Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Innovation and creativity are established research areas but both are relatively new
research areas within the field of organisational psychology. Early research on
innovation and creativity were primarily the focus area of academics in related social
sciences disciplines. Research on innovation and creativity was integrated with the
orientations and perspectives of organisational psychologists over a period of time. In
other words the development and identification of innovation as a success factor of the
work environment is something that took place over decades. Changes in the competitive
environment over the last few decades contributed to the increasing interest in the
concept of innovation. Today managers recognise innovation as a necessity that needs to
be managed and developed.
Three levels of analyses (the individual, group and organisation) can be identified in the
innovation literature. Until recently researchers focused primarily on the individual and
the organisation as units of analysis. As a results of this, research that focuses on the
individual and the organisation are quite comprehensive compared to studies that focus
on the group as a unit of analysis. The utilisation of teams have increased in
organisations, but our knowledge of the factors and dimensions that determine group
innovation are still restricted. The complex nature of group innovation could perhaps be a contributing factor in terms of the amount of research studies that have been done on
group innovation.
It is especially in this regard that this study sets out to thoroughly investigate existing
group innovation literature and to combine this with an investigation into the possible
contributions of related social psychological research (for example group decision
making, intragroup conflict and creative problem solving) to the innovation literature.
Each one of the three units of analysis (individual, group and organisation) has a unique
impact on group innovation, but not one of them explains exclusively the innovativeness
of a team. An interdependent relationship exists between these factors. This stresses the
complexity of the concept and as a result of this, researchers are encouraged to
investigate the possible contributions of related social psychological themes to the
innovation research and literature.
In this regard this study focused extensively on a input, process and output model of
group innovation by West and Anderson (1996) to determine to what extend some of the
aspects of the model explained the innovativeness of a group. This is a comprehensive
model and for the purposes of this study only certain aspects of the model were included
in the research process. The size of the team and team tenure were the two input
elements that were included in the study. The process elements of the model includes
clarity and commitment to team objectives, participation, task orientation and support for
innovation. In terms of the output aspects of the model the focus was on the following:
how radical, effective, new and extensive the innovation is, as well as the number of
innovations per team. The results of the study indicate that there are a relationship
between the variables of West and Anderson's input, process and output model (1996)
and the innovativeness of the team. The results of this study indicate that the model by
West and Anderson is a valuable contribution to the research literature on group
innovation behaviour. Although group innovation has not been researched extensively, it seems that group
innovation is starting to make an impact on the organisational psychology domain and
that it will be a central aspect of the research agenda of organisational psychologists in
future. If we are able to establish a sound theoretical basis organisations will be able to
understand and predict group innovation behaviour.
It can be concluded that this study made a contribution to the research literature on group
innovation behaviour in terms of an awareness of the impact and necessity of innovation
in today's work environment, and also in extending the existing knowledge base of group
innovation behaviour / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Alhoewel innovasie al VIr 'n geruime tyd as navorsingsdomein gevestig IS, het
organisasiesielkundiges eers redelik onlangs aan innovasie en kreatiwiteit begin aandag
skenk. Een van die redes waarom dit so lank geneem het voordat innovasie as 'n
waardige wetenskaplike navorsingsonderwerp besef was, was die feit dat vroeëre
navorsing oor hierdie onderwerp deur akademici in ander sosiaal wetenskaplike
dissiplines uitgevoer was. Die integrering van sodanige navorsing met
organisasiesielkundiges se perspektiewe en oriëntasies het skynbaar slegs met verloop
van tyd plaasgevind.
Die ontwikkeling van innovasie as 'n verskynsel van die werksomgewing het dus
stelselmatig oor dekades heen plaasgevind. Die impak van omgewingsveranderinge op
organisasies het ook oor die afgelope paar dekades beduidende belangstelling ten opsigte
van innovasie ontsluit. Innovasie, as 'n komponent van organisatoriese-kompeterendheid
en -effektiwiteit, is vandag 'n noodsaaklikheid wat toenemend deur hedendaagse
bedryfsleiers ondersteun en bestuur word.
