2.2.2. Greater autonomy
Autonomy refers to the sovereign actions of an indi-
vidual or team in bringing forth an idea/vision and
carrying it through to completion. Employees appre-
ciate having discretion in their jobs, as it offers a
certain level of independence and creates a sense of
ownership. It provides the freedom to exercise the
creativity necessary to initiate, develop, and com-
plete innovative initiatives. As such, autonomy con-
tributes to an innovation-driven culture by motivating
employees to engage in innovative pursuits.
Mobile communication startup Snapchat has at-
tracted quality software engineers and developed an
innovative culture through offering considerable employee
autonomy. This discretion has created benefi-
cial learning opportunities for staff members and
serves as ‘‘an incredible source of motivation,’’ says
an anonymous member of Snapchat’s iOS develop-
ment team. ‘‘We’re still a small team facing complex
challenges, and we each shoulder a large amount of
responsibility. But we’ve pushed ourselves and have
improved so much in the process’’ (Quora, 2014).
Business owners who offer autonomy can expect
employees with greater passion and enrichment in
their jobs. People want to be part of something they
believe in, so offering more authority in how the work
is performed provides employees with increased motivation
to solve problems and remain committed to
the organization’s innovation goals.
2.2.3. Financial incentives
In order to encourage innovative behaviors, it is also
logical to financially incentivize such behavior, as
seen in typical pay-for-performance compensation
plans. Although SMEs may not be able to provide
immediate compensation for innovation-related
efforts, they can find ways to tailor rewards such
that employees know what to reach for (Torres,
2015). SMEs can strengthen long-term buy-in from
their employees by implementing gainsharing/profit