The Impact of Emotional Experiences of Innovation Champions on Innovation Outcomes

Abstract

We considered the innovation champion as an internal role player, soliciting support for innovation and thereby influencing outcomes, and explored the influence of emotions of innovation champions while role-playing on innovation outcomes. A Sub-Saharan African context was chosen as the internal- and external environmental instabilities exacerbate the demands and emotional experiences of innovation champions. Using a hermeneutic phenomenology methodology, the interview data of twenty innovation champions were coded using thematic and emotional coding techniques (Saldaña, 2013). The findings contribute to theory by (1) proposing the addition of the dimension of champions emotions when role acting to the conceptual framework (Shea, 2021) (2) revealing the prominent emotional experiences of innovation champions that impact innovation outcomes, and (3) present potential antecedents of the novel dimension. The fluid description and role of champions solicit emotional consequences for innovation champions with practical implications on innovation outcomes. Theoretically, they act as vital stumbling blocks for a scholarly consensus regarding whether such roles are over- or underrated.