Binne die werksomgewing kom innovasie op drie verskillende vlakke (die individu, die
groep en die organisasie) voor. Tot dusver het innovasienavorsers egter in hoofsaak op
die individu en organisasie as ontledingseenheid gefokus. Navorsing wat die individu of
organisasie as ontledingseenheid gebruik, is volop in vergelyking met studies wat die
groep as ontledingseenheid gebruik. Met ander woorde, alhoewel die gebruikmaking van
spanne in organisasies toeneem, is ons kennis van die faktore en dimensies wat spaninnoverendheid bepaal, steeds beperk. Die beperkte teoretiese basis van bestaande
groepinnovasienavorsing kan deels aan die omvangryke en komplekse aard van die
verskynsel toegeskryf word.
Dit is juis in hierdie opsig dat hierdie studie dit ten doel gestel het om bestaande
groepinnovasieliteratuur deeglik te ondersoek en om vas te stel tot watter mate verwante
sosiaal-sielkundige navorsing (onder andere groepbesluitneming, intragroepkonflik en
kreatiewe probleemoplossing) 'n bydrae tot die innovasieliteratuur kan lewer.
Elk van die drie ontledingsvlakke (individu, groep, organisasie) het 'n unieke effek op die
innoverendheid van 'n span, maar nie een van hierdie kategorieë verklaar uitsluitlik die
innoverendheid van 'n span nie. Die interafhanklike verhouding van hierdie faktore
beklemtoon die kompleksiteit van die verskynsel en dit moedig toekomstige navorsers
aan om die nuttige bydraes van verwante sosiaal-sielkundige temas te ondersoek.
In hierdie verband is daar ook breedvoerig gebruik gemaak van 'n inset, proses en uitset
model van groepinnoverendheid deur West en Anderson (1996), ten einde vas te stel tot
watter mate sekere aspekte van die model die innoverendheid van 'n span voorspel.
Vanweë die omvangrykheid van die model is slegs sekere veranderlikes in die navorsing
ingesluit. In terme van die insette is daar op grootte en spandienstydperk gefokus. Die
proses faset van die model verwys na die duidelikheid en verbondenheid tot doelwitte,
deelname, taakoriëntasie en ondersteuning vir innovasie. Ten opsigte van die uitset faset
van die model is daar op die volgende aspekte gefokus: die radikaalheid,
omvangrykheid, nuutheid en effektiwiteit van die innovasie asook die getal innovasie
items binne die groep. Die resultate van die studie dui daarop dat daar wel 'n verband
tussen hierdie veranderlikes van West en Anderson (1996) se model en die
innoverendheid van groepe bestaan. Hierdie model van groepinnoverendheid blyk vanuit
die resultate van hierdie studie, en vorige studies, nuttig te wees vir die bestudering van
groepinnovasiegedrag. Alhoewel daar tot dusver min lig gewerp is op die faktore wat groepinnoverendheid
bepaal, wil dit voorkom asof groepinnovasienavorsing 'n sentrale faset van die
organisasiesielkunde se navorsingsagenda in die toekoms sal wees. Die vestiging en
uitbreiding van 'n teoretiese basis salorganisasies in staat stelom die innovasiegedrag
van spanne beter te verstaan en te voorspel.
Ten slotte kan dit vermeld word dat hierdie studie In bydrae gelewer het tot
groepinnovasiegedrag, nie net in terme van 'n bewusmaking van die impak en
noodsaaklikheid van innovasie in die hedendaagse werksomgewing nie, maar ook in
terme van die uitbreiding van die bestaande kennisbasis oor groepinnovasiegedrag.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/52962 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Botha, S. (Sonja) |
| Contributors | Vos, H. D., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Psychology. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | af_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 122, 14, [11] p. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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