Higher well-being and quality of life are significantly associated with higher innovation according to a new survey of owner managers carried out by academics including Strathclyde Business School's Professor Eleanor Shaw.Higher well-being and quality of life are significantly associated with higher innovation according to a new survey of owner managers carried out by academics including Strathclyde Business School's Professor Eleanor Shaw.
Funded by the British Academy, the UK's national academy for the humanities and social sciences, Professor Shaw of the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship together with Dr Robert Lee and Professor Heinz Tuselmann (Manchester Metropolitan University Business School and Centre for International Business and Innovation) suggest that measuring peoples' general well-being and quality of life is a desirability of national governments and public policy-makers. Indeed, Prime Minister David Cameron delivered a well-being speech on November 25 2010 and stated, "I would say that finding out what will really improve lives and acting on it is actually the serious business of government". However, the team of researchers identify that very little evidence exists regarding the indicators that determine owner managers' well-being and how these link to innovation.
The new survey data demonstrates a significant association between positive emotions/mood in the workplace - alert, attentive, determined, inspired, proud and strong - and higher innovation. This association highlights the need for owner managers to reinforce positive emotions as an effective way to potentially stimulate innovation.
The data further shows a significant association between participating in the arts or cultural activities - museums, galleries, libraries, heritage sites, theatres, films or concerts - and higher innovation. In addition, regular sport participation or moderate intensity exercise is significantly associated with higher motivation. These interesting associations highlight that regularly participating in non-physical and physical leisure and lifestyle activities could enhance owner managers' innovation.
Based on these new survey findings, the researchers conclude: "Encouraging owner managers to understand and monitor their own personal well-being could have important implications for creativity, the development of new products and services and entering new markets." The results could also help public policy-makers develop effective and tailored well-being interventions and audit tools for owner managers.