21. Frugal Workplace Innovation: A Conceptual Framework

Frugal innovation is associated with social, economic, and environmental benefits. The process by which this innovation is embedded in organisational DNA, and the mechanisms by which its related beneficial outcomes eventuate however, remain unclear, as these have not been clarified in the literature. Using the concept of workplace innovation, and by means of conceptual research methodology, this chapter explores the process by which a frugal workplace innovation environment is created and develops a conceptual framework to depict relationships between various frugal workplace innovation predictors and related outcomes. The resultant conceptual framework identifies two independent variables, one mediating variable, and one outcome variable. This chapter extends the field of innovation management by the contribution of a framework for conceptualising not only frugal workplace innovation, but workplace innovation in general, and also for predicting workplace innovation-related outcomes. It lays the groundwork for the development of a testable workplace innovation theory.