Torugsa, NuttaneeyaArundel, Anthony2025-01-022025-01-022017http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2017.03.0090048-733https://www.suaire.sua.ac.tz/handle/123456789/6468practicaltThis study applies a holistic approach grounded in configurational theory to a sample of 2505 innova-tive public administration agencies in Europe to explore the effect of organizational risk aversion on thebenefits from service innovations. The analyses, using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (QCA),identify several combinations of strategies (varying by the agency size and the novelty of innovation) thatmanagers in risk-averse agencies can use to work effectively around the risks of innovating. The findingsshow that the managers of both high and low risk-averse agencies can achieve high benefits from theirinnovation efforts, but their strategizing behaviors differ. An integrated strategy that combines collab-oration, complementary process and communication innovations, and an active management strategyto support innovation is the most effective method for ‘low-risk-averse’ small agencies and ‘high-risk-averse’ larger agencies to obtain high benefits from either novel or incremental service innovations. Ourresults point to the need to rethink the conventional assumption that a culture of risk aversion in publicsector agencies is a cause of management ineffectiveness and a stumbling block to innovation success.enRisk aversionPublicservicesServiceinnovationsInnovationbenefitsStrategiesConfigurationaltheoryaArticle