The Impact of Personal Values on Innovativeness of Management

The main purpose of this chapter is to outline methodological and contextual issues in empirical researching of personal values. This chapter addresses methodological and contextual issues, most relevant for researching the association between personal values and innovativeness. In the framework of methodological issues, those related to the utilization of different available theories and corresponding typologies of personal values to examine personal values and issues related with field research of individual's values are at the forefront. In the framework of contextual issues, the interpretation and comparison of results from different value studies, changing relative importance of personal values, and examination of personal values in various cultural contexts and specific circumstances, which may have implications on the results are outlined. The central focus of the chapter is on Slovenia as a representative of Central European Economy, having historically been a transitional economy, which moved from a specific centrally planned system to a free market economy.

Personal Values of Managers as a Driver of Innovativeness

The main purpose of this chapter is to comprehensively examine the role of managers' personal values for their innovativeness. Personal values are considered as key drivers of managers' innovativeness. Schwartz value theory is used for determining the role of personal values and various dimensions of values for managers' innovative working and behavior – innovativeness. In the center of our discussion is a theoretical address of the link between personal values – as defined by Schwartz value theory and the typical characteristics of manager's innovativeness. The role of values and their dimensions are discussed in the context of managerial innovative working and behavior; we assign the importance of values and dimensions for innovative managerial working and behavior. Implications outline several most significant values, their role for managerial innovativeness, and provide a fertile ground for future empirical examination of the association between managers' personal values and their innovativeness.

The Impact of Personal Values on Innovativeness of Management

The purpose of this chapter is to empirically examine the impact of a manager's personal values on manager's innovativeness. Personal values are measured with the Schwartz value survey, and the innovativeness with a set of items referring to innovative working and behavior. Results are based on the answers of 259 Slovenian managers. Results reveal several significant associations between single values as well as dimensions of values with managers' innovativeness. Findings from this seminal study provide an important insight into values and their dimensions, which most significantly shape innovative working and behavior of managers in organizations. Findings may be critically used for reformation of the education system, in-service educational purposes in organizations as well as for consulting purposes. Consequently, the appropriate approach can be formulated to use advantage of values, which positively influences innovativeness and diminishes the impact of those, which negatively influences managers' innovativeness. Findings may also be critically used to improve innovativeness outside Slovenia.

Personal Values and Innovativeness Across Cultures

The main purpose of this chapter is to assess the impact of manager's personal values on their innovativeness in USA, Germany, China, and Slovenia. The chapter, (1) presents the typical attributes of working and behavior in the selected countries using also Hofstede's cultural dimensions, (2) outlines the importance of personal values for managers according to the Schwartz value theory, and (3) assesses the impact of personal values on managerial innovativeness across cultures. The chapter will reveal: (1) the typical attributes of working and behavior in organizations in USA, Germany, China and Slovenia, and (2) the state of importance of single values and dimensions of values for management across the considered countries. The discussion compares values systems and enables an estimation of the impact of personal values on innovativeness in the selected countries. The findings present a building block for future steps toward increasing the innovativeness, based on importance of values and the influence of values on innovative behavior.

Acceleration of Innovativeness in Organizations

The main purpose of this chapter is to present the acceleration of innovativeness in organizations through development of adequate personal values. Possible trends for consideration of innovativeness, innovative behavior as necessary preconditions for innovativeness, and an importance of personal values in improvement of innovativeness are discussed. Innovativeness enables organizational realization of environmental needs and demands in the framework of prevailing buyers' market. In conditions of strong competitiveness and limited resources, organizations can perform the necessary changes with innovative – primarily behavior-oriented solutions. But improvement of innovativeness itself and the creation of innovative changes in organizations are not possible without development of personal values of individual stakeholders, especially managers, which enables and accelerates innovativeness. In terms of practical applications, the chapter presents recommendations for improvement of education about innovativeness, where their usage, benefits, and drawbacks are outlined.

Innovativeness and Drivers of Manager's Innovativeness

The main purpose of this chapter is to identify and outline drivers of manager's innovativeness in organizations. Managers have the decisive role in efforts for innovativeness in organizations since they must create and maintain appropriate conditions for innovative working and behavior. First, the chapter outlines what is innovativeness and distinguishes between low and high innovative organizations. Next, is presented a framework for understanding the role of management in organizations, followed by addressing the under-considered area in frame of management behavior stream – namely innovativeness of manager's. Outlined are key drivers of manager's innovativeness, which importantly determine manager's attitudes towards innovativeness, which are necessary pre-conditions for increasing innovativeness in an organization. In the final section, rationales behind human behavior are outlined, which provides a fertile ground for future research.

Modern Business and Innovativeness

The main purpose of this chapter is to outline the role and importance of innovativeness in the modern business environment, arguing that innovativeness has a central role for current and future success of organizations. The chapter emphases typical characteristics of a modern business environment and the future outlook, upon which we identify innovativeness as a key success factor for organizations operating in modern and turbulent environments, followed by a comprehensive background for understanding innovativeness. Next, the basic types of innovations are outlined, where we are going beyond traditional tangible output of innovation process, which is still much present in business practice. In the final sections a comprehensive framework for researching innovativeness is outlined, along with the needed shift in understanding of innovative behavior, from routine to innovative thinking, working and behavior.