When innovation needs competency: the role of a wide emotional and social competency portfolio to attain innovation diversification

The innovation management literature has recently drawn attention to the intangible elements of human capital, in terms of soft skills or behavioural competencies for innovation. However, to date there is a limited empirical evidence on the relationship between these elements and the ability to pursue innovation. Building on this literature, this paper analyses the behavioural competencies that employees need to achieve innovative outcomes. Through a study on a sample of 63 managers performing key roles in the luxury high-fashion footwear industry, this study investigates: a) if there are some Emotional, Social and Cognitive competencies that are associated with the achievement of particular types of innovations (product, process, organizational, marketing), and b) the implications of the possession of a broader portfolio of behavioural competencies on the implementation of innovation. Our results present some implications in terms of competencies to develop to favour specific types of innovation in the firms contexts.