PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS OF PERCEPTION OF INNOVATION BY EMPLOYEES IN ORGANIZATIONS

Abstract

The modern development of Ukrainian society is accompanied by changes in social, economic, political and other spheres of life. This involves reforming public institutions, educational establishments, introducing innovations in the functioning of institutions, and so on. But, as life shows, the perception of change by people and social groups is not always positive, which contributes to the formation of resistance to change and complicates its implementation. Research analysis shows that the reasons for different perceptions of innovation lie in personal and structural barriers which lie at the individual and group levels. That is why the study of psychological factors of innovation perception and the emergence of resistance to change plays an important role in developing effective methods of organizing work with staff and has a high scientific and practical value. The purpose of the study is to analyze and study the psychological factors that determine the positive perception of innovation by employees in organizations and to determine the factors of resistance to change in professional activities. Methods of questionnaires, interviews, performance analysis, psychodiagnostics, and mathematical and statistical methods were used to test the research hypothesis. The sample group of participants who participated in the study consisted of 74 people (54 women and 20 men) from various government agencies. The age of the subjects is from 19 to 55. Among them are 21 police officers, 17 doctors, 19 teachers of educational establishments, 9 employees of city administrations and 8 kindergarten teachers. The results of the study have revealed psychological factors that have statistically significant differences and contribute to a positive response to changes in employees: creativity, risk taking to succeed, future-oriented behavior, ingenuity, courage, and entrepreneurship. The introduction of innovations in organizations is always associated with certain difficulties. Innovation is not only an introduction of new approaches but also the ability to think anew, to rethink existing theories, enduring truths, rules and norms of behavior. Therefore, these processes imply the need to attract the most qualified personnel who have certain psychological characteristics in terms of positive perception and implementation of innovative changes.