Measurement of the process of management innovation (MI) is critical for both practitioners and academics, yet the literature is scarce and characterized by a diversity of approaches and practices that can be confusing and contradictory. This study aims to create a novel instrument for assessing MI, achieved through a critical analysis of the literature focused primarily on identifying the dimensions of MI and, second, the scales used for their measurement.
Using survey data from 415 managers of the service sector from different companies in Italy, the validation of the MIINDEX was conducted. Internal consistency analysis (Cronbach’s alpha) was used to test the statistical reliability of the tool.
The paper offers a review of key publications on the proposed dimensions of MI and the scales used for their measurement that have been published in research journals within the past two decades. The validation of the index was deemed satisfactory. These research results lead to several conclusions that enrich the current academic debate about MI and contribute to managerial and business practices.
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper originally proposed a clear and holistic framework covering the range of activities needed to capture all the nuances of MI.
