To innovate or not—Exploring individual antecedents of innovative thinking among Indian bureaucrats
| Published date | 01 February 2024 |
| Author | Girish Balasubramanian,Ram Kumar Kakani,Mohd Shadab Danish |
| Date | 01 February 2024 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/pad.2032 |
Received: 21 November 2022
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Revised: 29 August 2023
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Accepted: 30 October 2023
DOI: 10.1002/pad.2032
RESEARCH ARTICLE
To innovate or not—Exploring individual antecedents of
innovative thinking among Indian bureaucrats
Girish Balasubramanian
1
|Ram Kumar Kakani
2,3
|Mohd Shadab Danish
2
1
Indian Institute of Management (IIM),
Lucknow, India
2
Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Raipur,
India
3
Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode,
Kozhikode, India
Correspondence
Girish Balasubramanian.
Email: girish.balasubramanian@iiml.ac.in
Funding information
National Academy of Administration; National
Center for Leadership Development and
Competency Assessment; National Research
University—Higher School of Economics
Abstract
One way for a developing country to quickly meet the socio‐economic standards of
the developed world is to seamlessly integrate science and technology in prudent
public policymaking that enables such standards. We study the antecedents of
innovative thinking among public administrators through the ordered logit model.
Data was collected from 218 public administrative leaders. Innovative thinking as a
competency is not gendered. Age and the education background seem to affect
innovative thinking marginally. We contribute to cementing our understanding of
the individual‐level antecedents affecting innovation as a competency for a complex
context like India. Practical and policy implications of our findings include recruiting
relatively young officers into service and providing foundational training or courses
to officers from arts and law backgrounds, as they seemed to have slightly lower
levels of innovative thinking.
KEYWORDS
competency, indian administrative service, innovation, public administration
1
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INTRODUCTION
The subject of innovation in government holds significant importance
in public administration (Vigoda‐Gadot et al., 2005). The notion of
public sector innovation encompasses the progression of new ideas,
which can be either beneficial or detrimental, as they navigate
through organizational and decision‐making processes, ultimately
leading to acceptance, design, and implementation stages (Bloch &
Bugge, 2013; De Vries et al., 2016). Innovation is a crucial capability
individuals possess, motivated by the overarching objective of
creating economic value for businesses. This value exhibits various
forms, including gradual improvements to current products, the
innovative development of entirely new products and services, and
the efficient reduction of costs, among other possible results (Way-
chal et al., 2011). According to Osborne and Brown (2011), innova-
tion in public services refers to incorporating novel components into
public services, encompassing new knowledge, organizational struc-
tures, and management approaches. Halvorsen et al. (2005) define it
as “changes in behavior” at first before expanding it to “the
implementation of a conscious program of change to achieve certain
effects or results."
Public administration aimed to enhance and extend existing
services while emphasizing systematic management (Osborne &
Brown, 2011; Stewart‐Weeks & Kastelle, 2015; Walker, 2004).
Further, Public administrators have a crucial role in promoting the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through diverse and
comprehensive strategies. One potential avenue for advancing the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is through the facilitation of
cross‐sector collaboration and partnerships. By pooling resources
and expertise, stakeholders can collectively work toward addressing
the objectives outlined in the SDGs (UN DESA, 2020). The use of
innovative practices is an essential requirement for the moderniza-
tion of administrative tasks. The innovative process involves a pro-
gressive educational experience that includes creating novel services,
utilizing emerging technologies, adjusting organizational structures,
and integrating inventive management approaches.
Given the paramount importance of innovative thinking in the
effective functioning of government and society within democratic
Public Admin Dev. 2024;44:3–16. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/pad © 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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