Engagement and innovation:the Honda case

摘要

Purpose – Research and development (R&D) plays a significant role in creating and sustainingtechnological leadership. This paper aims to look at the extent to which R&D interventions stimulateinnovation engagement. Design/methodology/approach – This paper examines, in the main, secondary data sources fromHonda to assess the extent to which R&D-enabled plants enjoy both enhanced innovatory potentialand employee engagement. Findings – Initial indications point to a positive correlation between R&D and associated plantperformance. Ongoing research suggests that there is a clear link between interventions and enhancedemployee engagement. In addition, there appears to be evidence that monoculture outperformmulticultural establishments. Research limitations/implications – The research was exploratory in nature and relied, in themain, on secondary data sources. However, access to the secondary sources was extensive whichhopefully compensates for the limited primary data. Originality/value – Practitioners and academics interested in the relationship between engagement,value add knowledge transfer, R&D and innovation should find this paper of interest.