european journal of social sciences issn: 1450-2267 - EuroJournals

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European Journal of Social Sciences – Volume 5, Number 3 (2007) was used as it has been previously tied to innovation. The other is the effect of role expectations of leaders on innovative behavior because of the consequences of the "Pygmalion Effect" (Livingston, 1969). The Pygmalion effect to the modification of an individual's behavior based on expectation for the behavior received from another person (Eden, 1984). According to the LMX theory, as suggested by Graen and Scandura (1987), the quality of the relationship between a supervisor and a subordinate is related to innovativeness. Proponents of this theory (Graen and Cashman, 1975), say that supervisors and subordinates engage in a role development process during which understandings are arrived at regarding the extent of decisionmaking, influence and autonomy the subordinate will be allowed. As time passes, some leader-member exchange that start as formal and impersonal (low-quality leader-member exchange) may develop into mature interactions characterized by trust, mutual liking and respect (high ¬quality leader-member exchange). In the latter stage the subordinates are allowed greater autonomy and freedom to make decisions. Both these conditions have been found to be essential to innovative behavior (Cotgrove and Box, 1970). Studies by Basu (1991) have supported a positive relationship between leader-member exchange and innovative behavior. Hypothesis 7: The quality of leader-member exchange between an individual and his or her supervisor is positively related to the individual's innovative behavior. Hypothesis 8: The degree to which a supervisor expects a subordinate to be innovative is positively related to the subordinate's innovative behavior. Problem- Solving Style and Innovative Behavior Kirton (1976) has suggested that individuals can be placed on a continuum ranging from those who have an ability to do things "better" to those who have an ability to do things "differently". Jabri (1991) conceptualized problem-solving style as composed of two independent modes of thinking namely "associative" and "non-associative". Associative thinking is based on habit or following set routines and adhering to rules and use of rationality and logic. This represents the systematic problem-solving style. This kind of problem-solver will generate conventional solutions to problems. Bi-associative thinking is characterized by overlapping separate domains of thought simultaneously, a lack of attention to existing rules and boundaries and an emphasis on imagery and intuition. This is called the intuitive problem-solving style. According to Isaken (1987), the intuitive problem solver has a propensity to process information from different paradigm and is more likely to generate novel problem solutions. Hypothesis 9: The degree to which an individual's problem-solving style is systematic is negatively related to his or her innovative behavior Hypothesis 10: The degree to which an individual's problem solving style is intuitive is positively related to his or her innovative behavior. Climate and Innovative Behavior Studies by Abbey and Dickson (1983), Paolillo and Brown (1978) and Siegel and Kaemmerer (1978) have offered empirical evidence for the effect of climate on innovation at the organizational level while Amabile and Gryskiewicz (1989) and Scott and Bruce (1994) have come up with an empirical study of climate's effect on individual behavior. At the individual level, climate is a cognitive interpretation of an organizational situation that has been labeled "psychological climate"(James and Ashe, 1990). According to James and Sells (1981), a proponent of the psychological climate theory, individuals respond primarily to cognitive representation of the environments rather than to the environment per se. Climate represents signals individuals receive concerning organizational expectations for behavior and potential outcomes of behavior. According to James et. al., (1977), individuals use this information to formulate expectancies and instrumentalities.. In addition, people also respond to these expectations 100
European Journal of Social Sciences – Volume 5, Number 3 (2007) by regulating their own behavior in order to realize positive self evaluative consequences, such as self satisfaction and self-pride. Kanter, (1983) and Siegel and Kaemmerer (1978) found that innovative organizations are characterized by an orientation toward creativity and innovative change, support for their members in functioning independently in the pursuit of new ideas and a tolerance for diversity among their members (Siegel and Kaemmerer, 1978). In addition to this Ammabile (1988) and Angle (1989) found that adequate supplies of such resources as equipment, facilities, and time are critical to innovation and the supply of such resources is another manifestation of the organizational support for innovation. Since climate is conceptualized as a determinant of individual behavior, and there being empirical support for climate's effect on innovative behavior it is predicted that the degree to which organization members perceive an organizational climate as supportive of innovation would affect individual innovative behavior. Hypothesis 11: The degree to which individuals perceive dimensions of organizational climate as supportive of innovation is positively related to their innovative behavior Methodology Research Design This study used an ex-post-facto design. The dependent variable was individual innovative behavior. Instrument The data was collected using a questionnaire. The questionnaire was administered and collected personally. Sampling The respondents for this study were drawn from lecturers in a Government Teacher Training College. The total population was 152. The sample comprised of 79 respondents which was about 52% of the total population. A t-test to check for non-response bias found that there was no significant difference between those who responded to the survey and those who did not. Results And Interpretations Table 1: Relationship Between Leader - Member Exchange, Role Expectation and Problem-Solving Style with Support for Innovation Variables r p Leader-member exchange 0.37 0.001* Leader role expectation -0.01 0.974 Systematic problem-solving style -0.01 0.954 Intuitive problem-solving style -0.01 0.929 Resource Supply 0.34 0.001* Age -0.16 0.170 Career Stage -0.14 0.246 Academic Qualification -0.12 0.308 * Significant art P < 0.05 level Table 1 presents the relationship between leader-member exchange, leader role expectation and problem-solving styles and demographic variable with support for innovation. The results show that only leader-member exchange (r = 0.37, p < 0.001) and resource supply (r = 0.34, p < 0.05), correlated 101
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european journal of social sciences issn: 1450-2267 - EuroJournals

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