Uncertainty, Proactivity, and Innovation

Organizational culture is a powerful aspect of organizational life, involving values, norms, and (un)spoken ways of how to work together. Since it affects how people operate in a shared environment, culture is considered key for reaching organizational outcomes such as innovation. In this project, we aim to better understand how a culture for innovation works by illuminating the underlying cultural dynamics. In collaboration with an industry partner, we apply qualitative methods and use the insights from conducted interviews to delve deeper into how core cultural elements play together to affect innovation.
For more information, please contact Nora Varesco Kager
 

In today’s rapidly changing environment, engaging in innovation is considered key for organizations. Employees’ “psychological ownership” (i.e., the feeling that it is my/our firm, project, idea etc.) can act as a motivational force to fuel innovative efforts. However, it might also stifle innovation since people might try to protect what they feel is their own, shielding their projects or ideas from others’ influence. In this project, we aim to investigate how psychological ownership of individuals and teams can best be translated into innovative outcomes. To do so, we apply quantitative methods (i.e., survey studies) in collaboration with a diverse set of partners comprising startup accelerators, startups, and a large organization.
For more information, please contact Nora Varesco Kager
 

Due to its timely relevance in navigating uncertainty in current organizations, proactive behavior has attracted increasing attention. Individuals who seek feedback proactively aim to acquire more information about their goal attainment and work performance to align their efforts with the requirements of their surroundings. In this project, we study employees’ responses to uncertainty at work and how these processes affect proactivity and work outcomes. We use survey and experimental designs to obtain information on the intra- and interindividual level. The insights we obtain inform current organizations about two aspects: how organizations can support their employees to self-manage their work proactively, and how organizations can account for uncertainty when designing workplaces and leadership processes. This project is currently open for writing a Master’s Thesis, specific questions can be discussed upon request.

For more information, please contact Alina Gerlach
 

Uncertainty is something most employees and organizations tend to avoid, but is it really necessary? Organizational research is moving away from considering uncertainty perpetually as a factor that needs to be reduced to viewing it as a factor with the ability to drive individuals' curiosity towards a better learning and understanding of their tasks. This project studies how individuals’ mindset about uncertainty, defined as their believes and attitudes about uncertainty at work, influences proactive feedback seeking. We use experimental methods in an applied organizational setting to study their influences on outcomes such as learning and development at work. This way, this project sheds light on the fruitful side of embracing uncertainty at work and how it can foster learning in organizations.

For more information, please contact Alina Gerlach
 

In the current business world, individuals are surrounded by uncertainty. Uncertainty permeates our professional life not only during times of crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic, but also in daily activities, due to fast-paced technological advances, new time and space dynamics of work organization, a more dynamic job market, and the most diverse work force ever. In general, uncertainty is seen as something undesirable that should be avoided, minimized, or simply “managed”. However, the recently developed uncertainty regulation theory suggests that this view is limited, as it neglects the active seeking of uncertainty and positive outcomes stemming from it. With this project, we aim to test and extend uncertainty regulation theory by studying people’s uncertainty mindset, defined as one’s beliefs about the characteristics of uncertainty. We envison that the adoption of a more comprehensive approach of uncertainty regulation, particularly moving beyond the narrow view of uncertainty as just a threat to minize, can lead to desirable outcomes at work, such as reduced stress and anxiety, increased well-being, and improved performance. We utilize an interventional approach to change people’s uncertainty mindset and facilitate the achievement of these and other desirable outcomes. For more information on this project, contact Federico Magni, Alina Gerlach, and/or Elaine Strittmatter.