Click here to sign in with or
Forget Password?
Learn more
share this!
3
Twit
Share
Email
November 16, 2023
This article has been reviewed according to Science X’s editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content’s credibility:
fact-checked
peer-reviewed publication
proofread
by Kim Matthies, European School of Management and Technology (ESMT)
Seconded employees—employees temporarily assigned to a different role, organization, or department—choose more innovative ideas and influence permanent staff to do the same, finds new research from ESMT Berlin.
Despite the motivation to select new ideas, individuals and organizations often still reject or overlook them. These ideas can be difficult to understand, risky, and challenging as their inherent uncertainty makes it harder to predict reception and usage.
Linus Dahlander, professor of strategy and Lufthansa Group Chair in Innovation, ESMT Berlin, alongside researchers from Aarhus University, Warwick Business School, and Bocconi University, investigated whether seconded employees impact the selection of novel ideas. The study is published in the Strategic Management Journal.
In their research, they used information on secondary employees serving at the National Science Foundation (NSF) between 2000 and 2012 and retrieved information on grants awarded between 1998 and 2012. The NSF allocates research funds; program directors send proposals for external review and then assemble and lead expert panels before making funding recommendations or decisions. The NSF also runs a secondment scheme in which permanent and seconded employees act as program directors.
Measurement of novelty was based on how similar a grant was to previous grants of the same NSF program. They also conducted 37 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with former seconded employees, permanent employees, as well as former panel members.
The researchers found that seconded employees choose more novel ideas and influence permanent staff to do the same. This suggests a simple intervention of leveraging seconded employees more often can significantly boost the acceptance of innovative ideas, offering valuable insights for those in science and innovation. Understanding this can empower managers to strategically engage with seconded employees, fostering a more innovative and adaptive organizational culture.
“We have uncovered that these employees do not just bring fresh ideas to the table; they promote learning spillovers within an organization, influencing permanent employees to select more novel ideas,” explains Dahlander. “Cultivating an environment that encourages these learning spillovers can thus result in lasting effects after the seconded employee leaves.”
The efficacy of seconded employees in selecting novel ideas can vary greatly based on their understanding of innovative knowledge and the breadth of their external networks, suggesting that these are key factors for managers to consider when deciding whom to bring in.
More information: Athanasia Lampraki et al, The new needs friends: Simmelian strangers and the selection of novelty, Strategic Management Journal (2023). DOI: 10.1002/smj.3564
Journal information: Strategic Management Journal
Journal information: Strategic Management Journal
Provided by European School of Management and Technology (ESMT)
Explore further
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Feedback to editors
17 hours ago
0
17 hours ago
0
17 hours ago
0
Jun 1, 2024
0
Jun 1, 2024
0
3 hours ago
10 hours ago
10 hours ago
10 hours ago
10 hours ago
11 hours ago
11 hours ago
11 hours ago
11 hours ago
12 hours ago
5 hours ago
7 hours ago
8 hours ago
Jun 2, 2024
Jun 1, 2024
Jun 1, 2024
More from Art, Music, History, and Linguistics
May 17, 2023
Oct 25, 2023
Sep 6, 2023
Apr 27, 2023
Oct 30, 2023
Jan 7, 2021
May 31, 2024
May 28, 2024
May 23, 2024
May 20, 2024
Apr 26, 2024
Apr 19, 2024
Use this form if you have come across a typo, inaccuracy or would like to send an edit request for the content on this page. For general inquiries, please use our contact form. For general feedback, use the public comments section below (please adhere to guidelines).
Please select the most appropriate category to facilitate processing of your request
Thank you for taking time to provide your feedback to the editors.
Your feedback is important to us. However, we do not guarantee individual replies due to the high volume of messages.
Your email address is used only to let the recipient know who sent the email. Neither your address nor the recipient’s address will be used for any other purpose. The information you enter will appear in your e-mail message and is not retained by Phys.org in any form.
Get weekly and/or daily updates delivered to your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time and we’ll never share your details to third parties.
More information Privacy policy
We keep our content available to everyone. Consider supporting Science X’s mission by getting a premium account.
Medical research advances and health news
The latest engineering, electronics and technology advances
The most comprehensive sci-tech news coverage on the web
