Suggestion systems in organizations: what motivates employees to submit suggestions?

Abstract

Purpose Suggestion systems offer the opportunity for organizations to benefit directly from their employees' innovativeness. The purpose of this paper is to investigate processes underlying employees' involvement with suggestion systems. It examines the relationship between interactional justice of the suggestion system, valence of the suggestion system (VSS), employees' wellbeing, and their motivation to submit suggestions. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected in a German manufacturing company. In total, 142 questionnaires were completed (response rate: 71 percent). The paper applies the bootstrapping method in order to test the hypothesized relationships. Findings Results support the hypothesized moderated mediation model, in that VSS mediated the positive relationship between interactional justice and motivation to submit suggestions when wellbeing was high or moderate, but not when wellbeing was low. Research limitations/implications The results reflect only subjective appraisals. However, the studied variables are ultimately based on what employees perceive. Nonetheless, future research should generate and include more objective measures. Practical implications The paper provides evidence, first, that companies should consider the important role of employees' wellbeing in the innovation context and try to enhance it. Second, the interactional justice and the VSS contribute to employees' motivation to submit suggestions and should be strengthened. Originality/value While the existing literature mostly focuses on innovative behaviour in general, this paper analyzes employees' motivation to submit suggestions.