How can HR practices support front-end innovation and increase the innovativeness of companies?

This theoretical review is investigating how selected HR practices can help overcome the challenges companies face in establishing a basis for continuous innovation and thereby economic performance. In particular, the front end of innovation is being emphasised as a key element in companies’ innovativeness. If HR is to support these activities, focus should be on broader issues such as team-based organising, founded on a questioning attitude and a management style with a high level of empowerment. In addition, traditional HR themes such as recruitment, training and development have to be reinterpreted in a context of heterogeneity and polyvalence. Finally performance management and talent management should play a greater role in emphasising exclusive values and rational goal-oriented behaviour among employees, compared to the more inclusive mainstream values that characterise much HRM literature. A number of propositions for further research are presented.