The Need for Developing Reliable and Valid Measures for Modern Reserach

The central assumption that the ‘top-down’ approach is the major source of innovation has been recognized as a challenge in previous studies. This implies that decisions about the direction of about major innovations are usually entrusted in the hands of a few individuals, with specifically assigned functions (e. g. policymakers, Research & Development, managers, and departments). Høyrup (2012) noted that engagement in innovation by experts, whether viewed from a research or practice point of view, has primarily concentrated on Research & Development (R & D) – innovation. Little attention has been given to innovation that emerged from elsewhere in the organization, especially employees, no matter their primary job function.

Innovation is driven from the Latin word ‘innovare’, which means to make something new. Nowadays, innovation has assumed a powerful and pervasive discourse that virtually every organization, both private and public sector, cannot afford to overlook. Having the capacity for permanent innovation is described as the magic key for maintaining the edge in service delivery, a critical engine for growth and skill in this era of knowledge economy. More than ever before, service organizations whether private or public operate in a dynamic environment characterized by rapid technological change, shrinking market share, globalization, amongst others. This compelled organizations to continuously search for avenues in order to remain competitive, and achieve competitive edge over rivals through innovation. The innovation pull has prompted the need for innovation research that concentrates on finding new models that would allow organizations (private and public) to speed up their innovation activities by utilizing diverse types of knowledge. This has highlighted the need to harness all potential sources of knowledge including ordinary employees of the organization. Even though both practitioners and academics agree that the ability of organizations to foster, develop and use the innovative potential of their employees contributes to organizational success.

Ordinary employees, who form the greater population in most organizations, are often excluded from taking part in such activities. However, considering the fact that employees sometimes have practical knowledge about customers, markets and needs, they can take on important roles in the process of innovation in companies. Sometimes, these employees acquire exclusive in-depth and context-dependent knowledge which their managers might lack, hence, the concept of Employee-Driven Innovation (EDI). Within the last decade, a couple of researchers and organization have started focusing on Employee-driven innovation (EDI). It follows from the belief that employees are one of the most important assets of any organization. They are a key source of improved service delivery, which is crucial to innovation at work. It is assumed that all employees have the potential for creative thinking, and will be able to contribute to innovation and change. EDI is viewed as innovation driven by ordinary employees of an organization well beyond their assigned function. Ordinary employees are now recognized as important and continuous producers of new knowledge, new ideas and solutions. Therefore, EDI is a form of innovation which focuses not on the experts but on ordinary employees of the organization. EDI is a research area considered to be at infancy stage, despite a general increasing knowledge in organizational behaviour and innovation. It remains under-researched and lacks well-established scale.

The concept of EDI is still not very clear, extant literature is still fragmented and its bounds are not clearly defined. To the best of our knowledge, there has not been any previous attempt to develop a scale for measuring this construct. We cannot find an existing scale to measure this construct. Having an EDI scale will further aid research in this direction and enable adequate research works in the field. Previous studies have shown that the task of developing a measurement scale that would lead to valid and reliable results research field is a challenging task that demands time and reflection. Developing a valid and reliable instrument is required for a number of reasons. It provides the scientific community with effective measurement instrument, serves as a cornerstone for scientific research, and is a central component of good assessment of latent variables. Developing reliable and valid measures are central part of science and contribute to the legitimacy and development of a research field.