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S. Pogosian and I. Dzemyda (2012) noted that concept of innovations/innovative behavior is
still relatively new in Lithuania. Main attention of the researchers was focused on
innovations in public sector (Domarkas, Juknevičienė, 2010; Černikovaite , 2011:
Giedraitytė, Raipa 2012; Raipa, Jurkšienė, 2013 and else) , but appearance multi topic study
books (Ališauskas, Karpavičius, Šeputienė, 2005; Jakubavičius Jucevičius, Jucevičius,
Kriaučionienė, 2003) and specialized articles, (Gečas, Jakubavičius, 2001) suggests, that
studies in business innovation is gaining its momentum in Lithuania.
Starting from 2008, in response to the pending legal reform, Lithuanian of labour law
specialists intensified research of flexible work arrangements (Davulis, 2008;
Dambrauskienė, 2008; Usonis, Bagdanskis, 2008; Usonis, Bagdanskis, 2011 and other). These
works are used for more accurate understanding of legal reform and flexibility in
employment relations. Articles and monographies (Eichhorst W., Tobsch, 2014; De
Spiegelaere, Van Gyes, Van Hootegem, 2014) describing results of studies of actual labour
relations in West European countries provides opportunities to predict outcomes of legal
modernization in Lithuania
Aim of this article is to research possible impact of introduction flexible legal regulation on
innovative human resource management practices. The research tasks are the following:
1. To ascertain different approaches to innovations in human resource management and
work flexibility;
2. To define European Commission aims and policies toward work relations and
innowation;
3. To examine DNLC to, single out and classify proposed measures of flexibility;
4. To evaluate the impact of new legal framework to innovations in the area human
resource management.
Concepts of innovation in human resource management and work flexibility
Innovations can be regarded as one of most important elements of successful business
strategy. There is no single universally accepted definition of innovation. European
Commission innovation described innovation change that speeds up and improves the way
we conceive, develop, produce and access new products, industrial processes and services.
Changes that create more jobs improve people's lives and build greener and better
societies. (European Commission (2010) Turning Europe into a true Innovation Union.).
Product innovations are new or improved goods or services. There are distinction between
“new to the market” innovations and innovations that are ‘new to the firm’ (being adopted
from other sources), that are (mainly) a measure of the diffusion of innovations Process
innovations are new technological or organizational arrangements (Edquist, Hommen,
2008). Non-technological, organizational innovations is often available even to small firms
(10–50 employees) which are by far the largest group of business organizations, but they
show the lowest degree of innovativeness even in generally innovative countries like
Netherlands( Verspagen , 2008).
Human resource management is defined as a system of operational functions such as
staffing, selection, job design, training and (career) development, performance appraisal
and compensation, dismissal. (Jorgensen, Becker, Matthews, 2009). Innovations in human
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