How does technology readiness affect the transfer of innovation between the professional domain and the private domain? A longitudinal study

Abstract

Many researchers have studied innovation in terms of either employee innovation or user innovation, but much less is known about the transfer of innovative behavior between the professional and private domains. This quantitative empirical study investigates the relationship between the development of innovations by user innovators in the private domain and the transfer of the innovation to the professional domain and vice versa. Focusing on technology readiness as a moderator on the relationship between the transfer of innovation and innovative behavior in the other domain, we address the importance of digitization for innovations. The study is relied on the spillover theory and conducted as a longitudinal online survey consists of three consecutive waves over a period of four months. The result of the study demonstrates that employee innovation in the professional domain has an impact on innovative behavior in the private domain and, in reverse causality, user innovation in the private domain has an impact on innovative behavior in the professional domain. The relationship between these spillover effects and innovative behavior is strengthened by the technology readiness of innovators.