Gift exchange mechanisms: a missing link between HRM and innovation in SMEs
From a relational perspective, this article aims to understand the mechanisms of gift/counter-gift constituting a missing link between HRM and SME innovation. Through the theory of gift exchange, we study the case of a French SME and more precisely a project of technological innovation developed from 2013 to 2016. We end up with the structuring of the data and a type of modelling along the lines of the so-called “à la Gioia” method. The results reveal that the logic of giving is evolving through two key stages: freeing up gifts with a view to innovating, and refusing to return gifts in HRM terms. These stages highlight the issue of the availability of an enabling organisational environment, strong social ties and the role of a number of HRM practices.