On the stress potential of an organisational climate of innovation: a survey study in Germany

Abstract

Technological innovation has become critical for market survival for many companies in the era of digital transformation. However, the organisational perspective to constantly stay up-to-date with technological innovations can become strenuous on an individual level due to the need to constantly adapt to the demands of a permanently changing technological environment. Based on a large-scale online survey of employees in Germany (N = 1,115), we investigated the positive and negative effects of an organisational climate of innovation from a digital stress perspective. Our results indicate that an organisational climate of innovation creates uncertainty in individuals as it supports technological change but can also help to reduce the perception of technological unreliability as it fosters an environment of mutual support. This research, therefore, adds to the idea of a pronounced innovation climate as a double-edged sword and shows that permanently pushing technological innovation should also be viewed in the light of its potential side effects. It follows that innovation initiatives should balance organisational and individual requirements to stay, or become, more competitive, thereby explicitly considering the side effects that too much and/or too fast innovation may have on users.