Organizational innovation: The role of top management in different stages of innovation implementation.

摘要

This research was designed to explore the phenomenon of implementing technological innovation in organizations. By focusing on innovations that are purchased (instead of created in-house) and by distinguishing between the awareness stage and the adoption stage of innovation implementation, I sought to contribute to a better understanding of implementing organizational innovation. Also, by focusing on the role of top decision makers in innovation implementation, I sought to both replicate and move beyond the Upper Echelon Theory's emphasis on top management characteristics as predictors of organizational outcomes. Relationships were examined using data from a sample of 241 drug and alcohol treatment centers located across the United States. The data were collected over a 6-year period, from 1995--2001.;Top management characteristics are hypothesized to positively relate to the awareness stage of the innovation process because of the implicit knowledge seeking of alternatives represented by the level of education and tenure of top managers. Analyses suggest that education is, in fact, positively related to innovation awareness Top management strategic orientation is hypothesized to positively relate to the adoption stage of the innovation process as a result of actions taken by top management to scan the environment for opportunities matching the organization's capabilities. Analyses suggest that a linear association between one type of top management strategic orientation, entrepreneurial orientation (EO), and innovation adoption is not apparent. However, the relationship between EO and innovation adoption is significantly moderated by perceived environmental uncertainty, but in a direction opposite that hypothesized. This finding suggests that perceived uncertainty may affect decision-makers in regulated environments differently than those in unregulated environments. Analyses also indicate that the relationship between EO and innovation adoption is significantly moderated by the patients' ability to pay, suggesting that a focus on the customer is an important variable to examine in organizational innovation research.