At the Center of the Action: Innovation and Technology Strategy Research in the Small Business Setting (original) (raw)
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Innovation in Small Businesses: towards an Owner-Centered Approach to Innovation
RBGN-Revista Brasileira de Gestao de Negocios, 2021
Purpose-We aim to understand how small business owners develop innovations. Theoretical framework-We adopt social cognitive theory to understand innovative activities in small businesses. We draw on Schumpeter's work to understand how owners may develop innovations and how an owner-centered approach to innovation should take form. Design/methodology/approach-We conducted a multiple case study in small businesses from different traditional sectors. We conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with the participants and we accessed data from social networks such as the Facebook and Instagram fan pages of the businesses. Findings-The results explain what drives business owners towards innovation and what affects the innovation structure of their businesses. These results are expressed through the antecedents of innovation that emerged from the field and may help in explaining the differences between innovative small businesses and non-innovative small businesses. Research Practical & Social implications-We developed an approach designed for studying innovation within the context and reality of small businesses. In order to contribute to the development of innovations in forgotten businesses, we have listed some recommendations for supporting agencies, government bodies, and researchers alike. Originality/value-Small business innovation is influenced by the owner's propensity to recognize and act on opportunities. Therefore, the owner can guide the innovation activity in a small business and this needs to be considered by researchers.
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2000
Research in entrepreneurship has debated the differences between entrepreneurial and small business ventures for quite some time, arguing that entrepreneurial ventures are small growth-oriented, strategically-innovative firms, while small business ventures are neither growth oriented nor strategically innovative. However, scholars often treat both types of ventures analogously in terms of both construct and theory, which poses clear problems given their differences. As a result, we may have missed opportunities to advance both our understanding of new firm survival and growth and our understanding of how theoretical perspectives in strategic management apply to entrepreneurial and small business ventures. Since we understand far less about the strategies of small firms than the strategies of large firms, these problems present a substantial opportunity to refine strategic management theory for the entrepreneurial and small business contexts. Thus, in this study we examine the extent to which small firms may engage in strategic pursuits of competitive advantage to determine the applicability of strategic management theories to the contexts. We do so by empirically examining the types of strategies employed by entrepreneurial and small business ventures. Contrary to common assumptions, we find the essence of small firm strategy is to stay small. We discuss the implications of our findings for future research and practice.
Researching Technological Innovation in Small Business
Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology, Second Edition
The introduction of a new information system into a small business, or upgrading an existing system, should be seen as an innovation and considered through the lens of innovation theory. The most widely accepted theories of how technological innovation takes place are provided by innovation diffusion (Rogers, 1995) and the technology acceptance model (Davis, 1986), but most of the research based on these models involves studies of large organizations or societal groups. This article argues that another approach, innovation translation, has more to offer in the case of innovations that take place in smaller organizations (Burgess, Tatnall, & Darbyshire, 1999; Tatnall, 2002; Tatnall & Burgess, 2004).
The Benefits of Innovation for Small Businesses
International Journal of Business and Management Research, 2021
The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategic managerial tools small business owners or managers use to sustain growth over time through Schumpeter’s innovation theory. Five small business owners located in North America were interviewed through face-to-face open-ended interview questions. The results from data analysis collected through interview responses indicated that small business owners or managers attested that their businesses were developed when using innovation as a strategic managerial tool. By contrast, small business owners or managers agreed that the lack of using innovation and understanding the reality of the current business context had an adverse impact on business growth. The findings of this study may also provide small business leaders or managers with critical information to ensure success and better understand strategies small businesses need for long-term growth.
Understanding innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises: a process manifest
Technovation, 2005
This paper proposes new directions in researching innovation in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) based on a process perspective. We proceed by (a) reviewing advances in mainstream innovation research, (b) considering the nature of studies of innovation in SMEs, and (c) outlining new directions that take into consideration the conceptual arguments illustrated in the previous sections. We propose that our current level of understanding is restricted due to the theoretical and methodological biases that have informed existing research. A better understanding is more likely to be achieved by rejecting normative-variance approaches and assessing innovation in the context of strategic conduct within institutional processes and structures. This should contribute to a better appreciation of innovation in SMEs by focusing on the process of change.
Strategic Innovation in Small Firms: An Introduction
Introductory chapter to an edited book on innovation and strategy in 567 cases from 9 OECD countries. The chapter overviews the research methodology and conceptual framework used in the international research project.
Small business, innovation, and entrepreneurship
Small Business Economics, 2014
The purpose of this special issue is to examine small businesses, innovation and entrepreneurship and show that although these three concepts have their own specific literature and can be dealt with independently, they are closely related. From Schumpeter to the present, a stream of literature unites the concept of entrepreneurship with its ability to make new combinations of factors and corresponding innovations in processes and products; similarly, in a broad stream of literature the most characteristic dimension of entrepreneurship is closely linked to small businesses. Small and large companies have different advantages and drawbacks with innovation, but small businesses provide the most conducive environment for entrepreneurship and innovation that are not necessarily sustained by the know-how and resources characteristic of large scale production but require commitment and close cooperation between company members. In this introduction we show how the three topics converge in four articles dealing with micro start-ups and innovation, institutional determinants of entrepreneurship and determining factors in entrepreneurs' individual characteristics.
Researching small firms and entrepreneurship: Past, present and future
International Journal of Management Reviews, 2009
This paper seeks to stimulate debate on the agendas, methodologies and methods used in the field of small business and entrepreneurship. The paper raises questions regarding the research agendas pursued and provides some pointers for the direction of future research. Integral to this is the argument that there is a need to reflect on the condition of small-business research and to raise the quality of research by employing robust research methods. This may involve questioning the role of small firms and entrepreneurship in society rather than merely advocating them and the policy measures taken when supporting and/or developing the small business sector. The dominance of specific viewpoints, the methodologies used in small business studies, and the consequences of these in relation to the development of a coherent scientific field of small business studies are also discussed. Examples of research activity are discussed to illustrate these themes. Overall, the paper argues that entrepreneurship and small business is a lucrative area for research. However, if the field of inquiry is to flourish, it needs to be approached from a more critical perspective, instead of merely accepting normative, or even strongly ideologically driven, standpoints now dominant in so many studies. This has implications for research agendas, methodologies and ultimately research methods training.
International journal Of Business Management Small Business Innovation Management Introduction
Researchers and managers, over the decades have devoted significant amounts of time in trying to understand and manage the innovation process. This research paper explores one particular part of the innovation journey, the subjectivity of innovation management and the influence that a change in leadership style can have. A framework is presented which explores the sensemaking and subjectivity of those involved in innovation management, and the close link between these and the positive and negative outcomes of the innovation process. The paper sets out the research undertaken by the co-researchers and myself in one small business over a three year period. The research shows that the coordination of group activities surrounding the innovation process are heavily influenced by dominant individuals, namely the founder and key senior managers. In managing innovation, it is important for all parties to understand the subjectivity of other group's value judgments. The research framewor...