In today's global business environment, innovation is a keystone for
organisational success. In this thesis, we have researched how organisational
commitment practices empower employees for innovation. Our study draws on
empowerment and motivation theories as our orienting frameworks, and explores
organisational case studies of three different companies. The organisations have
different innovation goals and methods that we illustrate as potential long-term
commitment practices that empower employees for innovation. Our findings
indicate three types of organisational commitment practices that empower
employees for innovation in contrasting ways: (1) empowerment through
employee training, (2) empowerment through commissioning employees’
agency and (3) empowerment through ways of communicating. These
organisations practise long-term commitment that empowers employees for
innovation through both direct and indirect investments, by providing training,
freedom to play and giving space for individuality, and through both consistent
and transparent communication. We have discovered that these long-term
commitment practices empower employees to be self-driven for innovation,
provided they are given the training, the resources and the support. These
powerful commitment practices illustrate that employees are a vital resource, and
by involving the ideas, energy, knowledge and creativity of all employees,
organisations can establish a foundation for more innovation