Human-Centred Innovation: What Innovation Managers can learn from Volunteers

Innovation managers and their teams often face resistance, disengagement of internal stakeholders, and organisational misalignment, leading to motivational crises that undermine innovation initiatives. Conventional motivational approaches frequently prove insufficient, particularly in disruptive projects. This study draws insights from the volunteering sector, where engagement is sustained without financial incentives but through purpose, recognition, community, and personal growth. Based on qualitative interviews with Australian volunteers from diverse organisations, we identified five core motivational patterns: purpose-driven, community-oriented, growth-seeking, value-aligned, and recognition-focused. These patterns were mapped onto defined personas of innovation managers and their teams, producing a cross-sector framework for tailored motivational strategies. The framework equips innovation leaders and their teams with practical tools to address motivational crises by leveraging proven volunteer engagement mechanisms. This research contributes to a human-centred perspective on innovation management, building on motivational theory and emphasising the power of intrinsic motivators in disruptive projects.