perceptions of leaders or employees. However, both groups of organizational actors may, due to... [ view full abstract ]

Public sector innovation research has mainly examined innovation adoption inside government organizations by focusing on either the perceptions of leaders or employees. However, both groups of organizational actors may, due to their position in the organization, face the same process very differently. In this study, we hence apply behavorial theories on organizational decision making to examine how both innovation goals, innovation attributes and, ultimately, the satisfaction with the implemented innovation are perceived in the eyes of leaders and employees, and to what extent organizational position (being a leader or employee) moderates the relationship between these antecedents. We focus on the case of teleworking in a Dutch local government setting. Using two nationwide surveys among 372 public sector employees, directed to both administrative leaders and Works Council members, we conclude that administrative leaders are more positive about the benefits and potentials of the innovation. Further, organizational position moderated the relationship between the perceived ease in use of the innovation and satisfaction with implementation. The results show that it is important to distinguish between both leaders and employees in the innovation adoption process and that leaders should be aware of their bias in perceptions.