Measuring competences for innovation: a new scale articulated with new in-depth knowledge structures

This article describes the background and the development process of a new measurement scale of innovation competence referred to as the INN-COMP scale. The aim of the measurement scale is to measure the innovation competence in an organization and the scale aims to answer the question: How good is your organisation's expertise in initiating and implementing innovative processes? This measurement scale assesses whether an organisation has the competencies needed to initiate and execute innovation processes. The questions were directly derived from and anchored in a major study that examined over 3,000 research studies on practical innovation competences under unforeseen conditions. Based on how the literature sources applied and sorted the competences in their original works, we derived a competence structure based on the National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) Standards and Competence system. From this, we further developed a conceptual model, referred to as the Innovation Competence Structures Model (INN-COMP model) that frames different competence needs related to degrees of innovation and the unforeseen. The systematic literature review resulted in a total of 174 references that reached the inclusion criteria, and 32 abstracts were found to be relevant in relation to our research question. Overall, 14 competency types was identified from the 32 references, and these in turn had a total of over 50 specific competency units. The 14 competence types identified were collaboration, creativity, divergent thinking, enculturation, entrepreneurial leadership, flexibility, imagination, improvisation, judgment and decision making, knowledge articulation, self-efficacy, serendipity, trialling, and understanding emotions. However, these competence types are only hypothetical concepts that do not in themselves define or identify specific competence types. This is also where many previous research studies have failed. By only using such overarching competence concepts, it will be pedagogically impossible to articulate sufficiently precise learning objectives as a basis for training and training design to develop the actual competences needed. Our study therefore also includes underlying and concrete, as well as identifiable pedagogical and psychological competence structures that build up the aforementioned hypothetical constructs. We generated 52 questions for the 14 competence types, formulated as statements on a 5 point Likert scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree. We also suggest four archetypical realms in which the INN-COMP scale can be empirically tested. Based on the answers provided from an organization to the INN-COMP scale, an overview will be provided of the status of an organisation's innovation competencies. In addition, answers to the INN-COMP scale will provide which competency areas are well covered and which should be strengthened, as well as which actions should be taken to improve the organization. With such a measuring instrument for identifying competence types and competence gaps related to innovation in an organisation, it will be easier to develop specific learning programmes, including the formulation of strategic competence development plans. This is necessary in order to build the right and precise skills to initiate and implement innovation processes in your own organisation - where skills often need to be tailored to the organisation's tasks and objectives.