The state of the art of innovative behaviour literature: A bibliometric analysis

Objectives: Since the seminal paper of Scott and Bruce published in 1994, scholars have contributed to the individual innovative behaviour field, and especially in the last few years the literature has shown a rapid growth, emphasizing the relevance of this concept for organizational efficiency and effectiveness. Specifically, considering the recent challenges that entrepreneurs and their employees face in the daily rapid pursuit of innovation, the concept of innovative work behaviour (IWB) needs to be revised and extended. The purpose of this paper is to advance the understanding on the evolution of IWB research during the last two decades. We carried out a systematic literature review underlying theories, metrics and models implemented around this construct, highlighting literature gaps and future lines for development. Prior Work: Innovative Behaviour can be defined as an individual’s actions that aim to achieve the initiation and intentional introduction of new and useful ideas, processes, products or procedures, within a work role, group or organization. Previous studies have underlined the importance of innovative behaviour to achieve superior performance at the group as well as firm level. During the last years, contributions on IWB highly increased, however the literature on this topic is still fragmented, originated mainly from empirical research, with a lack of theoretical studies aiming at revising the concept and its assumptions. Approach: We carried out a systematic literature analysis by identifying the evolution over time of the IWB research, the most influent contributions, the main themes investigated and the open issues. Understanding the historical evolution about this field of research allows the analysis from past traditions to current trends. Results: Building on the literature review and the bibliometric analysis, we provide insights on the main research areas that the innovative behaviour construct contributed. The paper discusses the measurement issue of IWB and their multidimensional nature. Moreover, the factors which enable individuals to be engaged in IWB have been discussed. We argue that realizing the potential of innovative behaviour concept requires more research that shows how IWB influence outcomes at different level of analysis. In particular, we identify gaps that may lead future research to fully exploit the concept in the organizational field. Implications: The paper adds to the innovation and human resource management literature, discussing the foundation of the IWB literature and analyzing the metrics and the related indicators of IWB. This provide insights on how to assess employees’ actions toward the implementation of innovation processes. Throughout this conceptual analysis, firms may benefit from revising human resource management practices in order to make innovation as a part of current internal business. Value: This paper provides a theoretical contribution in exploring the scope and the diversity of the theories and empirical studies in the field of innovative behaviour, and in detecting its major weaknesses as well as current research priorities.