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The study aims to explore the role of paradoxical tensions in promoting employee-driven innovation within the civil service.

Paradoxical tensions as catalysts: a phenomenon-based study of employee-driven innovation in the civil service

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Qualitative study reveals how tensions can enable innovation in civil service contexts, highlighting theoretical and practical implications.

The study aims to explore the role of paradoxical tensions in promoting employee-driven innovation within the civil service.
Qualitative study involving 125 Irish civil servants
Analysis of four continua of opposing forces: stability vs. change, bureaucracy vs. flexibility, hierarchical control vs. individual empowerment, siloization vs. integration
Examination of managerial roles in reconciling tensions
Identified four continua of opposing forces affecting employee-driven innovation
Demonstrated how managers act as catalysts to reconcile tensions for innovation
Highlighted the significance of viewing tensions as facilitators rather than barriers to innovation

Freeney et al. (2026) studied this question.

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Qualitative study reveals how tensions can enable innovation in civil service contexts, highlighting theoretical and practical implications.