Behavioural and organisational drivers of innovation adoption: evidence from European firms

Purpose This study examines the associations between organisational practices and firms' reported innovation, focussing on autonomy, training, incentives, communication and employee involvement. Design/methodology/approach Using European Company Survey 2019 data, logistic regression models are estimated to examine the associations of autonomy, training, incentives and communication practices with innovation. Two specifications are compared, a baseline model including only organisational variables and a second model controlling for firm size, sector and country effects. Diagnostic tests are used to assess robustness and association performance. Findings Participatory communication and employee involvement in decision-making emerge as the strongest associations with reported innovation. Training culture, training effort and incentive structures also show positive and significant associations, while autonomy has a weaker but still significant association. The models show robustness and modest discriminatory ability. Research limitations/implications The use of cross-sectional survey data limits causal inference. Future research could apply longitudinal or panel approaches to test the stability and direction of these relationships over time. Practical implications The findings identify employee participation, continuous learning and effective communication as practices associated with a greater likelihood of reported innovation and, therefore, as potential areas for managerial attention. Social implications Encouraging involvement, learning and communication may enhance innovation outcomes and generate social implications within firms. Originality/value The study extends existing research by providing large-scale, harmonised evidence on the relative associations between specific workplace practices and reported innovation across European establishments.