The place counts! Organisational realities and team innovation in software development environment

Abstract

In recent years, innovation and creativity have become a much sought attribute within organisations. The bloom of various technological innovations, particularly in the software industry, has seen the rise and sometimes demise, of many organisations. Nonetheless the attributes that instigate organisational innovation remain far from understood. This study investigates organisational aspects, in particular climate, structure, team processes and models which influence software development team innovation. This was done by looking at organisations as multileveled entities that have different characteristics and processes that live in changing environments. Readers should find particularly interesting the combination of different tools and methodologies, including the application of general systems theory, to the holistic understanding of the related complex phenomena. The intriguing results, their analyses and the authors’ reflections bring new insight to those managers who want to reform their place of work. For the scholar, this study brings new insight to the contradicting attributes of innovations and its measurement, whilst opening new areas of study.