Swart, Diederick Bernard (2013-12)
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The ability of organisations to be successful in the current global business environment will ultimately be dependent on their ability to be innovative. However, creativity and innovation will not take place spontaneously in any team setting and will be the result of meticulous planning and implementation efforts on the part of the team’s members.
The current global business environment is characterised by constant change and this makes leadership more important than ever before as leaders are considered the drivers of change and ultimately responsible for organisational success. Leaders within organisational team settings have an essential role to fulfil in stimulating and facilitating innovative behaviour in their subordinates. The fact that some leaders manage to successfully stimulate and facilitate innovative behaviour in their subordinates, while others fail to do so, might well be contributed by some to a number of simplistic variables– but this is not the case.
The fact that some leaders manage to successfully stimulate and facilitate innovative behaviour in their subordinates can be attributed to the fact that these leaders possess specific competencies based on different sets of knowledge, skills and attitudes. The innovation process consists of four distinct phases (idea generation, idea screening, feasibility and commercialisation) and innovative outcomes for a team will only result if team members successfully progress through each of these four phases.
The reality, however, is that the innovation process itself is filled with challenges that will need to be overcome by team members if innovation is to flourish. Accordingly leaders should apply specific sets of knowledge, skills and attitudes during each of the phases in the innovation process to help guide subordinates successfully through the innovation process. It should hence be clear that being aware of the specific leadership competencies that will stimulate and facilitate innovative behaviour in subordinates will be of immense value to any organisation who wishes to act more innovatively.
The primary purpose of this study was consequently to design a psychological measurement instrument that would provide a measure of the specific competencies leaders should possess to stimulate and facilitate innovative behaviour in subordinates. This instrument would enable management to customise training and development programmes to meet the specific needs of leaders and hence develop the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes on their part.
A pilot study was conducted with the experimental version of the ILQ to obtain information regarding the psychometric properties of the instrument. Results obtained from the pilot study provided evidence that the ILQ instrument possesses high levels of internal reliability and satisfactory levels of concurrent validity. It can therefore be claimed that the ILQ instrument would serve as a valuable diagnostic tool for organisations who wish to improve their innovative capabilities.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die mate waartoe organisasies suksesvol sal wees in die huidige globale besigheidsomgewing sal bepaal word deur hul vermoë om innoverend op te tree. Dit is belangrik om daarop te let dat kreatiwiteit en innovasie nie spontaan sal plaasvind binne ‘n spankonteks nie, maar eerder die resultaat sal wees van doelbewuste praktyke en gedrag deur spanlede.
Die huidige globale besigheidsomgewing word gekenmerk deur konstante verandering en lei daartoe dat leierskap belangriker as ooit geag word vanweë die feit dat leiers beskou word as die dryfkrag vir verandering en verantwoordelik is vir organisasie sukses. Spanleiers in organisasies moet ‘n essensiële rol vervul met betrekking tot die stimulering en fasilitering van innoverende gedrag in hul ondergeskiktes. Die feit dat sommige leiers dit regkry om suksesvol innoverende gedrag in hul ondergeskiktes te stimuleer en te fasiliteer, terwyl ander leiers misluk om dit reg te kry, word deur sommige individue aan ‘n klein aantal eenvoudige veranderlikes toegeskryf – dit is egter nie die geval nie.
Die feit dat sommige leiers dit regkry om suksesvol innoverende gedrag in hul ondergeskiktes te stimuleer en te fasiliteer, kan toegeskryf word aan die feit dat hierdie leiers oor sekere bevoegdhede beskik gebaseer op spesifieke stelle kennis, vaardighede en houdings. Die innovasieproses bestaan uit vier onderskeie fases (idee-generering, idee-evaluering, bepaling van uitvoerbaarheid en kommersialisering) en werkspanne sal slegs innoverende uitkomstes behaal indien hulle suksesvol vorder deur elkeen van hierdie vier fases. Die realiteit is egter dat die innovasieproses inherent gevul is met uitdagings wat oorkom sal moet word deur spanlede indien innovasie enigsins sal floreer in die spanne.
Dit is dus noodsaaklik dat leiers ‘n spesifieke versameling kennis, vaardighede en houdings sal aanwend om die pogings van ondergeskiktes suksesvol te bestuur deur die verskeie fases van die innovasieproses. Om kennis te dra omtrent die spesifieke leierskap-bevoegdhede – gebaseer op kennis, vaardighede en houdings – wat innoverende gedrag in ondergeskiktes sal stimuleer en fasiliteer, sal van onskatbare waarde wees vir organisasies.
Die doel van hierdie studie was gevolglik om ‘n meetinstrument te ontwerp wat die bevoegdhede sal meet waaroor leiers moet beskik indien hulle beoog om suksesvol innoverende gedrag in hul ondergeskiktes te stimuleer en te fasiliteer. ‘n Meetinstrument van hierdie aard sal organisasies en hul bestuur in staat stel om opleiding en ontwikkeling programme nommerpas te maak en sodoende spesifieke bevoegdhede in hul leiers te ontwikkel. ‘n Loodsstudie is vervolgens uitgevoer om inligting rakende die psigometriese eienskappe van die instrument te verkry. Die resultate het getoon dat die ILQ oor hoë vlakke van interne betroubaarheid beskik, asook bevredigende vlakke van samevallende geldigheid. Die aanspraak kan gevolglik gemaak word dat die ILQ as ‘n waardevolle diagnostiese instrument vir enige organisasie sal dien wat beoog om hul innoverende vermoë uit te brei.
Please refer to this item in SUNScholar by using the following persistent URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/85651