Date of Award
2019
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
First Advisor
Dr. Comfort Okpala
Abstract
Creativity and innovation are essential for organizations to identify, create and exploit their competitive advantages to succeed in an increasingly complex and dynamic business environment (Ceylan, 2013; De Tienne & Mallette, 2012; Sharifirad & Ataei, 2012). Human capital is an important source of competitive advantage, but little is known about how human resource (HR) managers, as the functional owners of this resource, perceive their influence of innovation. The roles of HR professionals have evolved. Where they were once strictly administrative, they now function as business partners supporting strategy and offering leadership. These changes can create situations of role ambiguity and role conflict as the demands and complexity of these positions intensify (Sherlock, 2012). The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how HR managers perceive their roles relative to influencing innovation in their organizations. The lived experiences of the 14 participants of this study were reduced to a composite description representing the essence of an HR manager’s experience relative to the phenomenon of influencing innovation (Moustakas, 1994). She knows her business and claims her domain and responsibility for the human capital and HR functions of her company, but the tactical aspects of her work often overshadow her strategic contributions. She thinks outside of the box by demonstrating a willingness to adapt to change and seek out best practices. While her work can sometimes be routine, she does not believe she is compelled to perform the same tasks the way they have always been done. She has accepted that leadership and strategy are expectations of her role and is working to actualize this fully in daily practice. As she achieves this, opportunities to influence innovation more broadly beyond the scope of her HR domain will become more common and less aspirational.
Recommended Citation
Nelson, Jeremiah, "Human Resource Management and Innovation: Perceptions of HR Leaders" (2019). Dissertations. 154.
https://digital.library.ncat.edu/dissertations/154