Innovation in general, encompassing the generation, selection, and implementation of ideas, is an indispensable asset for organizations and networks aiming for strategic rejuvenation and a competitive edge. Traditionally, organizations organize innovation top down, relying on the expertise of R&D departments or senior managers.
In contrast, bottom-up innovation is the generation, evaluation/selection, and implementation of new ideas originating from lower level employees such as shop-floor employees, front line employees or blue collar workers.
This special issue aims to further our knowledge on how ideas from the lower levels of the organization are generated and implemented. Adopting a problematization methodology for generating research questions, it aims to identify, articulate and explore underlying assumptions in extant research, so that they can be challenged and lead to the development of influential theory.