The effects of organic and mechanistic forms of control on the innovative behavior ofstartup managers

Purpose Understanding the facilitators of managers’ innovative behavior has attracted increasing interest from both academics and practitioners. However, there is still limited empirical evidence regarding the underlying process of innovative behavior and the ways in which different forms of management control are related to these processes. Thus, this study aims to examine the effects of organic and mechanistic forms of control on the innovative behavior (creativity, bricolage and innovation) of startup managers. Design/methodology/approach A literature review on the innovative behavior of managers and the respective effects of forms of management control allowed the development of the research hypotheses, which was tested on a sample of 94 Brazilian startups through partial least squares-structural equation modeling. Findings First, the findings suggest that bricolage mediates the relationship between the creativity and innovation of managers. Second, in isolation, organic (mechanistic) forms of control favor (mitigate) the innovative behavior of managers. However, in combination, organic and mechanistic forms of control favor innovative behavior. Research limitations/implications In addition to the discussion of the generation of ideas (creativity) and their successful realization (innovation), the study adds evidence of a way to implement the ideas (bricolage). Furthermore, the findings broaden the discussion about the combination of management controls, particularly organic and mechanistic forms. Practical implications This study offers insights and guidelines for startup managers. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that analytically examines the effects (isolated and combined) of organic and mechanistic forms of control on three main process processes within the innovative behavior of managers, namely, the generation (creativity), implementation (bricolage) and realization (innovation) of ideas.