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The relative importance of human resource management practices for innovation

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  • Spyros Arvanitis
  • Florian Seliger
  • Tobias Stucki

Abstract

Human resource management (HRM) practices are generally expected to stimulate a firm's innovation performance. However, which of these practices really pay off? Based on a unique dataset that includes detailed information for both a firm's innovation activities and a broad set of HRM practices, we find that primarily new workplace organization practices seem to enhance a firm's innovation activities. Flexible practices of working time management and incentive payment schemes show only small effects on both innovation propensity and innovation success. Further training does only affect innovation success, but not innovation propensity. Overall, we find a stronger linkage between HRM practices and innovation propensity than with innovation success. Further, we find that innovation propensity increases, first, with the number of combinations of HRM practices adopted by a firm but not with the number of combinations of HRM practices from different groups of HRM practices adopted by a firm.

Suggested Citation

  • Spyros Arvanitis & Florian Seliger & Tobias Stucki, 2016. "The relative importance of human resource management practices for innovation," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(8), pages 769-800, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:ecinnt:v:25:y:2016:i:8:p:769-800
    DOI: 10.1080/10438599.2016.1158533
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    2. Jane Bourke & Frank Crowley, 2016. "Which organisational changes are most beneficial for firm innovation?," Economics and Business Letters, Oviedo University Press, vol. 5(4), pages 152-158.
    3. Mehmet Güney Celbiş & Pui-Hang Wong & Karima Kourtit & Peter Nijkamp, 2021. "Innovativeness, Work Flexibility, and Place Characteristics: A Spatial Econometric and Machine Learning Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-29, December.
    4. Aneta Karasek, 2018. "Talent Management Practices as an Instrument for Stimulating Employees’ Entrepreneurship(Praktyki zarzadzania talentami jako instrumenty stymulowania przedsiebiorczosci pracownikow)," Research Reports, University of Warsaw, Faculty of Management, vol. 1(27), pages 34-44.
    5. Frank Crowley & Jane Bourke, 2018. "The Influence Of The Manager On Firm Innovation In Emerging Economies," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 22(03), pages 1-21, April.
    6. Antonioli, Davide & Marzucchi, Alberto & Rentocchini, Francesco & Vannuccini, Simone, 2024. "Robot adoption and product innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(6).
    7. Tobias Stucki & Daniel Wochner, 2019. "Technological and organizational capital: Where complementarities exist," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(3), pages 458-487, June.
    8. Alejandro Bello-Pintado & Felipe Berrutti & Carlos Bianchi & Pablo Blanchard, 2019. "Knowledge searching strategies, testing for complementarities on the innovation behavior of the firm," Documentos de Trabajo (working papers) 19-18, Instituto de Economía - IECON.
    9. Antonella Biscione & Chiara Burlina & Raul Caruso & Annunziata de Felice, 2021. "Innovation in Transition countries: the role of training," Working Papers 1013, European Centre of Peace Science, Integration and Cooperation (CESPIC), Catholic University 'Our Lady of Good Counsel'.

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