Leadership style, performance measure use and innovation in research and development projects
Type
conference paper
Date Issued
2015-10-01
Author(s)
Abstract
This study examines the joint impact of leadership styles and performance measure use on the types of innovation in research and development (R&D) projects. We assess the relation between two leadership styles, initiating structure and consideration, and exploitative and explorative innovation. Furthermore, we argue that project leaders with specific leadership styles use performance measures in different ways to influence the type of innovation in R&D projects. Our results indicate that project leaders with an initiating structure leadership style use performance measures to a larger extent relative to project leaders with a consideration leadership style. In addition, we find that the use of performance measures for evaluation and incentive purposes is associated with exploitative innovation. On the other hand, a consideration leadership style has a direct effect on explorative innovations. Finally, we find different relationships between the leadership styles, performance measure use and innovation for research-intensive projects relative to development-intensive projects. Our results suggest that the type of project leader assigned to an R&D project will have an impact on the type of innovation in the project; in addition, the impact that the leadership style has on innovation becomes practice through the use of performance measures.
Language
English
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
Yes
Event Title
Conference on performance measurement and management control
Event Location
Nizza
Subject(s)
Eprints ID
244494